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Scary Stories Sequel Ready but Stalled by Rights Ownership Hell

Corporate transfers that split the film’s rights must be resolved by legal teams before the sequel can move into production.

Overview

  • Director André Øvredal told /Film on Wednesday that a sequel story is finished and the creative team is ready but the project is held up by a fragmented rights situation.
  • The hold stems from the original producers' changes: CBS Films was closed in 2019 and Entertainment One passed through Hasbro and other owners, which spread legal claims to the film.
  • A sequel was first announced in 2020 with Øvredal set to return and writers Dan and Kevin Hageman attached, and Guillermo del Toro remained tied to the property as a producer.
  • Øvredal said negotiations between the current rights holders occur every few months and show intermittent movement but require formal legal clearance before filming can start.
  • The delay affects the filmmakers and potential jobs on the production and keeps on hold a commercially promising project after the first film earned $104 million on a $25 million budget.