समाचार

Ella Balinska from Charlie’s Angels and The Occupant has joined the cast of Greg McLean’s meta genre title The Horror Game, which Concourse is introducing to buyers at EFM this week.

Production is scheduled to commence later this year on the story of a young woman, desperate to find her missing sister, who along with her three friends must fight her way through a virtual reality horror game where death becomes real.

McLean, best known for the Australian Wolf Creek horror franchise and Jungle starring Daniel Radcliffe, will direct from a screenplay by Gus Krieger.

Balinska gained recognition as...

The summer of 2001 was a rather dry season for the horror genre, at least on the big screen. So, insatiable fans such as myself had to look elsewhere to satisfy their cravings; the straight-to-video sector was always a fun gamble, and the growing ubiquity of DVDs had led to the re-release of many classic and cult horrors. Yet during the summer in question, it was on television where I felt the most indulged. Hiding in plain sight on Fox’s schedule was the all but forgotten Night Visions, which has since become one of my favorite ever anthology series.

Night Visions was a fortuitous find that I never would have discovered had I not been channel-surfing. Usually my summers at home entailed catching up with favorite shows via reruns, or less often, giving one of these seasonal slot fillers a chance. Choosing the second option came with the certain risk...

Roadmap Writers, a screenwriting education and training platform based in Los Angeles, is partnering with Hollywood producer Barry Josephson to identify short stories fit for film and television adaptation.

The competition, open now and running through June 14, seeks commercial-leaning work and carries a cash prize of $7,000. The top three stories will be published on Roadmap Writers.

Short stories have become coveted in the rights market, especially over the past year, and have led to bidding wars among the major studios and streamers. Author Victor Sweetser sold the innovative haunted house film “The Occupant” to New Line this year, and Matt Query got a 7-figure deal at Netflix for his Reddit short story “My Wife and I Bought a Ranch.”

For the Josephson competition, scouters are asking for work no longer than 50 pages and can be of any genre. In addition to the short story, authors are requested to submit a...

Earlier this year, New Line Cinema acquired the rights to a short horror story titled The Occupant, and THR reports today that Blair Butler has been hired to write the script. Previously announced, Zach Cregger (Barbarian) will produce the film.

Running just 39 pages long, the original horror story was written by Victor Sweetser.

THR notes, “New Line is keeping the logline of the take in the basement, but story is a spin on the traditional haunted house tale in which a family moves into a spooky home. In this case, when a mysterious, old house is moved to a small town, something sinister arrives with it.”

Roy Lee and Scott Glassgold will produce the film adaptation alongside Cregger.

Deadline had previously provided the following synopsis…

“This is the story of a 100-year old Victorian home offered up for free, with the caveat the new owner has to put it on...

Bird Box Barcelona Release Date: 2023-07-14

Bird Box Barcelona is the long-awaited revisitation of the world established in 2018’s Bird Box. Not necessarily a direct Bird Box sequel, Bird Box Barcelona leaves behind the locations and characters of the first film to explore what was, before the arrival of the franchise’s society-destroying creatures, one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations. The film stars Mario Casas, Diego Calva, Georgina Campbell, and more, and it is especially different from the first Bird Box in that its primary language is Spanish.

The compelling vision behind Bird Box Barcelona is that of Àlex and David Pastor, the sibling duo who wrote and directed the film. While the pair have worked on thrillers in the past, the Pastors have arguably taken on their biggest work yet with this film. It’s not likely to be their highest-profile work, either; Àlex and David...

Netflix’s 2018 hit Bird Box finally has a sequel in Bird Box Barcelona, an exciting follow-up that takes place all the way across the ocean. Written and directed by Àlex and David Pastor, Bird Box Barcelona expands on the mythology of the original film in ways that help it stand apart from, and maybe even surpass, its predecessor. Despite being set in Spain, Bird Box Barcelona’s cast of characters represents countries from around the world, with Diego Calva’s Octavio being from Mexico and Georgina Campbell’s Claire hailing from the U.K.

The lead character in the film, however, is from Spain and is played by renowned Spanish actor Mario Casas. Casas has collaborated with Àlex and David Pastor in the past on the 2020 dramatic thriller The Occupant. Casas’ character is the beating heart of Bird Box Barcelona, with much of the story’s emotional payoff generated from...

