“Severance” and “The Night Agent” Writer Aiyana K. White to Adapt the Horror-Comedy
Oscar-winning studio Lion Forge Entertainment and WEBTOON Productions Inc. (“WEBTOON Productions”), the fan-driven studio and IP adaptation business from WEBTOON Entertainment, are teaming up to bring the zombie horror-comedy ShootAround to the big screen as a YA live-action film. Aiyana K. White (Severance, The Night Agent, Superpumped) will pen the feature based on the WEBTOON webcomic of the same name with 28 million views by creator “Suspu” (Susanna Nousiainen).
In ShootAround, when the zombie apocalypse hits Penny Hall High, the state’s best girls’ basketball team must join forces with the boys they loathe to survive the most nightmarish scenario imaginable: 24 hours locked inside their high school with each other… and zombies. But mostly each other. Zombieland meets Bring it On in this life-or-death battle against a zombie outbreak and – perhaps more terrifyingly – teenagedom.
Lion Forge Entertainment founder and CEO David Steward II and President and Chief Creative Office Stephanie Sperber are producing and CJ Jones is developing the film for Lion Forge, which is also financing the script. President David Madden and Head of Global Film Jason Goldberg will executive produce for WEBTOON Productions. White is rewriting the script based on a previous draft by Mike Dow and Devon Kelly.
“ShootAround is a fresh, high-energy take on both the zombie and teen sports genres, balancing humor and horror with a character-driven edge,” said David Steward II, Founder and CEO of Lion Forge Entertainment. “Partnering with WEBTOON Productions and Aiyana brings together an incredible creative team to reimagine this fan-favorite story in a way that feels fun and wildly entertaining for today’s audiences.”
“We’re always looking for standout IP with the potential to grow beyond a single format, and ShootAround is exactly that,” said Stephanie Sperber, President and Chief Content Officer of Lion Forge Entertainment. “It’s a bold, high-concept world with a built-in global fanbase and the kind of dynamic characters that lend themselves to long-term franchise storytelling. This partnership with WEBTOON Productions is a natural extension of our strategy to nurture and expand compelling IP into enduring, multi-platform franchises that resonate with audiences everywhere.”
“When the zombie apocalypse makes its way to high school, all bets are off, and we knew the hilarious and horrific moments in ShootAround would make for a one-of-a-kind, genre-blending film adaptation,” said Jason Goldberg, Head of Global Film at WEBTOON Productions. “We’re thrilled to have the incredibly talented Aiyana K. White and the exceptional producing team at Lion Forge as our teammates on this project. This is going to be the adaptation fans have been waiting for!”
“I devoured all 70 chapters of the webcomic’s first season in one sitting,” said White, ShootAround’s writer. “I was taken not only with how funny and absurd it was, but also with how much heart was at the center of it. I’m so excited to bring such a fun, unique world to life.”
White is currently in the Stargate room for Amazon Prime and was previously a co-producer on Severance for Apple. Prior she was an ESE on The Night Agent for Netflix, as well as a story editor on Grey Shadows for Priyanka Chopra/Amazon and got her start on Showtime’s Superpumped as a staff writer. White’s feature, The Weatherman, has Amy Aniobi’s SuperSpecial attached to produce alongside Jason Bateman’s Aggregate Films.
Founded by David Steward II, Lion Forge Entertainment focuses on global IP that is both authentic and appealing to a broad audience. The company develops and produces animated and live action content targeting kids & family, YA and adult audiences. Most recently, the studio’s epic animated fantasy series Iyanu was a breakout cross-platform success on HBO Max and Cartoon Network last year and will debut season two this spring.
The studio’s pipeline has surged in the last year. A highly active 12-month period for Lion Forge Entertainment saw the company join forces with George R. R. Martin (Game of Thrones) to adapt the novella A Dozen Tough Jobs into an adult animated feature film; develop a YA television series adaptation of Kimberly Ann Harrison’s acclaimed novel Beyond the Paddock; set a partnership with TalesVision to expand their short-form YouTube sensation, Lostlings, into a premium long-form series; executive produce two movies – the comedy Jacob Beats Up Nate and A Dog’s Perfect Christmas for Netflix; and set a first of-its-kind strategic partnership with Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts). Additional strategic partnerships for Lion Forge Entertainment include an alliance with Penguin Young Readers, a division of Penguin Random House, to develop series and features based on select children’s books.
WEBTOON Productions’ growing slate of projects is bringing some of the world’s most exciting webcomic and webnovel adaptations to screens everywhere. Some of the company’s recent and upcoming projects include Lore Olympus with Prime Video and The Jim Henson Company, the Sidelined franchise with Tubi, Love Me Love Me with Prime Video, Stagtown with Luckychap Entertainment, Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell with Imagine Entertainment, and GremoryLand with Vertigo Entertainment, among others.
White is represented by Untitled Entertainment, Verve Talent & Literary Agency, and Annie H Lee at Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. Lion Forge Entertainment is represented by Activist Artists Management and Jon Kanak from Lumify.
Dan Kleiner