Sony Pictures has landed Hollow, a gothic reimagining of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow starring Sydney Sweeney and written, directed, and adapted by Lindsey Anderson Beer from her own debut novel. Deadline, which broke the news, reports that the studio moved fast to secure the package in a competitive situation, with Sweeney’s Honey Trap banner and LuckyChap also producing.
What is Sydney Sweeney’s new ‘Sleepy Hollow’ film about?
Hollow reframes the familiar Sleepy Hollow story through the eyes of Katrina Van Tassel, positioning her as the central figure rather than a romantic prize. Per Deadline, Beer’s version turns the heroine into the driver of a dangerous mystery and a supernatural love triangle, blending gothic atmosphere, psychological intrigue, and erotic thriller elements into a contemporary reinvention.
That is a sharper hook than another straight retread of the headless horseman. Handing the point of view to the woman usually written as the object of the story is the kind of angle that makes an old public-domain tale worth reopening, and it explains why several parties reportedly committed quickly. Deadline says casting for Brom Bones and Ichabod Crane is now one of the hottest open searches in town, so the romantic triangle at the centre of the film is still being filled out.
If you want a sense of where Hollywood’s appetite for revived gothic and horror properties sits right now, it lines up with wider moves like the Nightmare on Elm Street reboot in the works at Paramount.
Who is making ‘Hollow’?
Lindsey Anderson Beer is writing, directing, and adapting Hollow, taking on all three roles for a project built from her own book. Beer previously wrote and directed 2023’s Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, which Deadline notes debuted at No. 1 and broke a Paramount+ record for most-watched film after premiering at Fantastic Fest, and she wrote and executive produced Sierra Burgess Is a Loser, which topped Netflix globally in 2018.
The producing side is notable too. Deadline reports that Hollow is the first film from Sweeney’s newly launched Honey Trap banner, which recently signed a first-look deal with Sony, alongside LuckyChap. Alexandra Banks and Spencer Walken are set to executive produce for Beer’s Lab Brew banner.
When can UAE viewers watch it, and where does the book fit in?
No release date for the film has been announced, so any eventual UAE cinema or streaming availability remains unconfirmed. The first version of Hollow that audiences are likely to encounter is the source novel itself: Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter both report that Beer’s debut book will be published by Putnam, an imprint of Penguin Random House, in fall 2027, with translation rights already sold around the world.
Hollow continues a strong run for Sweeney. Deadline notes she executive produced and starred in Sony’s Anyone But You, which grossed over $210 million worldwide, and more recently led The Housemaid, which grossed nearly $400 million worldwide and has already secured a sequel greenlight. For anyone tracking the flood of page-to-screen projects heading our way, it fits neatly onto the growing list of major book adaptations on the horizon.
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