Australian horror Lake Mungo remake gets writer

David Leslie Johnson, who wrote the script for the Orphan, which hits theaters on July 24th, has been tapped to pen a remake of the Australian horror suspense film Lake Mungo for Paramount Vantage, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Vantage grabbed remake rights to the film in November, when it premiered at the American Film Market.

The story revolves around a series of paranormal events that envelop a grieving family after their teenage daughter apparently dies. The original film was written and directed by Joel Anderson, who also wrote and directed the award-winning short The Rotting Woman, and used a faux-documentary style to lay out the film’s mystery. The remake is said to be taking a more traditional narrative approach.

Roy Lee and Doug Davison of Vertigo Entertainment (The Ring, The Departed) will produce, along with Arclight Films’ Gary Hamilton and the original’s producers, David Rapsey and Georgie Nevile.

Check out the website for the original film at www.lakemungo.com.

Check out the trailer for the original Lake Mungo below.