EXCLUSIVE: Netflix won a three-studio bidding battle to acquire screen rights to Faun, an upcoming short story by bestselling author Joe Hill. Jeremy Slater will write the script and Michael Sugar will produce through his Sugar23 banner with Ashley Zalta. The story will be published in a new short story collection in the fall. A TV series based on his novel NOS4A2 was just unveiled by AMC at TCA, and Hill’s thriller bestsellers include Heart Shaped Box, The Fireman and Horns.

Price was not disclosed but I heard that Sony and Paramount were the other studios in the mix Friday. Here was the pitch presented to buyers:

Narnia. Hogwarts. Neverland. All magical places that mortals can travel to and marvel at the strange creatures and wonders not seen in our world. What if a door to a magical land was discovered and instead of pure hearted adventures, a man saw an opportunity to charge a fortune for an exclusive private game reserve where you can “bag” a magical creature. Multi-millionaire Tip Fallows is a recreational hunter looking for more interesting challenges. Another wealthy hunter, Stockton, has a secret to share and a journey to offer. All they need to do is pay a quarter of a million dollars to go through a little door in an old house in rural Maine. We see a supernatural adventure film that bring a fresh magical take on The Most Dangerous Game.

Sugar23

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Spotlight producer Sugar puts this through his first look deal at Netflix, where he is producing The Laundromat, the drama about the Panama Papers that Steven Soderbergh is directing with a cast that includes Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas and David Schwimmer.

Slater’s credits include Fantastic Four, The Lazarus Effect, Death Note and most recently the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy.

The deal was brokered by Hotchkiss Daily & Associates on behalf of The Choate Agency. Slater is repped by UTA and Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment.