Filmmaker Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two Harry Potter films, will write, direct and produce the big screen adaptation of Scott Cawthon's popular video game Five Nights at Freddy's, which will be backed by the production company Blumhouse.

Cawthon launched the original game in 2014 and it became an immediate online sensation, ultimately generating billions of views on YouTube. 

Five Nights at Freddy's spans six different games; each of the games' mobile apps ranked at the top of Android and iOS stores upon release. Till date, the franchise includes a series of bestselling novels and top-performing retail merchandise lines.

Columbus has a long streak with classics going back to his screenwriting days on Gremlins, The Goonies and Young Sherlock Holmes, and as director of such landmark films as Home Alone, Mrs. Doubtfire and the first two Harry Potter films. His producing credits include Night at the Museum and The Help.