Del Rey Books will publish an original e-novella for 99 cents this summer that ties into the new movie, Playback, starring Christian Slater, Johnny Pacar, Toby Hemingway, and Ambyr Childers. The e-novella, Playback: Light and Shadow, to be written by two-time Bram Stoker Award winning author Elizabeth Massie, will serve as a prequel story to Playback, a new horror film from Bennett Robbins Productions, written and directed by Michael A. Nickles. Michael Braff, of the Del Rey editorial group, will edit.
Scott Shannon, senior v-p, publisher, digital content and Del Rey Spectra, Random House Publishing Group, had this to say about the e-novella: “We have seen both an increased demand for quality short fiction in the e-book market, as well as a growing trend of horror movies such as Insidious and Paranormal Activity generating early buzz long before their release. We think this is a perfect opportunity to blend the two together and provide an affordable entry point into the world of Playback that will appeal to e-book readers and moviegoers alike.”
In the film, a group of high school students unwittingly unlock a dark secret, while digging into their town’s infamous past. Now, an evil spirit has been awakened to possess and destroy its victims through video playback, stopping at nothing to find his true heir. The film is inspired by the true story of the disappearance of film pioneer Louis Le Prince, an event that will be explored in the e-novella, to be published this summer.
