HotFrench horror director Alex Aja has signed to direct The Waiting, a supernatural horror thriller that is being puttogether by Gold Circle and Wes Craven and set to open in North America throughRogue Pictures in March.

MandatePictures is handling international sales on the Gold Circle Films andCraven/Maddalena production about a young mother who believes she is beinghaunted by the spirit of her dead son. Juliet Snowden and Stiles White co-wrotethe screenplay.

Ajabroke out with his 2003 horror thriller High Tension (Haute Tension), and is currently in post-production on Craven/Maddalena Films' remakeof The Hills Have Eyes, which heco-wrote with Gregory Levasseur and is due out in March.

Levasseurwill serve as executive producer on The Waiting along with Craven and Gold Circle's Norm Waitt andScott Niemeyer.

GoldCircle president Paul Brooks will produce alongside Craven/Maddalena's MarianneMaddalena, and Craven/Maddalena Films vice president of development Alix Taylorwill co-produce, along with Gold Circle's vice president of production ZakKadison and Wendy Rhoads.

"Iam delighted to be continuing our relationship within the Universal family andparticularly pleased to commence our relationship at Rogue with The Waiting," Brooks said. "Andrew and I share an absoluteenthusiasm for Alex Aja and this project."

Aja'sdeal was negotiated by Gold Circle's Adam Mehr, Sara Bottfeld at William Morrisand Adam Kaller of Behr Abramson Kaller.