Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) and French film company Gaumont are developing an interactive Web series to be distributed in the U.S. by MySpace. Endemol will handle worldwide distribution.

Section 8, a supernatural thriller, will tell the tale of an ill-fated cast, all but one of which will be killed off over the series. It will then be redistributed as a full length feature. The deal was announced yesterday (March 30) at MipTV in Cannes.

U.S. audiences will be able to interact with the thriller and get involved with character and plot development. It will also feature interactive elements that will encourage viewers to guess the cryptic back story.

Section 8follows the digital release of Jackass 2.5, the first studio-backed feature film to be offered online.

Thomas Lesinski, president of PDE, said: 'PDE is continuing its commitment to developing high quality original content for Web audiences. For Section 8, Paramount has partnered with top producers and distributors to develop a compelling interactive story on a unique platform that will engage audiences like never before.'

Christophe Riandee, chief executive of Gaumont, added the company was 'constantly' seeking new platforms to deliver content to a global audience.

A spokesperson for PDE said that Section 8 would consist of 12 episodes that will run for between six and nine minutes.