Sydney Sweeney’s New Movie Is a Gothic Remake That Will Change a 200-Year-Old Halloween Favorite

Sydney Sweeney‘s meteoric rise as a pop culture figure has seen the fan-favorite actress dip her toes into a slew of different genres in just a few years. Not only has Sweeney been central to a romantic comedy, 2023’s Anyone But You, but she has also stepped into the shoes of real-life figures in multiple biopics, like 2023’s Reality and 2025’s Christy. Sweeney has also been part of a few erotic thrillers, like 2021’s The Voyeurs and 2025’s The Housemaid, plus she’s gone to the horror side of things with 2024’s Immaculate. Plus, who could forget her foray into superheroes with…Madame Web.

Sweeney is already set to return for a sequel to The Housemaid, as well as finally make her debut in a big blockbuster with the Gundam movie, but it has also been confirmed that she’s going back to the horror genre. According to Deadline, Sweeney will star in Hollow for Sony Pictures, a new film from Lindsey Anderson Beer that will reimagine Washington Irving’s classic story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Fans may think that they know the story, but Sweeney’s role in the film is set to change how they think about it.

Sydney Sweeney to Star in Sleepy Hollow Reimagining

First published in 1820, and now a beloved fixture of the Halloween season, adaptations of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow have long retold the story of Ichabod Crane, his love for Katrina Van Tassel, his rivalry with Brom Bones, and, of course, the Headless Horseman. The upcoming Hollow, based on Beer’s upcoming novel of the same name, which she will write, produce, and direct, will see Sweeney take on the role of Katrina Van Tassel.

In the original story and in many other adaptations, the role of Katrina was one of objectivity, held in a certain regard by both Ichabod Crane and Brom Bones, but Beer’s take on the story will rework the heroine so that she is the central piece of the story. According to the report, Van Tassel is not “a romantic prize” in the story but the focal point of “dangerous mystery and seductive supernatural love triangle.” As a result, Sony is on the hunt for the other two pieces of the love triangle, homing in on actors to play these two roles.

The report on the film calls it a “contemporary” reinvention of the story, meaning it’s unlikely to be yet another period adaptation of the story, but will also blend “gothic atmosphere, psychological intrigue, and erotic thriller elements” to create a radically different take on Sleepy Hollow. It’s also worth noting that the Hollow book that the film is based on hasn’t even been published yet and won’t debut until the fall of 2027.

There’s no official word yet on when the movie will get in front of cameras or even a planned release date, but it’s not out of the question that they might try to fast-track it to arrive in theaters around the same time the book debuts. As longtime film fans know, this was once a staple of Hollywood’s adaptation style.

Sweeney has obviously become a major player in recent years who is in high demand, but it’s unclear when Hollow might fit into her schedule. In any event, Hollow seems to not only be in line with her track record of the kind of projects she chooses, both in terms of genre, but also female-centric stories. Maybe this one will see her deliver a new favorite for the Halloween season, as there hasn’t been a big-budget Legend of Sleepy Hollow movie since Tim Burton’s back in 1999.