This news broke this morning, but accidentally passed the site by. But no matter! Because I’m writing it now, and it gives me great joy to pen news stories involving people I actually know.

According to THR’s Heat Vision, Jay Baruchel has decided to take a second job as a screenwriter.   He’s attached to pen two horror adaptations.

One is Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray’s Random Acts of Violence .   This is the bloodsoaked tale of two comic creators, and what happens to them when one of their creations comes to life, and goes very bad.  I’ve only had the pleasure of reading preview pages, but it is heavy on the splatter. It sells out constantly, and readers have been passionate in their reviews of it.      I’m glad to see it attracting some attention from Hollywood.  It couldn’t happen to two cooler or more talented guys, though I keep hoping I’m going to see their names attached to the screenplay one of these days.

Baruchel is also writing Exorcism Diaries, which is based on Mark Opsasnick’s The Real Story Behind ‘The Exorcist’: A Study of the Haunted Boy and Other True-Life Horror Legends.  (The title is actually longer than that — I can see why it’s now Exorcism Diaries.)  It’s more of an “inspired by” than a direct adaptation, as it follows a female journalist investigating The Haunted Boy case, but soon discovers that the entity is still out there, and has targeted her.   It’s being set up at Summit, who seems to have a fondness for spooky projects.

Such sinister stuff.   I’ll never be able to hear Hiccup without picturing Baruchel eagerly detailing splatter and horror now.