Dear David: Lionsgate, BuzzFeed team for movie based on Twitter ghost story

Three years ago, we heard that It producer Dan Lin was teaming up with BuzzFeed Studios to turn a ghost story BuzzFeed writer Adam Ellis wrote on Twitter (and swears is completely true) into a film called Dear David, with the project soon finding a home at New Line Cinema. Well, things have changed in the last three years. Dear David is no longer happening at New Line Cinema – instead, Deadline reports that the studio partnering with BuzzFeed Studios to bring the story to the screen is Lionsgate. Lin is still on board to executive produce the film alongside Evan Turner and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback. Dear David is being produced by Richard Alan Reid of BuzzFeed Studios, Jason Moring, Michael Philip, and Naysun Alae-Carew.

As we heard three years ago, the screenplay for the film has been written by Mike Van Waes, based on a story he crafted with Turner. The film will center on

Adam Ellis, a former BuzzFeed employee and social media content creator who becomes haunted by the ghost of a boy possessed by a demonic entity. In 2018, Ellis’s Twitter thread about his experiences with the ghost he called ‘Dear David’ went viral, gaining him more than a million followers on the platform.

You can read Ellis’s tweets at THIS LINK.

As far as I’m concerned, the most exciting thing about this project is the fact that Dear David is going to be directed by John McPhail, who previously directed the awesome 2017 zombie outbreak musical Anna and the Apocalypse.

Lionsgate’s Lauren Bixby said,

Dear David is a terrifyingly creepy and sensational story that will translate perfectly to the big screen. It hits our goal of reaching global Millennial and Gen Z audiences by elevating contemporary, authentic new voices.”

Reid added:

Ellis’s story captivated audiences across the Internet and built a passionate, global fan base that has been waiting for the film adaptation. We can’t wait to bring this highly anticipated, harrowing tale to the big screen next year.”

We’ll keep you updated on Dear David as the project continues to move forward.