Paramount Primal Developing Film Adaptation Of Nick Cutter Horror Novel 'The Troop' From Screenwriter Chris Basler
Deadline
β’Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:53:27 +0000
π° What Happened
Paramount Primal, the studio's new genre label led by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, has acquired the rights to The Troop, the 2014 horror novel by Nick Cutter. Chris Basler has been enlisted to write the feature adaptation. The novel follows a troop of boys who, during their annual scout camping trip, encounter an intruder who unleashes something far more terrifying than a campfire ghost story, turning the boys against the infected and each other. Lyrical Media is set to produce, with Tracy Rosenblum overseeing the project.
π The Backstory
Nick Cutter is the pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Craig Davidson, whose novel won the James Herbert Award for Horror Writing. The Troop is one of the most widely praised modern horror novels, and its bodily-horror concept has drawn consistent adaptation interest. Chris Basler has worked on previous film and TV projects, notably with a track record of developing genre material. Paramount Primal is a new branch of the studio built specifically around horror and high-concept genre filmmaking.
π― Why It Matters
Adapting The Troop brings one of the most beloved modern horror novels to the big screen under a boutique genre-focused label. It continues a wave of horror novels seeing film deals, tapping into a category box office strengths. Wrap into Paramount Primal's growing slate signals a deliberate in original screen material rather than only franchises. The combination of a celebrated source and an experienced writer gives the project substantial reader interest before a frame is shot.
Paramount Primal, the studio's new genre label led by J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, has acquired the rights to The Troop, the 2014 horror novel by Nick Cutter. Chris Basler has been enlisted to write the feature adaptation. The novel follows a troop of boys who, during their annual scout camping trip, encounter an intruder who unleashes something far more terrifying than a campfire ghost story, turning the boys against the infected and each other. Lyrical Media is set to produce, with Tracy Rosenblum overseeing the project.
Nick Cutter is the pseudonym for USA Today bestselling author Craig Davidson, whose novel won the James Herbert Award for Horror Writing. The Troop is one of the most widely praised modern horror novels, and its bodily-horror concept has drawn consistent adaptation interest. Chris Basler has worked on previous film and TV projects, notably with a track record of developing genre material. Paramount Primal is a new branch of the studio built specifically around horror and high-concept genre filmmaking.
Adapting The Troop brings one of the most beloved modern horror novels to the big screen under a boutique genre-focused label. It continues a wave of horror novels seeing film deals, tapping into a category box office strengths. Wrap into Paramount Primal's growing slate signals a deliberate in original screen material rather than only franchises. The combination of a celebrated source and an experienced writer gives the project substantial reader interest before a frame is shot.