Unique: The latest on starring in season two of HBO’s White lotusTheo James is set to lead new horror film MonkeyBased on the short story of the same name by Stephen King.
The team behind the buzzy project includes genre supremo James Wan, creator of The Conjuring Universe and co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises.
Van Atomic Monsters is producing with partner Michael Clear (M3GAN), and Jason Kluth of C2 Motion Picture Group (clown) and Dave Caplan (babylon, The supernatural tale has been adapted for the screen by genre expert Osgood Perkins (long legs) who will also direct.
Black Bear International is launching the project ahead of the Cannes market, where it will be one of the popular titles.
In MonkeyWhen twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths begins to unfold around them. The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing further apart over the years. But when the mysterious deaths strike again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the ape once and for all, before it takes the lives of everyone close to them. Additional casting is underway.
Brian Cavanaugh-Jones of Automatik (Cheat) and Fred Berger (La la Land)chris ferguson (child’s play) and Peter Luo and Nancy Xu of Stars Collective, John Friedberg (Greenland) for Black Bear International.
The project was developed alongside Atomic Monster and Stars Collective, with C2 Motion Picture Group coming on board to fully finance.
Talking about the film, Wan said, “Stephen King is the godfather of the horror genre. He was a huge influence on me as a child and throughout my career and helping bring one of his stories to life Has always been a dream. Monkey is a personal favorite with its simple, iconic and incredibly marketable conceit. And I can’t imagine anyone better than a visionary and lifelong fan of the genre like Osgood to bring it to life.
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Osgood, James, Brian and our friends at Black Bear International to present Stephen King’s The Monkey, It checks out perfectly with what’s working in the market right now and will be a hot asset,” said Jason Kluth and Dave Caplan. “We can’t wait for audiences to see Theo James in this role – he’s really going to knock it out of the park with an amazing performance.”
Wan, whose Conjuring universe is the highest-grossing horror franchise in history, recently produced M3GAN and is also known for directing tentpoles including furious 7 ($1.5bn) and aquaman ($1.15bn).
underworld And Diverse Starr James will be next seen in the lead role of Guy Ritchie gentlemen TV series for Netflix.
Black Bear International’s stacked Cannes slate includes Guy Ritchie’s upcoming untitled action film starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill and Eiza Gonzalez; Matthew McConaughey crime-thriller amaziah king’s rival From Black Bear Pictures and heyday; romantic drama on fast horses Daisy starring Edgar Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter; Max Minghella’s Thriller shell starring Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber; and Timur Bekmambetov motor city Starring Alan Richson.
This is the second King project we’ve revealed for the Cannes market in as many days, with the Tom Hiddleston – Mark Hamill starrer also getting buyers in. the life of chuck, It’s rare for one market to be a Stephen King project, so considering the King of Horror’s track record and the horror genre’s general box office boon, the two are a treat.
James is represented by UTA, Markham, Frogett & Irvine and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Perkins is replaced by CAA, Grandview, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, Feldman, and Clark. The deal was negotiated on behalf of Black Bear International by Jill Silphen.