R.L. Stine’s ‘The Babysitter’ Adaptation Coming to Tubi in 2027 (Exclusive)

The streamer is set to release a live action adaptation of The Babysitter, based on the popular series of R.L. Stine novels first published in 1989, in 2027. The film’s announcement comes just two days after the Oct. 9 release of Pumpkinhead 2, and ahead of the streamer’s New York Comic Con panel, where Stine appeared alongside Tubi’s Chief Content Officer Adam Lewinson, Pumpkinhead writer-director Jem Garrard, and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars’ contestant and Afraid of Clowns star Jimbo.

The film follows a 16-year-old babysitter, Jenny, who is so desperate to earn enough money for a prestigious writing program that she takes the job despite a prowler terrorizing girls across town. But when she starts receiving threatening phone calls and a dangerous fugitive surfaces in town, Jenny’s suspicion of those around her grows. Meanwhile, danger begins closing in.

Produced by Blue Ice, Garrard will write and executive produce the film, which Trevor Calverleya will direct. The Babysitter will be executive produced by Lance Samuels, Joan Waricha, Jane Stine and Garrard. Producers include Dan Bernard, Yvonne Bernard, Tebogo Maila, Darren Cameron and Adam Friedlander.

“R.L. Stine has an incredible ability to tell stories that are scary, fun and endlessly entertaining, and that combination continues to connect with Tubi viewers,” said Adam Lewinson, Chief Content Officer, Tubi. “With The Babysitter, one of R.L. Stine’s most iconic novels, we’re delivering a fresh, fun thrill ride for longtime fans and a whole new generation.”

The Babysitter not only marks the fourth film in an ongoing partnership between the streamer and the prolific children’s horror author, but also the first not based on a short from Stine’s Nightmare Hour or Haunting Hour anthologies. Check out the teaser, which The Hollywood Reporter can exclusively share, below.

First published in 1989, The Babysitter and its three sequels — The Babysitter II (1991), The Babysitter III (1993), and The Babysitter IV (1995) — were pivotal in defining Stine as a preeminent horror and children’s author. The original book followed the same 16-year-old Jenny, who begins receiving threatening calls and notes after taking on a babysitting gig, before she discovers the threat is coming from inside the house.

The second and fourth books follow Jenny as she attempts to recover in the immediate aftermath of the first book’s events, and years later as she faces her disturbing past and another terrorizing babysitting experience. The third installment pivots slightly, focusing more on the experiences of Debra, who is haunted and hunted in the same way as her cousin, Jenny.

Tubi also recently announced a third Stine adaptation, Afraid of Clowns, based on The Nightmare Hour short and previously developed as a Haunting Hour (2010) episode. Written and directed by Garrard, the film, also set to release in 2027, stars Frankie Honey, Ava Ferrer, Azriel Dalman, Joe Moore and RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars winner Jimbo, and is teased at the end of Pumpkinhead 2.

The next entry in the Redhaven saga, Afraid of Clowns, sees the arrival of a mysterious clown troupe led by Ringmaster Rollo. A young resident, Frankie, begins to suspect they’re connected to the disappearance of a child years earlier, and in an effort to protect her brother, works to convince her friends to help stop the clowns before her sibling vanishes forever.