Five years ago seems aeons in an era so disrupted by Covid. So it comes as a surprise to realize that the original screen “Bird Box” arrived a full 14 months or so in advance of pandemic restrictions — becoming an early Netflix pop-culture phenomenon before lockdown made that sort of thing a regular occurrence. Susanne Bier’s film of Josh Malerman’s sci-fi horror novel was intriguing and suspenseful enough, even if its emphasis on psychological drama over thrills made for a somewhat unlikely breakout hit.

Inevitably, if belatedly, there’s now a follow-up — but not an adaptation of Malerman’s own print sequel, which continued the travails of the character played by Sandra Bullock. Instead, “Bird Box Barcelona” is a “parallel story” set on another continent entirely. Written and directed by Alex and David Pastor, whose prior genre efforts “The Last Days” (2013) and “Carriers” (2009) both had similar basic premises, it...

Contains mention of suicide and self-harm.

Bird Box Barcelona is finally arriving on Netflix, nearly 5 years after the release of Bird Box — although the movie being referred to as Bird Box 2 switches up the formula for the horror series (and doesn't feature Sandra Bullock). The Spanish-language spin-off is not a sequel but follows a parallel narrative, showcasing new characters whose stories take place at the same time as Bird Box. In the unique premise of Bird Box, powerful entities have decimated the Earth's population due to their ability to induce suicidal impulses when seen. Bird Box established that the entities had hit European countries first, clearing the path for Bird Box Barcelona to shed more light on how the apocalypse originated.

Bird Box, which was adapted from Josh Malerman's novel of the same name, was a critical success for Netflix garnering 89 million viewers within the first four weeks of its release,...

The latest poster for the upcoming horror spinoff, Bird Box Barcelona, warns audiences to “fear the ones who see.” All set to land on Netflix next month, Bird Box Barcelona threatens to transport audiences back to the terrifying world of the 2018 post-apocalyptic horror outing, Bird Box, dropping us in Spain and into the midst of the chaos that ensues after mysterious entities have invaded earth. Entities that you cannot look at. You can check out the new poster for Bird Box Barcelona below.

Detailing a whole new set of horrors that run parallel to those experienced by Sandra Bullock in the first Bird Box, Bird Box Barcelona will center on a father and daughter as they join up with other survivors in order to try and survive this dystopian future in which no-one survives looking at entities that now roam the planet. Bird Box Barcelona will debut in July, with...

A brand new international spinoff movie set in the world of 2018 hit Bird Box, Bird Box Barcelona will premiere on July 14, and Netflix has debuted the official poster today.

This first spinoff movie will be a Spanish-language thriller set in Barcelona. The Occupant and The Head filmmakers Alex and David Pastor wrote and directed the film.

Mario Casas, Georgina Campbell, Diego Calva, Alejandra Howard, Naila Schuberth, Patrick Criado, Celia Freijeiro with Lola Dueñas, Gonzalo de Castro, Michelle Jenner and Leonardo Sbaraglia star in Bird Box Barcelona.

“After a mysterious force decimates the world’s population by causing all who see it to take their lives, Sebastian and his young daughter Anna must navigate their own journey of survival through the desolate streets of Barcelona. But as they form an uneasy alliance with other survivors and make their way toward a safe haven, a threat more sinister than the unseen creatures grows.

Five years after the original "Bird Box" became an absolute sensation on Netflix, we're finally getting a follow-up. While it's not a proper sequel, it is more of a spin-off taking place elsewhere in the world. In this case, Spain, which is why the forthcoming movie is aptly titled "Bird Box Barcelona." That also has a nice alliterative ring to it. But that's about the only thing about this movie that looks nice, as it seems absolutely chaotic and tense.

This appears to be going with a very similar conceit as the original film, with survivors trying to avoid eye contact with the mysterious beings at the center of this disaster at all costs. It's a new group of people in an entirely new location. What will those new elements bring to the table? Let's have a look-see.

Bird Box Barcelona Trailer Brings Back The Blindfolds

This trailer offers up...

Altitude is selling the title at Cannes.

