David Bruckner to direct The Caretaker, supernatural horror film starring Sydney Sweeney

Four years ago, long before she became The Housemaid, it was announced that Sydney Sweeney had signed on to star in an adaptation of Marcus Kliewer’s short story The Caretaker as the title character. Now, that project is finally moving forward, as Deadline reports that David Bruckner has come on board to write the direct the film.

What is The Caretaker about?

Kliewer’s short story is described as being a supernatural horror tale, which makes Bruckner a good choice to bring it to the screen. Bruckner is a genre regular whose credits include The Ritual, The Night House, V/H/S/, V/H/S/85, and the Hellraiser reboot.

The story begins when a troubled young woman takes a caretaking job at an isolated coastal house, only to discover she must follow a series of increasingly disturbing rules to contain a reality-warping force — one that may already be slipping beyond her control.

The Caretaker is set up at Universal. Michael Bay and Brad Fuller will produce the film through their company Platinum Dunes, under their first-look deal with the studio. Scott Glassgold is producing through 12:01 Films, while Sweeney does the same through Fifty-Fifty Films.

Karl Gajdusek and Drew Crevello wrote previous drafts of the script.

Since selling the film rights to the short story version of The Caretaker, Kliewer has fleshed the story out into a full, 320-page novel. Atria/Emily Bestler Books/12:01 Books will be publishing the novel on April 21st, and copies are available for pre-order at THIS LINK.

Here’s the book description: EXCITING OPPORTUNITY: Caretaker urgently needed. Three days of work. Competitive pay. Serious applicants ONLY.

Macy Mullins can’t say why the job posting grabbed her attention—it had the pull of a fisherman’s lure, barbed hook and all—vaguely ominous. But after an endless string of failed job interviews, she’s not exactly in the position to be picky. She has rent to pay, groceries to buy, and a younger sister to provide for. Besides, it’s only three days’ work… Three days, cooped up in a stranger’s house, surrounded by Oregon Coast wilderness.

What starts as a peculiar side gig soon becomes a waking nightmare. An incomprehensible evil may dwell on this property—and Macy Mullins might just be the only thing standing between it, and the rest of humanity. Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites… Follow the Rites…

So, Sweeney is going from playing a housemaid named Millie to playing a caretaker named Macy.

Does The Caretaker sound interesting to you? Share your thoughts on this Sydney Sweeney / David Bruckner collaboration by leaving a comment below.

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