Despite being just a few months out from release, Variety is reporting that the producers of the Slender Man movie are currently shopping the horror film around Hollywood following a disagreement with Sony’s Screen Gems.
According to the site, Sony views the movie as a low-budget, Blumhouse-style release, while the producers are pushing for a wider release, and a bigger marketing campaign. As such, they have activated a clause in their contractw hich allows them to solicit higher offers for distribution, and have been screening a workprint to several parties including Netflix and Amazon.
SEE ALSO: First trailer for meme-inspired horror Slender Man
Screen Gems chief Steve Bersch is said to be a fan of the movie and is hoping that the Sony subsidiary does release it. However, there’s also said to be some concern over a potential backlash, given that the Slender Man meme allegedly inspired 12-year-old girls Anissa Weier and Morgan Geyser to stab their friend Payton Leutner 19 times in an effort to impress the fictional character.
Weier’s father, Bill Weier, has already spoken out about the film, stating that it is looking to cash in on a tragedy and describing it as “extremely distasteful”.
As it stands at present, Slender Man is slated for release on August 24th, with Sylvain White directing a cast that includes Joey King, Jaz Sinclair, and Julia Goldani Telles.