Altitude Film Sales has unveiled a first look at sci-fi thriller The Occupant, as the shoot wraps in Georgia and Northern Ireland. It is co-written and directed by Dutch filmmaker Hugo Keijzer.

It stars Ella Balinska as a woman stranded and alone in the Caucasus mountains. Producers are Raymond Van der Kaaij for Revolver Amsterdam, Kwesi Dickson and Jay Taylor for Electric Shadow Company and is co-produced by 20 Steps International.

The film was supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, the BFI Global Screen Fund, Northern Ireland Screen, Esc Studios and financing was led...

Streaming giant Netflix has revealed our first look at the upcoming sequel to the 2019 Spanish science fiction horror outing, The Platform. Taking to social media to share the first images from the mysterious project, the sequel will take us back to the dystopia that so successfully disturbed audiences a few years ago. Check out the first look at The Platform sequel below...

The story is far from over... Here's your first look at our sequel to The Platform, the most popular Spanish film in Netflix history, once again directed by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia. pic.twitter.com/onEdPxCxHD — Netflix (@netflix) May 11, 2023

“The story is far from over...” teases the caption alongside the images, which find two people, a large man and a small girl, trapped in the same kind of concrete cell where the first movie took place. While plot details (and pretty much everything else) regarding The Platform follow-up currently remain a mystery,...

Remember a few years back, when the world was briefly obsessed with Bird Box? Netflix and adapted from Josh Malerman’s novel, received solid reviews and was a huge hit on the streaming service. It even spawned a viral ‘Bird Box challenge’. Well, now the world of Bird Box is back, and it’s heading to Barcelona.

It’s not quite a Cloverfield Paradox surprise release, but the announcement of the simply-titled Bird Box Barcelona does come pretty much out of the blue – it’s out in two months’ time, 14 July to be exact, and hasn’t been a part of Netflix’s recent slate announcements. Check out the first teaser here:

There you have it, then – it’s Bird Box, in Barcelona. By the sounds of it, this one will be a prequel-of-sorts, exploring the initial ‘outbreak’ in Spain, with new characters, new locations, and the same existential terror.

A Bird Box spinoff has been revealed, showcasing what happened in Europe during the events of the Sandra Bullock-led original. Bird Box follows Bullock's character as she tries to protect her family against monsters that kill anyone who looks at them. The movie was released in 2018 to mixed reviews, however, it became the most-watched film on Netflix within a 28-day window at the time.

Now, Netflix has released a teaser trailer for Bird Box Barcelona, a spinoff that shows what happened in Europe during the events of Bird Box.

The trailer shows footage from the original Bird Box before switching to new footage of the spinoff proper. Bird Box Barcelona's trailer ends by revealing a release date of July 14.

Everything We Know About Bird Box Barcelona

A Spanish-language spinoff of Bird Box was reported to be in development in 2021 from Spanish writer-directors Alex and David Pastor, who previously...

Are you ready to see? Netflix has announced today that Bird Box Barcelona will premiere on July 14, a brand new international spinoff movie set in the world of 2018 hit Bird Box.

This first spinoff movie will be a Spanish-language thriller set in Barcelona. The Occupant and The Head filmmakers Alex and David Pastor wrote and directed the film.

Mario Casas, Georgina Campbell, Diego Calva, Alejandra Howard, Naila Schuberth, Patrick Criado, Celia Freijeiro with Lola Dueñas, Gonzalo de Castro, Michelle Jenner and Leonardo Sbaraglia star in Bird Box Barcelona.

“After a mysterious force decimates the world’s population by causing all who see it to take their lives, Sebastian and his young daughter Anna must navigate their own journey of survival through the desolate streets of Barcelona. But as they form an uneasy alliance with other survivors and make their way toward a safe haven, a threat more sinister than the unseen creatures grows.

Exclusive: Lyrical Media has snapped up Sam Haysom’s short story Purgatory Games which Titans and Ash vs. Evil Dead scribe Bryan Edward Hill will adapt into a feature film.

In Purgatory Games, when a mysterious narrator receives a Usb drive from an unknown source containing videos and transcripts of six strangers trapped in an underground bunker with unusual rules to gain their freedom, an investigation begins into this secret, disturbing experiment. The project has been billed as Ring meets Squid Game.

