VICTOR HADIDA’S DAVIS FILMS LAUNCHES FILM ADAPTATION OF BESTSELLING YA FANTASY BOOK SERIES “HOUSE OF NIGHT” WITH HASSELL FREE PRODUCTIONS
Highland Film Group Launching Sales for the Highly Anticipated New Project at EFM
The first film in an anticipated franchise adaptation of House of Night is coming to the big screen for its legion of worldwide fans. The YA fantasy romance is based on the New York Times #1 bestselling book series of the same name by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast. Directed by Rain Li (Beijing, New York), widely acclaimed cinematographer and commercials director, casting for the film is currently underway.
Highland Film Group will present the project this week at the upcoming European Film Market.
Victor Hadida (Resident Evil and Silent Hill franchises, The Crow) and Molly Hassell (the upcoming The Return to Silent Hill, Terminal, The Crow) are producing.
The book series has sold over 31 million copies across more than 40 countries in over 30 languages, making it one of the most successful and far-reaching young adult franchises globally. With a dedicated fan base worldwide, the combined books have spent 153 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, reaching the coveted #1 position multiple times. The series has also spent 424 weeks on USA Today’s Best-selling Books list, with four books (Awakened, Hunted, Burned, and Tempted) peaking at #1.
“With the wide recognition and following of the books in so many countries, and the young adult themes of growth and challenge in an uncertain world, this is the right moment for this film, and we could not be more thrilled to bring it to audiences throughout the world,” said Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser. “House of Night is the first installment of a strong franchise with an incredibly robust and passionate army of fans around the world who are eager to see these stories brought to life,” added Highland Film Group COO Delphine Perrier.
Zoey’s life is forever changed when a genetic mutation marks her as a vampyre fledgling, forcing her to leave everything behind and get to the House of Night, a boarding school where the Marked learn to endure their transformation. As she navigates the highs and lows of teenage love, shifting friendships, and newfound independence, Zoey discovers she possesses extraordinary gifts that set her apart – making her both revered and feared in a vampyre world already steeped in magic.
P.C. Cast observed, “I’ve been working closely with Molly and Rain to bring this film to fruition, and could not be more proud of the work they have done in respecting our universe. Our fans have been waiting many years to see their beloved characters and their journeys come to the screen, and we are beyond excited at what they will see.”
Li added, “I have long loved the unique universe that P.C. and Kristin have created in their beloved books. I am so excited to cinematically realize their vision for new audiences as well as the millions of avid followers of the books.”
Director and Cinematographer Rain Li’s feature directorial debut Beijing, New York earned multiple awards internationally. She has been cinematographer on several films from acclaimed director Gus Van Sant including Paranoid Park and Paris Je T’aime, starring Willem Dafoe and Natalie Portman. Li has also been cinematographer on popular music videos including Justin Timberlake’s iconic “Sexy Back,” and The Raconteurs’ “Steady As She Goes.” She has shot high-profile commercials for major brands including Coca-Cola, Hermes, Maybelline, and Volkswagen. At 24, she was named one of Variety’s ‘10 Best Cinematographers to Watch,’ and The Hollywood Reporter named her among ‘The Best Cinematographers of This Generation.’
ABOUT DAVIS FILMS
Davis Films, based in Paris, is one of the world’s leading independent production companies and has been directly involved in the production of over forty feature films. Along with leading French distributor Metropolitan FilmExport, Davis Films was owned and managed by Samuel and Victor Hadida for many years. Following Samuel’s passing in 2018, the companies remain under ownership of the Hadida family and Victor’s management.
The first Davis production was Tony Scott’s True Romance, based on a Quentin Tarantino script. Davis also teamed with Scott years later for Domino, starring Keira Knightley. Davis is known for its Resident Evil franchise produced with Constantin, the Silent Hill franchise including the newest film directed by Christophe Gans, Return to Silent Hill, coming to screens worldwide this year, and Terry Gilliam’s Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, among numerous works with leading directors. Davis most recently produced Rupert Sanders’ modern reimagining of The Crow, starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs.
ABOUT HASSELL FREE PRODUCTIONS
Under the leadership of Molly Hassell, Hassell Free Productions has produced and/or financed more than 20 critically acclaimed films, including most recently Rupert Sander’s The Crow, starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA twigs; the noir crime thriller Terminal starring Margot Robbie, Simon Pegg and Mike Myers; action thriller Braven starring Jason Momoa and Stephen Lang; Jon Avnet’s Three Christs starring Richard Gere, Peter Dinklage, Walton Goggins and Bradley Whitford; thriller The Trust starring Nicolas Cage and Elijah Wood; and two films directed by MJ Bassett, action drama Endangered Species starring Rebecca Romijn, Philip Winchester, and Jerry O’Connell, and action thriller Rogue starring Megan Fox.
ABOUT HIGHLAND FILM GROUP
Led by founding partners Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, Highland Film Group (HFG) is an award-winning independent worldwide sales, film financing, production and distribution company. Launched in 2010, HFG has had success across a wide range of film genres and platforms, building a reputation for handling high-octane films in the action/thriller/horror space, focusing on cast, director, and filmmaker driven content.
HFG’s diversified production and sales slate includes William Eubank’s action thriller Land of Bad starring Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth released on 1,300 screens in February 2024 and recently surged to the #1 spot on Netflix in the US; Benjamin Brewer’s survival action-thriller Arcadian starring Nicolas Cage, official selection at SXSW; Adam Cooper’s crime thriller Sleeping Dogs starring Russell Crowe and Karen Gillan which recently took the #1 spot on Hulu in the US; Simon West’s action comedy Old Guy starring Christoph Waltz, Lucy Liu and Cooper Hoffman; Joe Carnahan’s survival thriller Not Without Hope starring Zachary Levi and Josh Duhamel; the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut produced by Brad Fuller and starring Kate Mara and Laurence Fishburne; Allan Ungar’s action comedy London Calling starring Josh Duhamel and Jeremy Ray Taylor; and the high-concept horror film Rosario starring Emeraude Toubia and David Dastmalchian.
New projects include Martin Campbell’s action-thriller Dedication starring Daisy Ridley; Adrian Grunberg’s action-thriller Protector starring Milla Jovovich; the action crime thriller Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sasha Calle; John Stalberg, Jr.’s Muzzle: City of Wolves starring Aaron Eckhart; the action crime thriller The Deputy starring Duke Nicholson, William H. Macy, Tiffany Haddish and Stephen Dorff; and Justin Chadwick’s action thriller Sierra Madre starring Kiefer Sutherland.
Previous titles include Adrian Grünberg’s shark actioner The Black Demon starring Josh Lucas; Joe Carnahan’s Boss Level starring Naomi Watts, Mel Gibson and Frank Grillo; Lin Oeding’s thriller Braven starring Jason Momoa; Scott Mann’s Final Score starring Dave Bautista and Pierce Brosnan; Berlin, I Love You with Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Jim Sturgess, Mickey Rourke, Diego Luna and Jenna Dewan Tatum and Vaughn Stein’s Terminal starring Margot Robbie and Simon Pegg.
