Chris Columbus has added another new possible project to his slate via his 1492 production company, buying up the rights to Michael Koryta’s chiller novel The Cypress House.
While Columbus hasn’t committed to direct the eventual film yet, he will adapt the script himself and produce the story of Arlen Wagner, a World War One veteran who lives during the Great Depression. He’s constantly troubled by visions that let him foretell the deaths of those around him, and battles his personal demons with whiskey. He spends most of his time in the Civilian Conservation Corps and, on a journey to the organisation’s new camp in Florida, he receives one of his Final Destination-style flashes, then hops off a train with pal Paul Brickhill and ends up at the titular house, which happens to be the focal point for local corruption. Suffice to say, his day does not improve…
While Columbus has been spending more time as a producer since directing P****ercy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, he has been developing several likely movies, including a remake of Korean comedy drama Hello Ghost.