Cannes: 'Room' Director Lenny Abrahamson to Tackle Ghost Story for Focus

'The Little Stranger' will star Charlotte Rampling, Domhnall Gleeson and Ruth Wilson.

Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to Lenny Abrahamson’s The Little Stranger, except for the U.K., France and Switzerland, where it will be distributed by Pathé.

The new film from the Oscar-nominated director of Room is a ghost story that will star Charlotte Rampling, Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson and Will Poulter. It begins shooting this summer in the U.K. for release in 2018. Lucinda Coxon, who wrote the screenplay adaptation of Focus’ The Danish Girl, has adapted The Little Stranger from Sarah Waters’ 2009 novel of the same name. Set in a remote English village after World War II, the film revolves around an aged estate that is believed to be haunted.

The Little Stranger is a Focus Features, Pathé, and Film4 presentation in association with Ingenious Media and the Irish Film Board of a Potboiler production in association with Element Pictures. The producers of The Little Stranger are Gail Egan, who executive-produced Focus’ The Constant Gardener, Andrea Calderwood and Ed Guiney. Executive producers are Pathé’s Cameron McCracken, Film4’s Daniel Battsek, Irish Film Board’s Celine Haddad, Ingenious’ Tim O’Shea and Element’s Andrew Lowe. The film was developed by Potboiler and Film4 with Element Films.

“We're thrilled to be working with Lenny, a filmmaker who has proven to redefine every genre he takes on," Focus chairman Peter Kujawski said. "We are excited to be partnering once again with our good friends at Pathé and Film4 on The Little Stranger, a classic ghost story to chill moviegoers."