Director Josh Ruben to Helm Horror Adaptation of Wilderness Reform

Fresh off the release of Heart Eyes, director Josh Ruben has locked in his next nightmare. According to Deadline, Ruben is officially set to helm Paramount’s adaptation of Matt Query and Harrison Query’s horror novel Wilderness Reform — a brutal survival tale that turns a camp for troubled teens into a full-blown descent into madness.

The story follows a remote Montana reform program where “discipline” takes on a sinister intensity. Teens begin vanishing. Counselors seem a little too cheerful. And something vicious is lurking beneath the camp’s wholesome facade.

Ruben is currently overseeing the script from Steve Desmond & Michael Sherman (Knock at the Cabin), shaping the novel’s dread into a feature film.

The project is being produced by Lindsey Beer (Pet Sematary: Bloodlines) through her company Lab Brew, which holds a first-look deal with Paramount, alongside Scott Glassgold of 12:01 Films.

Published last year by Atria/Emily Bestler Books, the novel’s synopsis paints a chilling picture:
Ben, a 13-year-old sent to the isolated wilderness program by a juvenile court judge, immediately senses something wrong with the unnervingly upbeat counselors. His cabinmates—each with unexpected skills—begin to uncover the truth behind the disappearances. But the evil buried beneath the camp is ready to show its face… and it wants to keep them there forever.

Before Heart Eyes, Ruben directed 2021’s Werewolves Within and the acclaimed 2020 indie Scare Me, which he also wrote and starred in. With Wilderness Reform, he’s headed deeper into the dark than ever.