EXCLUSIVE: DreamWorks Studios has acquired the rights to remake The Prey, the French film that was released in 2011 under the title La Proie. The deal was spearheaded by production president Holly Bario, and the rights were acquired from Brio Films, Studio Canal and Cohen Media Group. Cohen Media Group chairman/CEO Charles S. Cohen will produce the remake and Cohn Media Group president Daniel Battsek will be exec producer. Luc Bossi, one of the writers on the original, will be involved in developing the English language redo.

Directed by Eric Valette, La Proie centered around a low-level crook who must break out of jail to save his family from his former cellmate and confidante, who, it turns out, is a sadistic serial killer. The original was written by Bossi and Laurent Turner and produced by Bossi’s Brio Films. StudioCanal coproduced and distributed the original film, and Cohen Media put it out in limited last summer. Bario called the original “an arresting story that had all of us at DreamWorks on the edge of our seats and we instantly saw the potential for a U.S. remake. The team at DreamWorks looks forward to working with Charles, Daniel and Luc to bring this thrilling story to a new audience.”

Charles S. Cohen, Chairman and CEO of Cohen Media Group said, “I was a strong believer in ‘The Prey’ from the very first time I saw it. The phenomenal response from critics across the country immediately created interest in a remake and I’m thrilled that we have teamed up with DreamWorks to develop this project.”