Hammer Films Is Ready to Resurrect ‘The Woman in Black’… and More!
John Gore Studios, which owns Hammer, has acquired all rights to the works of Dame Susan Hill, who famously wrote […]
John Gore Studios, which owns Hammer, has acquired all rights to the works of Dame Susan Hill, who famously wrote the 1983 Gothic horror The Woman in Black, reports Variety.
Considered one of the defining British ghost stories of the modern era, The Woman in Black was adapted into a hugely successful stage production that ran in London’s West End for 33 years.
In 2012, Daniel Radcliffe fronted a Hammer production of The Woman in Black feature, which earned $127.7 million, becoming the highest-grossing British horror in 20 years (and with the biggest U.S. opening for a Hammer film in the studio’s history).
Alongside The Woman in Black, Hill’s body of work across a publishing career spanning more than six decades also encompasses literary fiction, crime writing, children’s books, memoir and radio drama. Among her many accolades, her novel “The Bird of Night” was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1972, while her wider honours include the Somerset Maugham Award, the Whitbread Novel Award and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
“For any author, it’s heartening to see their stories continue to find new life,” said Hill. “John Gore Studios brings together a genuine respect for heritage with an understanding of how classic stories can reach new audiences, and Hammer has a long and distinguished place in the history of British gothic storytelling, so I’m very pleased that these worlds can come together for the next chapter.”
“Susan Hill is one of Britain’s most distinctive literary voices, and it is a privilege to become a custodian of such an extraordinary body of work,” added Gore, founder and executive chairman of John Gore Studios. “Our ambition is to approach these stories with the same care, craftmanship and respect for character, suspense and atmosphere that Susan has brought to them throughout her career. As we explore new ways of bringing her work to audiences across film, television and beyond, Susan’s voice and vision will remain at the heart of everything we do. Above all, we hope that each new interpretation will encourage audiences to discover, or return to, the remarkable writing that inspired it.”
