The film studio run by two of Hollywood’s most influential producers has set its sights on a YouTube web series. As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, Bob and Harvey Weinstein’s Weinstein Company has closed a deal through with it will adapt The Haunting of Sunshine Girl into film and book formats.
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl stars Paige McKenzie as Sunshine, a 16 yer old girl who moves into a haunted house. Most of her videos, shot in a traditional vlog style, chronicle her encounters with paranormal spirits. The channel has attracted 119 thousand subscribers and 65 million views since its launch in 2010. Two days before the announcement of the Weinstein deal, The Haunting of Sunshine Girl introduced viewers to Brittany, a character whose house is stalked by a demonic baby.
Subscribe to get the latest creator news
The Haunting of Sunshine Girl has a lot in common with Paranormal Activity, the commercially-successful horror franchise that is soon to release its fifth installment. Creator Nick Hagen has successfully managed to combine the “homemade” feel of that franchise’s scares with a lighter tone that appeals to teenagers. “The Haunting of Sunshine Girl has all the ingredients to become a success on the screen and the page, in the young-adult world and beyond,” said the Weinstein brothers. “We were blown away by the talent of young Paige McKenzie, and the brilliant, spooky world she has brought to life with her warm, relatable protagonist, aptly named Sunshine,”
In addition to a feature film, The Weinstein Company plans to develop a young-adult book based off the series. It has enlisted author Alyssa Sheinmel to pen that adaptation, which is expected to arrive in the spring of 2015.
