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According to THR Ari Sandel , who made his directorial debut with The DUFF , is coming on board to direct Monster High , Universal’s adaptation of the popular Mattel toy line. The studio has been developing the project since 2009 with, among others, producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage and their Fake Empire shingle. The two also worked on the screenplay (the initial writers were Alfred Gough and Miles Millar). It is, however, the first time it’s had a director in play, with Sandel in negotiations to helm. The female-skewing property focuses on the spawn of famous monsters including Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman (Draculaura, Frankie Stein and Clawdeen Wolf, respectively) undergoing the trials and tribulations of high school. High is not just toys but involves animated movies, video games, apps, among other games and activities. Mattel’s Playground Productions is executive producing. Sandel has proven to have a light touch with teen-oriented material not only w

The hysterical, sweet The Duff renews our faith in teen comedies. Review by Matt Cummings Has recent teen programming always been this awful? In a world where Disney live-action programming makes you feel like you've entered The Dumb Zone with its horrible acting and cheesy scripts, The Duff arrives to kick all of them in their collective pants and then laugh about it all the way to the high school bathroom. Bianca (Mae Whitman) is a high school brainiac whose super-hot friends Casey (Bianca A. Santos) and Jess (Skyler Samuels) are the center of every high school boy's fantasies. Yet, Bianca's Nirvana/Seattle style makes no one turn their heads, escpecially the football team's quarterback and Bianca's longtime neighbor Wesley (Robbie Amell). Through a strange twist of fate, Bianca comes face to face with the jock, learning that she has been designated as a Duff (Designated Ugly Fat Friend), and that this phenomenon is repeated with kids all over camp