Filmmaker Bryan Bertino has signed with WME, Deadline reported Wednesday.
The writer and director made his debut in 2008 with home invasion horror The Strangers, starring Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman as a young couple terrorized by violent masked invaders at an isolated vacation home. Bertino also wrote and served as executive producer on the film's sequel, The Strangers: Prey at Night. The 2018 sequel, which starred Christina Hendricks, Martin Henderson, and Bailee Madison as new victims of the original intruders, made over $31 million worldwide.
In addition to the Strangers franchise, Bertino's past projects include directing 2016's The Monster starring Zoe Kazan; Bertino also produced A24's psychological horror The Blackcoat's Daughter, which starred Emma Roberts and Kiernan Shipka
Bertino's signing with WME comes following the success of his latest film, The Dark and the Wicked, which premiered at the 2020 Fantasia International Film Festival to rave reviews. Released by RLJE films, The Dark and the Wicked follows two siblings (Marin Ireland and Michael Abbott Jr.) haunted by waking nightmares when they begin to suspect that something evil is plaguing their isolated farmhouse.
Per Deadline, Bertino continues to be represented by attorney Jim Gilio.
The Strangers Was Inspired By Real Events from Bertino's Childhood
Grossing over $80 million worldwide on a production budget of $9 million, Bertino's breakout The Strangers terrified audiences everywhere with its realistic depictions of random violence. In one of the most memorable scenes of the film, protagonist Kristen (Tyler) begs the masked strangers, "Why are you doing this?" The only response she receives: "Because you were home."
In archived production notes for the film, Bertino detailed the real-life events from his childhood that inspired parts of The Strangers:
"As a kid, I lived in a house on a street in the middle of nowhere. One night, while our parents were out, somebody knocked on the front door and my little sister answered it. At the door were some people asking for somebody that didn't live there. We later found out that these people were knocking on doors in the area and, if no one was home, breaking into the houses. In The Strangers, the fact that someone is at home does not deter the people who've knocked on the front door; it's the reverse."
Bertino also cited the 1969 Manson Family Murders, in which actress Sharon Tate and four others were murdered by members of the Manson Family cult, as inspiration for the film.
The Strangers is now streaming on Amazon Prime.