EXCLUSIVE: Walters Media Group, the recently launched shingle of veteran producer Gary Michael Walters (Whiplash, The Guilty), has acquired the film rights to The Third Parent, the acclaimed creepypasta from writer Elias Witherow. Set to write and direct the feature adaptation, in his feature debut, is producer David Michaels.
The feature take is set amidst the 4th of July celebration, as a disturbing figure named Tommy Taffy emerges. Disguised as a human, he infiltrates a suburban neighborhood and imposes authoritarian rule over an unsuspecting family.
Walters will produce for Walters Media Group, along with Spencer Young (Bury This) for Enfant Terrible. Exec producers include Jack Roberts (Remnants) for Lesnik Entertainment, as well as Drew Dowd and Kristen Gilot-Dowd for Dowd Films.
Witherow’s The Third Parent — comprising a series of short stories and novellas — appears on NoSleep, the 18+ million-member Reddit forum featuring the best in horror fiction.
In a statement on the feature project, producer Gary Michael Walters commented, “I am thrilled to develop Elias Witherow’s popular horror IP into an intense, scary movie experience. Tommy Taffy has the potential be the next iconic horror villain and David Michaels has an incredible vision to bring this property to life.”
Michaels told us, “I am honored that Elias and Gary have entrusted me with this incredible story and character. I have been captivated by Tommy Taffy and The Third Parent series for many years, since Spence introduced these incredible stories to me. It’s a dream come true.”
Active as an indie film producer for the past two decades, Michaels notably produced Jennifer Lynch’s sophomore outing Surveillance alongside his mentor, the late David Lynch. Most recently, he’s produced Puppy Love, starring Hopper Penn and Paz de la Huerta, as well as Signs of Love, starring Rosanna Arquette and Dylan Penn. Michaels has also held senior executive positions at companies like Lancet Media, most recently serving as Head of Development for the New Mexico-based 828 Productions, which co-produced Ari Aster’s Eddington with A24.
Walters spent 20 years as CEO of Bold Films, where he produced or exec produced all of the company’s film and television projects, including critical hits such as Whiplash, Nightcrawler, and Drive. Under his new banner Walters Media Group, launched in March 2023, he’s currently in production on Maserati: The Brothers, Bobby Moresco’s film starring Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Alba, Michele Morrone, and Andy Garcia. So far, the company has also produced the action thriller Classified, starring Aaron Eckhart, Tim Roth, and Abigail Breslin, as well as the female-driven revenge thriller Find Your Friends, starring Bella Thorne, Helena Howard and more.
A New England-based author who has been working in the horror genre for over 10 years, Witherow has also written episodes for podcasts such as Chilling Tales for Dark Nights, Darkest Night, and The NoSleep Podcast. He also wrote a live performance for NoSleep that toured across the United States and has had his work narrated by Keith David, Maynard James Keenan, and Lee Pace.
