‘William’ – ‘Anything for Jackson’ Director Sets Up a Sci-fi Haunted House Horror Movie

In the wake of 2020’s must-watch Shudder Original Anything for Jackson, director Justin Dyck will return with new horror movie William, officially announced by Deadline today.

Dyck will adapt the same-titled novel from author Andrew Pyper, which was optioned by Aperture Entertainment. The novel was released this past September by Putnam.

Justin Dyck is adapting the novel alongside Chris Sivertson (Monstrous).

Deadline details, “A contained sci-fi horror film that blends the worlds of Ex Machina and The Amityville Horror, William is set in a timely haunted house story in which the haunting is AI.”

Here’s the full synopsis for the novel, published under the pen name Mason Coile…

Henry is a brilliant engineer who, after untold hours spent in his home lab, has achieved the breakthrough of his career—he’s created an artificially intelligent consciousness. He calls the half-formed robot William.

No one knows about William. Henry’s agoraphobia keeps him inside the house, and his fixation on his project keeps him up in the attic, away from everyone, including his pregnant wife, Lily.

When Lily’s coworkers show up, wanting to finally meet Henry and see the new house—the smartest of smart homes—Henry decides to introduce them to William, and things go from strange to much worse. Soon Henry and Lily discover the security upgrades intended to keep danger out of the house are even better at locking it in.

Justin Dyck is also in pre-production on another horror movie titled The Casket Girls.