Slender Man film gets a director and it's not who you're expecting

It has recurred time and again in the history of film and TV that two projects based on the same subject come into existence at similar times; it's happened with Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman's Oscar-winner Capote and Infamous starring Toby Jones), The Jungle Book (last year's Disney box office smash forced Andy Serkis to push his version to 2018) and even the tragic suicide of Christine Lubbock (this month's Christine starring Rebecca Hall and documentary Kate Plays Christine).

It's happening again, but with the Slender Man, the chilling internet meme that grew in stature when two 13-year-old girls stabbed their friend to death stating they did so to prove the featureless figure was "real."

HBO documentary Beware the Slenderman will delve into the mystery of the unnaturally tall, thin-limbed man while Sony Division Screen Gems has finally tapped a director to oversee a sure-to-be-successful big screen adaptation. Only the chosen filmmaker isn't who you'd expect.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sylvain White will direct Slender Man. Rather than having horror films to his name, his credits include dance drama Stomp the Yard and action comedy The Losers, as well as a few TV episodes of Hawaii Five-O.

2016 was a strong year for horror with films Lights Out, Blair Witch and Don't Breathe performing surprisingly well at the box office.

Slender Man will be released in 2018.