EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a hot one. Following their collaboration on hit horror Talk To Me, A24 and filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou are re-teaming on original horror movie Bring Her Back, we can reveal.
The team have set two-time Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (The Shape Of Water) to star in the movie, which is due to begin production this summer.
Plot details re being kept under wraps on the secretive project, which is being produced by Talk To Me duo Samantha Jennings and Kristina Ceyton from Causeway Films, whose credits also include The Babadook and The Nightingale.
Last summer, Talk to Me became A24’s highest-grossing horror film domestically. The Philippous’ are also developing the sequel for the studio and a documentary project inspired by their own journey into the world of international underground deathmatch wrestling.
Brit actress Hawkins has only appeared in one horror movie before back in 2007 but was Oscar-nominated for her memorable performance in Guillermo Del Toro’s fantasy creature feature The Shape Of Water. She most recently played Willy’s mother in box office smash Wonka.
Bring Her Back may or may not be on A24’s sales slate for Cannes. The studio is still aligning its priority pre-sales projects. Also in the mix to be on sale in Cannes are buzzy projects including Ari Aster’s starry Eddington, currently in production with Austin Butler, Emma Stone, Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix; Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s Warfare; and Bennie Safdie’s wrestling biopic The Smashing Machine, which will see Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson portray former UFC champion, Mark Kerr.
Oz twins Philippou and Michael Philippou (also known together online as RackaRacka), became well known for their horror comedy YouTube videos. Sundance smash Talk To Me, which garnered $92M globally off a $4.5M budget, was their feature debut. They have also been attached to a new Street Fighter movie.
