Paramount Pictures has renewed its first-look deal with Lindsey Anderson Beer and her production banner Lab Brew.
In re-upping the deal, the studio has also picked up Here Comes the Dark, a supernatural thriller spec script by Shane and Carey Van Dyke, the duo who co-wrote the 2022 thriller Don’t Worry Darling. Anderson Beer and Lab Brew will produce.
Paramount’s renewal is a vote of confidence in Anderson Beer, who wrote and made her feature directorial debut with the horror movie Pet Sematary: Bloodline for the studio last year. The movie debuted as the No. 1 title on Paramount+ and quickly broke the streamer’s record for the most-watched Paramount+ original movie within the first 30 days of a film’s release in the U.S. Anderson Beer broke through by writing the popular Netflix movie Sierra Burgess Is a Loser.
“Lindsey is a wonderfully gifted writer, director and producer with sharp instincts and a distinct creative vision, who also happens to be a truly delightful person,” said Daria Cercek and Mike Ireland, co-presidents of Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to continue making movies together and building on our success.”
Plot details for Here Comes the Dark are being kept, um, in the dark, but the project joins a growing list of Lab Brew titles that the studio is excited to move along with.
There’s the sci-fi thriller Optimize, based on a short story of the same name written by Anderson Beer, with Anderson Beer attached to direct, write and produce. Lashana Lynch is attached to star.
Lab Brew is also developing a feature on the popular toy brand American Girl, with Anderson Beer attached to write and produce alongside Mattel Films and Temple Hill.
Additional projects on the development slate include Searching for Susy Thunder, based on the true story of Susan Thunder, one of the first and most infamous hackers in the 1980s; Sleepy Hollow with Anderson Beer attached to write, direct, and produce alongside Todd Garner of Broken Road; and Wilderness Reform, based on Matt and Harrison Query’s upcoming book of the same name.
Assisting Anderson Beer with the banner’s growing slate and ambitions are two new hires, Alexandra Bank and Spencer Walken, tapped as Lab Brew vice presidents.
Banks spent the last eight years at WME/Endeavor working on the corporate operational side of the business, overseeing special projects and managing the integration of acquisitions. She also served as an exec producer on Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and was a production associate at Mike Flanagan and Trevor Macy’s Intrepid Pictures.
Walken, who began his career in the motion picture talent department at UTA, is coming from Broken Road Productions,where he worked on Netflix’s Senior Year starring Rebel Wilson, family comedy Playing With Fire starring John Cena, and New Line Cinema’s recent Mortal Kombat reboot.
“Mike and Daria are true friends and champions to their filmmakers, and I am excited to continue our very special partnership. From the scary and thrilling like Optimize, to the whimsical and surprising like American Girl, I am extremely proud of the slate we are building together,” stated Anderson Beer.
She continued, “Alexandra and Spencer are invaluable assets as LAB BREW continues to expand and amplify character-driven stories from talented and unique voices.”
Anderson Beer is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Gang Tyre. The Van Dyke are repped by CAA, Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment, and the Nord Group.
