Back in 2017, a trend in multimedia storytelling began to surface on Twitter of all places. Storytellers use existing accounts or create new ones in order to share fictional tales. But through the format of Tweets, these stories played out as if they were real. Many ARGs, or alternate reality games, took advantage of this hot new platform for sharing their stories. Of those accounts, one of the most popular tales was that of Dear David.

Coming from the talented mind of Adam Ellis, Dear David began as a series of Tweets where Ellis described paranormal encounters he had begun to have in his home. The story escalated quickly, with the haunting seemingly turning sinister. Ellis’s Dear David was so popular in part due to its frighteningly convincing video and photographic evidence, and many of those who tuned into the story couldn’t figure out if it was true or not. When BuzzFeed Studios and Lionsgate Films bought the rights to Dear David to turn it into a feature film in 2018, the mystery behind the haunting was revealed to be fictional.

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In the years since, little information has been made public about the release of the Dear David film, so let’s take a look at what we do know, and when we might get to watch this thrilling Twitter thread unfold on the big screen.

Dear David: The Plot

     Adam Ellis

Dear David’s original Twitter story was the tale of Adam Ellis, a former BuzzFeed employee, who found himself haunted by the ghost of a young boy named David. According to Movie Insider, the premise of the film is similar.

As no trailer or official pages have been made for Dear David yet, the full extent of the adaptation’s changes to the original story is unknown. While it seems the film will not feature an actor playing Ellis himself in the lead role, the story does appear to follow a similar thread to the original. For more details, the original thread can still be read on Twitter, though Ellis didn’t get the chance to finish the story before BuzzFeed bought the rights.

The story started out with a bang on August 7, 2017.

Ellis details his experiences with the ghost haunting him throughout this thread and many others until December 2017. The ghost comes to him at night in dreams or during periods of sleep paralysis until David begins to make his presence known at all hours of the day. Ellis’s cats act strangely, then Ellis sets up audio recorders that capture odd noises throughout the night. Eventually, Ellis’s dreams become reality with bruises appearing on his body, images capturing paranormal oddities in his apartment, and more.

There’s a lot of content to adapt into a feature film, so we’re eager to see how the Dear David movie turns out.

Dear David: The Cast & Crew

     20th Century Studios

The cast for Dear David is quite impressive, featuring well-known actors and crew members. The lead role of Bryce will be played by actor Justin Long, best known for his roles in Galaxy Quest and Jeepers Creepers. Andrea Bang (Kim’s Convenience, Luce) will also star in the role of Evelyn. Playing Adam Ellis in the film version will be Augustus Prew (Kick-Ass 2, About a Boy), which makes us curious to see how the writer’s character will be used in the film. The character of David does not appear on the cast list, but Jarrett Siddall is cast to play the adult version of the ghost child.

Dear David is being directed by John McPhail, who is best known for his films Anna and the Apocalypse and Where Do We Go from Here? Mike Van Waes (2024’s upcoming Lilo & Stitch live-action remake) is writing the screenplay adaptation alongside Evan Turner, who previously produced the Journey to the Center of the Earth films. The cinematography will be done by Stephen Chandler Whitehead (The Incredible Hulk) with editing by David Arthur (God Help the Girl, Winners). Dear David has many producers on board according to Deadline, including Nayson Alae-Carew (Anna and the Apocalypse), Jason Moring (The Doorman, Super Troopers 2), Richard Alan Reid (Book of Love, My Fake Boyfriend), and Charlotte Walsh (Our Girl, Book of Love).

With so many talented cast and crew members on board, Dear David is shaping up to be a great adaptation of Adam Ellis’s Twitter thread.

Dear David: Release Date

There is no announced release date for Dear David as of now. However, we know that the film was in post-production as of January 2022 and has been marked as completed on Movie Insider as of October 2022. With no announcements from the production company on Dear David’s distribution or release, we will just have to wait to hear when we can watch this thrilling ghost horror flick.