The big screen take of the short story from the viral Reddit/NoSleep thread will be produced by Alex Black and Natalie Sellers on behalf of Lyrical Media with Brian Kavanaugh Jones and Fred Berger producing for Automatik. Hill and Gemma Levinson will also serve as EPs.

Hill is an African-American creator working across film, television, and comics. He has five features in various stages of active deep development including his own comic,...

Exclusive: Amazon Studios has won a competitive auction and sealed a high-six figure outright purchase of The Dwelling, an unpublished short story by Aaron Jayh. Michael B. Jordan and Liz Raposo’s Outlier Society are attached to produce. Jordan is potentially starring.

Adapting the mind-bending story will be Aaron Guzikowski, the scribe best known for Denis Villeneuve’s Prisoners and Apple TV’s Raised by Wolves. Jordan and Raposo will produce with Ground Control’s Scott Glassgold.

Several studios bid and put together talent alignments, but it came down to Amazon and Netflix, sources said.

The Dwelling tells the story of a newly divorced father who discovers a house buried in his backyard. He is a former all pro football player trying to ease into retirement, and the hits he took on the field starts to make him unsure what is real and imagined, as things begin to go awry.

Exclusive: If some film executives have looked a bit distracted at the agency Oscar parties tonight, it’s because they were waging a rather breathtaking auction for I Am Not Alone, a 22-page short story by Chris Hicks that is an ideal template for a major genre film. The dust is just settling, but I am hearing that Netflix is closing up a high-six-figure deal for an outright buy of the story, with mid-seven figures pledged to Lovecraft Country’s Misha Green to write the script and direct as a star vehicle for Oscar winner Jessica Chastain.

Five bidders chased this one over 72 hours, and it came down to Netflix and Warner Bros. A big reason for the outcome is that Green wanted this to be with a streamer.

The short story begins with the prologue: “I began seeing the creatures about a week before Zoe’s visit.” I don...

We had learned last week that a handful of major players were trying to scoop up a short horror story titled The Occupant, and THR provides an update on that bidding war this week.

Running just 39 pages long, the story was written by Victor Sweetser, and THR reports that New Line has prevailed as the winner of the auction. Attached to produce for New Line? Zach Cregger, who wrote and directed last year’s horror hit Barbarian.

THR notes, “There were numerous studios and filmmakers fighting in the trenches for the project — Paramount, Lionsgate, Amazon — but in the end it was New Line that won it.”

Roy Lee and Scott Glassgold will produce the film adaptation alongside Cregger.

“Occupant is described as a reverse haunted house story. Instead of a family moving into an abode, here a historical house is moved for preservation purposes into a neighborhood.”

Deadline had previously provided the following synopsis…...

It was a flash bomb of an auction. Within 36 hours of first hitting the town, a package featuring a 39-page short story titled “Occupant” and written by newbie Victor Sweetser saw offers zoom from a 25,000 option to a final purchase price of high mid-six figures. There were numerous studios and filmmakers fighting in the trenches for the project — Paramount, Lionsgate, Amazon — but in the end it was New Line that won it.

The early February brouhaha illustrates the hot streak of Zach Cregger, the filmmaker behind last year’s horror hit Barbarian, which cost 4.5 million to make and then grossed more than 40 million domestically for 20th Century Studios. Cregger is attached to produce Occupant along with frequent partner Roy Lee and Scott Glassgold, who originated and developed the project. Occupant is described as a reverse haunted house story. Instead of a family moving into an abode, here a historical house...

Exclusive: A highly competitive bidding war ended with New Line Cinema paying high-six figures in an outright buy for Victor Sweetser’s hot horror short story, Occupant. Barbarian’s Zach Cregger, Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Ground Control’s Scott Glassgold are on board to produce. Deadline revealed the auction as it was heating up today. It is a testament to the power of genre IP.

Related Story Behind The Scenes Of Zach Cregger’s Extraordinary ‘Weapons’ Auction & Its Aftermath: The Dish Related Story Horror Short Story 'The Occupant' Scares Up Torrent Of Movie Rights Bids: The Dish Related Story BoulderLight, Zach Cregger Set 'Companion' At New Line, Will Produce Thriller From Drew Hancock

With the story only on the market for less than 24 hours, a tremendous amount of interest was generated around town for what is being described as a reinvention of the haunted house movie. The...

