Tim Burton’s Scariest Movie Getting A Reboot

How many reboots can we handle?

By Dan Lawrence | Published

tim burton

In the 21st Century, no film is safe from getting a reboot. The latest film to undergo the reboot treatment is one of gothic film maestro Tim Burton’s scariest movies, Sleepy Hollow. Deadline reports that Paramount has tasked writer/director/producer Lindsey Beer to bring a new version of the iconic film to life.

Lindsey Beer’s work leading up to the Sleepy Hollow reboot is mainly in screenwriting. Beer has penned screenplays for projects such as the upcoming Star Trek: Beyond sequel and the Netflix series The Magic Order, the series based on Mark Millar’s comics also sees Beer serve as showrunner and creator. Lindsey Beer’s impressive cv recently added a directing credit with Paramount’s Pet Sematary Prequel. The horror prequel serves as Lindsey Beer’s directorial debut and will air this year on Paramount+. Following Lindsey Beer’s directorial debut, the promising filmmaker signed a first-look deal with Paramount, with the Sleepy Hollow reboot being her next directorial gig for the studio.

sleepy hollow
Christopher Walken in Sleepy Hollow (1999)

Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow is one of many adaptations of author Washington Irving’s gothic story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, first published in 1820. The story follows a headless horseman’s efforts to terrorize a small town and one of its newer residents Ichabod Crane. SYFY WIRE writes that not only were there three silent film adaptations of the gothic tale, the last surviving one being 1922’s Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but there was also a 1980 TV Movie adaptation starring Jeff Goldblum as Crane. Disney also produced a popular animated retelling of the story in 1949. Foxproduced a tv series dubbed Sleepy Hollow, which ran for four seasons and was nominated for one Primetime Emmy award.

However, for many the definitive adaption of Washington Irving’s original novel and the yardstick that Lindsey Beer’s reboot will most definitely be measured up against, is Tim Burton’s 1999 movie Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp as Ichabod Crane. Burton’s Sleepy Hollow was generally well-received by critics and earned over $200 million at the box office worldwide. To help Lindsey Beer’s new adaptation live up to the Tim Burton version, the writer/director/producer will be joined in the producing department by Todd Garner and Spencer Walken of Broken Road Productions.

Todd Garner’s producing credits prior to the new Sleepy Hollow adaptation include the likes of 13 Going on 30, Knight and Day, Vacation Friends, Mortal Kombat (2021) and most recently the Rebel Wilson starring smash-hit Netflix comedy Senior Year. Garner’s producing CV is certainly impressive, as it shows an extensive track record of producing big-budget genre films. By coupling Todd Gardner’s producing prowess with Lindsey Beer’s growing cv of impressive work, Paramount look to be on to a winning formula of surpassing Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow with their new reboot.

Given that Lindsey Beer’s directorial debut is still in post-production and yet to be released, it will likely be some time before Paramount releases the new Sleepy Hollow reboot. As well as no immediate release date, the project has yet to be granted an official title or have any cast attached. However, Empire Online reports that the project will be heading to theatres before it inevitably ends up on Paramount+.