Tubi is extending its R.L. Stine relationship with a 2027 live-action adaptation of The Babysitter, the fourth project between the free, ad-supported streamer and the author, and the first drawn from a full Stine novel rather than a Nightmare Hour or Haunting Hour short.
The source material runs deep
Jenny, 16, takes a babysitting job because she needs money for a writing program while a prowler is terrorizing girls across town. When threatening calls begin and a fugitive surfaces, she starts to doubt the people around her. The original book ends with the threat coming from inside the house.
That reveal gets more interesting as a franchise. The novel first appeared in 1989 and was followed by three sequels: The Babysitter II (1991), The Babysitter III (1993) and The Babysitter IV (1995). The third book shifts focus to Jenny’s cousin Debra. A film adaptation can therefore draw on more than one book.
Who is making it
Blue Ice produces. Jem Garrard writes and executive produces, with Trevor Calverleya directing. Garrard executive produces alongside Lance Samuels, Joan Waricha and Jane Stine; Dan Bernard, Yvonne Bernard, Tebogo Maila, Darren Cameron and Adam Friedlander are producers.
Why a streamer keeps returning to Stine
Tubi’s bet is not a one-off. Lewinson said Stine’s stories are “scary, fun and endlessly entertaining,” and that the combination “continues to connect with Tubi viewers.” For a platform competing in ad-supported streaming, a recognisable horror author offers a repeatable audience and a slate advertisers can plan around.
Tubi timed the announcement for its New York Comic Con panel, two days after Pumpkinhead 2 released on Oct. 9. It also used that film to tease Afraid of Clowns, another Stine adaptation from Garrard set for 2027.
The media-planning angle
- Tubi is accumulating author IP, not testing isolated titles.
- The Babysitter brings four books of story to extend across sequels.
- Fan events and in-film teases are being used years before release to build demand.
Pumpkinhead 2 is currently streaming on Tubi.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
