Larry Fessenden to direct English language remake of 'The Orphanage'

According to THR Larry Fessenden will direct New Line’s English language remake of The Orphanage. Guillermo del Toro (who produced the original Spanish version) is producing and has co-written the script with Fessenden. A lead actress is currently being searched for.

The original version of The Orphanage (which is only a couple of years old) followed a woman who moves in with her husband and son to a house that used to be the orphanage that she grew up in. Before long her son starts to act strange, communicating with an imaginary friend.

Fessenden is well established on the indie-horror circuit, as an actor, producer and director. His resume includes the likes of The Last Winter, The Roost, I Sell The Dead and Wendigo. Del Toro handpicked Fassenden to direct The Orphanage remake, seeing him as a “filmmaker who understood the conventions of the horror genre and could execute a movie that would be as scary and disturbing as the original but in an American context.”

Fessenden being tapped as director also continues the trend of del Toro mentoring up-and-coming filmmakers, having already done so with Juan Antonio Bayona (director of the original Orphanage) and currently Andres Muschietti (who’s directing Mama for Universal).

The Orphanage remake is in the development stages and doesn’t currently have a release date.

Source: THR