If I was a studio executive tasked with launching a horror franchise, one of the first people I’d turn to would beRoy Lee, theItproducer who was also responsible for Hollywood’s J-horror craze, having helped Japanese producerTaka IchisebringThe RingandThe Grudgefranchises to American audiences. Well, Orion Pictures is doing just that, as the studio behind the recentChild’s Playremake is partnering with Lee’s Vertigo Entertainment and Ichise to develop a movie based on thecreepy viral sensationknown asMomo.
Momo is actually a sculpture called “Mother Bird” that was part of a 2016 gallery exhibit in Tokyo for Japanese artistKeisuke Aisawa, whose piece was rooted in the legend ofUbume, a venomous, child-snatching bird of Japanese folklore.
The Internet co-opted the sculpture’s bizarre visage and a viral hoax known as Momo’s Challenge was born. It involves a sordid game that encourages children to hurt themselves. Incidents involving young people in Scotland and Argentina were covered by local media as potentially Momo-related incidents, and Momo achieved full urban legend status afterKim Kardashianshared the image with her 145 million followers on Instagram.
Like I said, if anyone can pulls this off, it’s Lee, who has good taste in writers and filmmakers. If he and Ichise can find the right take, this could make some real money. Then again, it could also underperform likeSlender Man, though I have a hard time believing it could turn out worse than that film, which boasts a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
The untitled Orion project, which will be overseen byDan Kagan, isn’t the only Momo movie in the works, as the Momo Challenge is also said to be the inspiration for the upcoming indie horror movieGetawaystarringStef BeatonandAlex Brown.
Lee, who hasIt: Chapter Twoopening in September, is represented by CAA, while Ichise is repped by UTA. Deadline broke the news.
