According to Deadline Hollywood, Mark Heyman has been hired by Paramount and Indian Paintbrush to script Syndrome E, based off the best-selling novel of the same name from Franck Thilliez. The book, for what it’s worth, sounds a lot like The Ring without the supernatural elements. Or Cigarette Burns with a police procedural shoved in the middle.

It focuses on a detective named Lucie Hennebelle whose best friend is struck with blindness after watching a terrifically violent movie from the 1950s (my guess is Seven Samurai). As it turns out, the film has subliminal flashes that spell death for anyone who watches, but it’s not a little girl in a well that comes for them. It’s something a bit more earth-bound.

Familiarity aside, there’s something thrilling here, and Heyman should be cause for a lot of excitement. He cut his teeth with Darren Aronofsky and has proven to be a strong talent in his own regard. This could be very, very cool.