It's not unusual for directors of breakout international hits to be lured to Hollywood, and **Troll Hunter **director Andre Øvredal is the latest to join the club. He's just signed on for **Carpe Demon: The Adventures Of A Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom, adapted from the book by Julie Kenner.
First published in 2005, the novel is the first in a series (franchise!) about Kate Connor, a woman living a life of suburban domesticity and trying to put her secret past as a slayer of demons firmly behind her. Except that her plan comes undone when underworld denizens start surfacing in her adopted hometown of San Diablo (well, with that name she really should have known).
In short, it's a kind of Buffy-as-grown-up affair: Whatever Happened To Buffy?, if you like. There are five instalments to date, with Carpe Demon being followed by California Demon, Demons Are Forever, Deja Demon and Demon Ex Machina.
The screenplay is by Dan and Kevin Hagerman (Hotel Transylvania), but we're not yet hearing any start dates or potential cast.
The rights to the book currently reside with Chris Columbus' 1492 production company, who are also planning the English-language Troll Hunter remake. Coincidence? No. Øvredal has shown pretty conclusively with Troll Hunter that he can juggle humour and horror successfully, so he seems like a reasonable fit for the material. Let's hope he isn't overpowered by the bigger budgets of the Hollywood machine.