Deadline reports that Netflix has just purchased the rights to NY Mag's Watcher article for a staggering seven figures. So far I think there are three that I have counted,” the anonymous correspondent wrote, before asking if there were “more on the way”: Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? 'The Watcher' Home Saga Continues; Former Owners Seeking Damages, Westfield 'Watcher' Lawsuit Won't Be Dismissed, Judge Rules, Westfield 'Watcher' Home Is For Sale Again, assembled a list of ten things that creeped us out, Polycarp Flowers featured floral designer at Macy’s flower Show, Weekly Webinar-Unemployed? [Image via MarVista Entertainment]True Story That Most Likely Inspired The Watcher Lifetime Movie: Derek and Maria Broaddus Lifetime's The Watcher is based on the true story of Derek and Maria Broaddus, a couple who bought a beautiful 6-bedroom suburban home for $1.3 million in the posh Westfield, New Jersey, area. “I … It is now my time. Derek found a peculiar welcome letter in the mailbox addressed to the new occupant. “Did 657 Boulevard call to you with its force within?” The letter went on: 657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming. The property was a few feet short of zoning requirements and the town, fueled by the anger of neighbors, wouldn’t grant permission. Orlee-Rose Strauss will oversee for Supermarche, Joost & Schulman’s production company, and Alyssa Rodrigues will oversee for Screen Arcade. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading our Apple iOS app here, or by visiting the Google Play store for the Android app here. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Have a news tip you'd like to share? The Westfield ‘Watcher’ could be coming to your neighborhood... on Netflix. It is a strong premise for a movie in the vein of The Amityville Horror, only here the house was haunted from the outside so it has parallels to films like Pacific Heights, in its exploration of upward mobility and the risk that can occur when a family bets everything on a dream house. The infamous “Watcher” house in Westfield, New Jersey, was sold in July despite the former owners revealing they had received mysterious letters from someone claiming to watch their house. The Watcher (a.k.a. Better for me. The film deal will certainly help in that regard. (Image via realtor.com: 657 Boulevard, Westfield - known as the "Watcher" home.). Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. The family continue to be haunted by the very thought of a mysterious stalker, hiding in the shadows, watching their every move. Four years on, the community of Westfield, New Jersey, have largely forgotten about 657 Boulevard and The Watcher… except for Derek and Mary. The best horror story of the year wasn’t found at the cinema, but in the online annals of The Cut, where writer Reeves Wiedeman introduced the world to The Watcher, a mysterious, menacing figure that turned the lives of Derek Broaddus and his family into a terrifying nightmare. And so began the mystery of The Watcher. Was your old house too small for the growing family? Netflix secures deal for The Watcher story The Westfield Police and the Union County prosecutor's office investigated, but no one was arrested. Or was it greed to bring me your children? Netflix also caught wind of the alleged events surrounding the home and won a bidding battle for the film rights to “The Watcher” tale. New York magazine published an in-depth piece about the”Westfield Watcher” in which Derek Broaddus confessed to sending anonymous letters to his former neighbors last Christmas Eve.. And as OP mentioned, Netflix paid seven figures for the rights to the story. The article begins in June 2014, when Derek and Maria Broaddus were preparing to move with their three children into the dream house they bought for $1.3 million in tony Westfield. Until Derek Broaddus admitted to New York Magazine's Reeves Wiedeman he had written them. It doesn't feature ghosts, aliens, or devils, but one man called "The Watcher," who's making life hell for one family in the formerly safe town of Westfield: A new family moves in In 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus bought a six-bedroom Westfield mansion for $1.3 million, and thought it would be the perfect place for their three children to grow up. Their projects include genre in Paranormal Activity 3 and 4, and a whodunit in the 2010 documentary Catfish, which expanded into the popular MTV series. The story made international headlines in 2014 when Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased their dream home on the highly-coveted Boulevard in Westfield. The anonymous writer detailed his long history with the house, and divulged details about the family that were more than disturbing as the letter went on. Lifetime is notorious for its ripped from the headlines made-for-TV movies. They are wrapping the Screen Arcade-produced Power with Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon Levitt. All Rights reserved. Netflix bought the rights to adapt it late last year, Deadline reports. Why are you here? Derek and Maria Broaddus of Westfield have described for the