With FANGORIA Studios up and running on several groundbreaking horror films, including Goodbye, Monster and Sitora, it’s about time for another to join the ranks — this time, helmed by a horror icon. We’re excited to announce that legendary director Ernest Dickerson will direct Black Diamond for FANGORIA Studios and PANICK Studios, an adaptation of the best-selling horror comic series.
Dickerson will direct and executive produce the film based on Brendan Columbus’s cult favorite series, with the author himself on board to write the screenplay. Black Diamond’s synopsis is as follows:
Described as a chilling folk horror thriller blending Hitchcockian psychological tension with the dread of The Wicker Man, Black Diamond follows Owen and Victoria Welch on a family ski trip that spirals into a nightmare. When their son is abducted by a mysterious cult, the couple is pushed to the brink and faced with a soul-crushing ultimatum: sacrifice another child or lose their own forever.
“Black Diamond was my attempt to put everything I love about thrillers on the page,” says Columbus. “I want to make sure it feels like you physically can’t leave the theater or else you’ll miss the next twist or turn. With his masterful cinematic eye and his great story sense, Ernest is going to scare the hell out of everyone with this one.”
The new project marks Dickerson’s first feature film since 2017’s Double Play, having worked in the interim directing episodes of Bosch, Parish, The Man in the High Castle, and more. He’s of course best known for directing films like Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight and Bones, as well as his cinematography work on projects like Do the Right Thing and Tales From the Darkside.
“Black Diamond immediately grabbed me because its horror is rooted in impossible human choices,” says Dickerson. “It taps into parental fear, morality, isolation, and survival in a way that is so unsettling and emotionally real. That combination will make for a very suspenseful and exciting cinematic experience.”
Black Diamond is produced by Tara Ansley, Abhi Goel, and Armen Aghaeian for FANGORIA Studios, with Adam Schlagman, Kris Longo, and Brendan Columbus producing for PANICK Studios, and Rose Geddes serving as executive producer alongside Dickerson. Casting and production details for the film will be revealed later this year.
“Ernest has been an inspiration to us since his work on Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, so getting to make this film alongside him feels like a full-circle moment,” said Armen Aghaeian, SVP of TV and Film at FANGORIA Studios. “Brendan and the PANICK team have built a world where every choice cuts deep, and a story like that deserves a director who understands both dread and the human heart in equal measure. We couldn’t be more excited to be working with this team.”
No release date has been announced for Black Diamond. Stay tuned to FANGORIA for more updates.
