Martin Freeman to Co-Star in ‘Ghost Stories’

Note: this article was also published on SciFi4Me.com.

Lionsgate announced at the Berlin Film Festival in February that they had acquired the UK distribution rights to Ghost Stories. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie — a screen adaptation of the stage production of the same name — will be co-written by Jeremy Dyson (best known as part of sketch comedy team The League of Gentlemen alongside Mark Gatiss) and Andy Nyman (a co-writer and director of magician Derren Brown’s stuff), with Nyman also co-starring, reprising his stage role of Professor Goodman.

The play has been compared to another long-running British play surrounding ghost stories, The Woman in Black, which I was able to see when I was in London in 2014 (and if I recall correctly, I almost went to this as well).

The movie will also star Martin Freeman (currently in Captain America: Civil War, but probably currently best known for Sherlock and The Hobbit trilogy) and George MacKay (Hulu’s 11.22.63).

The plot of Ghost Stories is minimal, as much of the marketing is surrounded by the idea of keeping it to yourself. But, Wikipedia lets us know that Dr. Goodman is a professor of parapsychology, and he is lecturing the audience on ghost stories, discussing the website scienceofghosts.com (and in true transmedia marketing, said website does exist). He focuses on three interviews with people who have had supernatural experiences, which end up apparently being connected. No word on who Freeman or MacKay will be playing.

According to Screen Daily (which has a bit more information on the plot), principal photography will start in September, but no word on when the final product will be released or if it will be distributed outside of the UK.