What movie will be the next Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone? That's what all of Hollywood is wondering as each studio gobbles up the rights to every series of youth-oriented fantasy novels it can. Warner Bros. is likely one the most desperate to find out; the Potter movies have been a big cash cow for the studio, and come 2010 there won't be any more to distribute. One hopeful franchise to take Potter's place is Skullduggery Pleasant, a comedic, kid-friendly, horror-mystery novel about a skeleton detective and the 12-year-old girl who helps him out. WB has just beat out other studios to acquire the rights to Skullduggery, as well as sequels -- so far there is only one book published, but there are expected to be nine in total.

The Dublin-set books are written by Derek Landy, who has been hired to pen the adaptation of the first film himself. Landy does have some prior screenwriting experience with the non-kid-friendly horror films Boy Eats Girl and Dead Bodies. The movie will be produced out of London by Peter Czernin and Graham Broadbent, who last gave us the little seen horror pic Wind Chill. As for casting, we can assume there will be a brand new face sought out for the part of 12-year-old Stephanie, while the title character will probably be computer generated (he's the skeleton). With a non-human protagonist, the Skullduggery movie will have to be something really special to be a sub for the Potter pics, with their lovable trio of relatable teens. But there's a chance that if Warners markets the thing well, by having the young girl appeal to female audiences and the skeleton somehow appeal to the male audience, then the studio could at least have a minor hit. Otherwise, I feel like this could be the next Lemony Snicket instead.

As an insatiable horror freak, I maintain a strong affection for both Lionsgate and Bloody-Disgusting.com, so imagine my delight when the two combined for a tantalizing peek at next year's horror slate! Yep, it seems that BD.com does a "horror preview" for each studio every December -- and they logically chose Lionsgate as the first distributor to earn a few spotlights. Nobody snatches up grass-roots film-fest horror titles like Lionsgate does, and I can personally assure you that a good portion of the upcoming genre flicks are actually quite good! Well, a few of 'em, anyway...

Aside from the well-established and obvious titles (like Hostel: Part 2 and Saw 4), Lionsgate will unleash a virtual torrent of horror-style offerings next year. Not to steal any thunder from the BD.com boys (cuz they've done a fine job with their research!), but here's how I break down next year's LG offerings:

• Borderland -- Sean Astin and Rider Strong star in a tale of human sacrifice. I know next to nothing about this one.
• Boy Eats Girl -- Been waiting a while for this one. Love the title.
• Bug -- Saw it at Fantastic Fest -- and was really surprised by how much I liked it. This Shannon guy is a force of nature.
• Catacombs -- Wow, I almost forgot about this one! It's been sitting on a shelf for what, three years?
• The Eye -- Another Asian horror remake, this one allegedly starring Jessica Alba. Pass.
• Fido -- All the Cine-staffers who saw it agree: Fido is fun!
• Isolation -- Saw it at Toronto '05! And I definitely look forward to seeing it again. It's creepy.
• Right at Your Door -- Missed it at Sundance. Heard mixed things. Dig the concept.
• Skinwalkers -- Another one that's been "coming soon" for quite some time now. Still fairly psyched to see it...

(And this isn't including the deluge of After Dark Horrorfest titles that LG is releasing (to DVD) next March! Or their as-yet-undetermined parade of low-low-end DTV titles. Heh)