Netflix Picks Up R.L. Stine’s ‘Fear Street’ Trilogy From Disney, Films to Debut in 2021
Netflix has once again acquired content hanging in limbo due to COVID-19. According to Variety, the streaming giant has acquired a trilogy of films based on R.L. Stine’s “Fear Street” trilogy from Disney and the films are slated to debut on the platform in 2021.
The three films were produced by Fox and were scheduled to hit theaters a month apart beginning June 2020. However, the summer bow was pulled due to theaters shuttering because of the pandemic.
The “Fear Street” trilogy covers three separate time periods and kicks off with the first book, “The New Girl,” published in 1989. The cast includes Kiana Madeira, Olivia Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Ashley Zukerman, Fred Hechinger, Julia Rehwald and Jeremy Ford. The films were directed by Leigh Janiak whose most notable credits include 2014’s horror film “Honeymoon,” and some episodes of “Scream: The TV Series.”
The “Fear Street” acquisition is Netflix’s latest play in acquiring films whose theatrical debut has been compromised. Last week, news came out that the streaming giant is in the final stages of acquiring the Amy Adams-helmed film, “The Woman in the Window” from Disney-owned 20th Century Studios. The deal is currently in progress so there is no word yet on the release date.
“The Woman in the Window” is based on a bestseller novel by editor Dan Mallory whose pen name is A.J. Finn. The thriller follows Anna Fox (Adams), an agoraphobic child psychologist whose fear of going outside tears her family apart.
“Fear Street” and “The Woman in the Window” join other films that were originally slated for theaters but have since moved to streaming services. Tom Hanks’ “Greyhound” recently moved from Sony to Apple TV+, while the Judd Apatow-produced comedy, “The King of Staten Island,” went straight to PVOD.