Lionsgate to Distribute Joss Whedon’s CABIN IN THE WOODS

After years of lonely dwelling in the MGM vault, director/co-writer Drew Goddard (who penned Cloverfield) and co-scribe Joss Whedon’s (The Avengers) horror flick Cabin in the Woods may finally see the light of the silver screen. According to Deadline, Lionsgate is completing a deal that would give the studio distribution rights for the long-completed film. Although a release date is unknown, the report goes out on a huge limb and lists the month of October as being particularly attractive for the studio that will, for the first time since 2004, not be releasing an installment in the Saw franchise during the month. As a result, I’d like to go ahead and throw the tagline “If It’s Halloween, It Must Be Cabin in the Woods” into the mix.

While I’m not privy to the details of the deal, I have to believe Cabin in the Woods is a low-risk investment given that it’s a completed work from proven creative forces, it already enjoys near cult status amongst fanboys (as evidenced by these fan-made posters), and features relative starpower with the likes of Chris Hemsworth and Richard Jenkins. Finally, news of Lionsgate’s acquisition leaves the Red Dawn remake as the only remaining MGM holdover still without distribution. That film also stars Chris Hemsworth alongside Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Josh Hutcherson, Isabel Lucas, Adrianne Palicki, and Josh Peck.