first time how their lives were turned upside down by the eerie messages in an interview in this week’s New York magazine. We want to hear from you! Thanks for reading! It's been a while since I've seen an update re: "The Watcher," an unidentified individual who began to write a series of bizarre and threatening letters to Derek and Marie Broaddus shortly after they bought a house in Westfield, NJ. EXCLUSIVE: After a ferocious bidding battle that involved six studios, Netflix is closing a feature rights deal to The Watcher, an article about the true story of a creepy stalker whose menacing letters kept a family from moving into their New Jersey dream house. EXCLUSIVE: After a ferocious bidding battle that involved six studios, Netflix is closing a feature rights deal to The Watcher, an article about the true story of a creepy stalker whose menacing letters kept a family from moving into their New Jersey dream house. The Broadduses have spent the last five years trying to avoid a mysterious, unidentified stalker known only as “The Watcher,” who has sent them several threatening letters since they bought a gorgeous century home in Westfield, N.J., for $1.35 million. Free Training Grants for Certification, WEBINAR: 5 Things to Know About Estate Planning Once You Turn 65, Kamoinge Workshop - Photographers Exhibition, WEBINAR: Learn About Wills & Living Trusts, Interactive Webinar Featuring Memorial Planning, My Ascension: a Documentary Film to Spread Hope and Fight Suicide, Union County Government : Union County Holds Mobile Document-Shredding Event In New Providence On May 15, Westfield Pets Now Up For Adoption: Esme, Oreo, Daisy & More. The New Jersey home terrorized for years by creepy, sinister letters from a stalker has been sold.. Fans of thrillers, mystery and suspense will find plenty of material in the tale of the Westfield Watcher. In June, 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus bought their dream home in Westfield, New Jersey—a 6 bedroom, 3.5 bath mansion at 657 Boulevard. The article auctioned by CAA created a stampede for the movie rights in an auction that has been vigorous all week. It remains unsolved to this day. The report said that Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman are attached to direct and Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless will produce. Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.comSubscribe to your local Patch newsletter by clicking here. The full text of “The Watcher” lawsuit recently filed in Union County, New Jersey, can be found below. The tale takes multiple cinematic twists as Derek Broaddus told New York Magazine in a story published online by the website The Cut that last Christmas Eve he stuffed the stockings of former neighbors with notes of his own. Sources said that the bidder included Universal for Jason Blum, Warner Bros for Roy Lee, Paramount for JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot, Amazon for producer Michael Sugar and Fox for Peter Chernin. The infamous “Watcher” house in Westfield, New Jersey, was sold in July despite the former owners revealing they had received mysterious letters from someone claiming to watch their house. Like the Watcher letters, the story notes that the missives were packed with "simmering resentment" and anonymous. Up until the report that was published online in The Cut, only a handful of phrases from The Watcher's letters were known to the public. Directed by Ryan Rothmaier. The Westfield ‘Watcher’ house finally sells — at a $400K loss. Joost and Schulman directed genre features "Paranormal Experience 3" and "Paranormal Experience 4," according to IMDB.com. Days after closing on the home, they began receiving eerie letters from … Three days after the couple closed on the home in 2014, according to New York Magazine, Mr. Broaddus received the first of many menacing notes from someone who went only by the name “The Watcher.” Series ( blame pandemic production delays countries, including Canada and the directors ex-boyfriend and contributed. Unaware of its terrible history, a young couple purchases their dream home. Joost & Schulman are an intriguing choice. The streaming company Netflix has purchased the feature rights to the story, according to a report from Deadline. Screen Arcade’s Eric Newman (Narcos) and Bryan Unkeless (I, Tonya) will produce through their first look Netflix deal. Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them too [sic] me.”. Of course, the network has also premiered plenty of drama-filled movies … Send us a tip using our annonymous form. "The Westfield Watcher" has moved to the #1 position in New Jersey urban legends, according to one source.TWO NEW MEMBER ONLY SHOWS NOW AVAILABLE TO PATRONS! Read more about the case here. Starting on page 5, plaintiffs Derek and Maria Broaddus of Westfield begin quoting disturbing letters sent by “The Watcher” about their young children. RELATED: 'The Watcher… Derek and Maria Broaddus bought the nearly $1.4 million 1905 Dutch colonial revival home in 2014. According to the story, several families who had been vocal in criticizing the family over their handling of the Watcher letters received hand delivered messages accusing them of speculating inaccurately about the Broaddus family. The family said they were too scared to move in to the six-bedroom house due to the alleged threats the letters contained such as "allow me to watch you and track you as you move through the house. I will find out… “You have children. Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman are attached to direct. Netflix won a bidding war for the story this past December, and just a month ago the Broaddus family sold the house at a huge loss to an undisclosed buyer. 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In December, the entertainment blog Deadline reported that Netflix won the rights to … According to the Deadline report, Netflix won the feature rights to the deal after a ferocious bidding battle that involved six studios that included Universal for Jason Blum, Warner Bros for Roy Lee, Paramount for JJ Abrams' Bad Robot, Amazon for producer Michael Sugar and Fox for Peter Chernin. I have seen them. Also asked, is the watcher on Netflix? Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters, Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. “How did you end up here?” the writer asked. Broaddus told Wideman he wasn't proud of it and said they were the only anonymous letters he'd written and felt driven to his wit's end, fed up with watching silently as people threw accusations at his family based on "practically nothing.". Is the watcher on Netflix? The owners of a Westfield home that was targeted with creepy anonymous letters have finally sold the property, taking a $400,000 loss after years of media attention and attempts to redevelop the lot. RELATED: 'The Watcher… Maria Broaddus had grown up in Westfield, New Jersey, just blocks away from the house at 657 Boulevard. Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman are attached to direct. The Westfield Watcher) Film Rights Optioned? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? The missives included stories about recent acts of domestic terrorism, allusions to mental illness and were signed "Friends of the Broaddus Family," the story says. However Netflix decides to spin the tale, the story of the Westfield Watcher may finally have what so many have guessed at, an ending. Located about 45 minutes from New York City, the town of Westfield is a sleepy suburb where the biggest gossip before The Watcher came on the … But before they were even able to move in, an anonymous letter writer began sending menacing letters with disturbing references to their three children. Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? CAA brokered the auction and reps the producers and the directors. A nightmare on the Wii, Wii-U and even the 3DS remarkably at Eternity ’ s (! This is shaping up to be one of the biggest material deals this year, especially for a magazine article, and Netflix will pay seven figures for a rights package that includes an article by Reeves Wiedeman published on New York Magazine’s website The Cut, and the rights of the beleaguered homeowners who’ve lived this nightmare for four years. ", The letters also referred to "secrets in the walls" of the home and that the house needed "young blood.". The new homeowners sought out the police, and several other letters arrived — the letter writer used the word “blood” often — and the sellers acknowledged they too received a letter recently they tossed away. Newman was a producer on the Netflix series Narcos and Unkeless produced the Tonya Harding biopic, "I, Tonya" starring Margot Robbie. But it soon becomes clear that they may not be alone in the house... and that someone -- or something -- … A six-bedroom house in Westfield, New Jersey reportedly stalked by "The Watcher" has finally been sold for $500,000 than its original $1.4 million price tag. However Netflix decides to spin the tale, the story of the Westfield Watcher may finally have what so many have guessed at, an ending. However Netflix decides to spin the tale, the story of the Westfield Watcher may finally have what so many have guessed at, an ending. The Broadduses never moved their children into their dream house. The couple tried in vain to discover the letter writer; they eyed their new neighbors warily as those people wondered if the homeowners were themselves behind the stalking campaign. The Watcher is a seriously disturbing tale based on an article that originally appeared on New York Magazine’s website, The Cut. Copyright © 2021 Penske Business Media, LLC. So they have mostly rented the house while trying to stay afloat. When the full accounting of the text was revealed, Patch assembled a list of ten things that creeped us out the most. EXCLUSIVE: After a ferocious bidding battle that involved six studios, Netflix is closing a feature rights deal to The Watcher, an article about the true story of a creepy stalker whose menacing le… They tried to sell, even tried to raze the structure that the letter writer claims he and predecessors have watched for a century, and build two new houses that would have allowed them to recoup. 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