A handful of major players are reportedly trying to scoop up a short horror story titled The Occupant, with Deadline exclusively reporting on the hot bidding war this afternoon.

Running just 39 pages long, the story has “created a frenzy, with five bids in for movie rights and more coming, including some of the big names in the genre game.”

The Occupant was written by Victor Sweetser, and some of the names being thrown around include Zach Cregger (Barbarian), Roy Lee, Gary Dauberman, and even Seth Rogen.

What’s the story about, you ask? Deadline provides the following synopsis…

“This is the story of a 100-year old Victorian home offered up for free, with the caveat the new owner has to put it on a flatbed and move it from the lot it occupies. The story begins cleverly with texts back and forth between a husband and a wife, who cannot...

Exclusive: A 39-page haunted house short story by first-time writer Victor Sweetser has created a frenzy, with five bids in for movie rights and more coming including some of the big names in the genre game.

The Occupant went to market yesterday, and the reaction was quick. This is the story of a 100-year-old Victorian home offered up for free, with the caveat the new owner has to put it on a flatbed and move it from the lot it occupies. The story begins cleverly with texts back and forth between a husband and a wife, who cannot get over their good luck to be chosen to take the house. Naturally, we learn there is no such thing as a free house.

The narrator is a teen named Chloe, who lives in the town where the home is being moved. She and her boyfriend Mason are disappointed to see it...

Altitude Film Sales will handle international sales of the original horror-comedy “Hell of a Summer,” which is written, directed by and stars Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk. In addition, the filmmakers released a suitably eerie first look at “Hell of a Summer,” which shows Wolfhard and Bryk staring down at something creepy from the barrels of their flashlights.

The film marks the directorial debuts of the two collaborators. Wolfhard is best known for his work on “Stranger Things” and “It,” while Bryk has appeared in “When You Finish Saving the World” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” (both of which starred Wolfhard).

Fred Hechinger (“The White Lotus”), D’Pharaoh Woon-a-Tai (“Reservation Dogs”), Abby Quinn (“Mad About You”), and Pardis Saremi (“Career Opportunities in Murder and Mayhem”) round out the cast of the movie, which is currently in post-production. Altitude Film Sales will introduce “Hell of a Summer” at this month’s European Film Market in Berlin.

Stars: Caroline Nicolian, Nathan Hollabaugh, David Flick, Owen Miller, Rik Billock, Megan Bolton, Andrew Ashbrook Freed, Dylan Grunn, Julia Best Warner | Written and Directed by Samuel Krebs

Let’s not mess around, The Whooper Returns is a terrible title for a film – which is why it’s been renamed for a wide US release as The Occupant (which isn’t that much better Tbh). It’s a film that takes the familiar tropes of haunted house stories and turns them on their head, creating a meta take on films like The Amityville Horror, if that film turned out to be based on a story made up by a mentally troubled housewife and her kids. Which might be the case knowing That franchise!

The Occupant opens in a faux-vhs style as we, the audience, watch a Halloween broadcast of The Whooper – a film based on the haunting of the Schepp family home.

"This house isn't really haunted..." "Some might debate that." Devilworks has debuted an official trailer for an indie horror thriller called The Occupant, marking the feature debut of filmmaker Samuel Krebs. This originally went under the title The Whooper Returns, which sounds much more interesting, but I can see how that might confuse some people (who or what is the Whooper?). Following the death of their mother, four estranged siblings find themselves fighting for their inheritance and for their lives when an eccentric stranger arrives, claiming their famous haunted childhood home was left to her. They all start experiencing strange, inexplicable manifestations, which has malevolent effects on everyone in the house. Starring Rik Billock, David Flick, Dylan Grunn, Nathan Hollabaugh, Caroline Nicolian, and Megan Bolton. Looks like fairly generic, derivative supernatural horror, even with Christmas lights like "Stranger Things". Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Samuel Krebs' The Occupant, direct...

Very few The Mediapro Studio shows, indeed very few Spanish series in general, have lit a fire on the open market like “The Head,” an Antarctic-set thriller which lifts off as a murder mystery to constantly evolve into other realms.

Starring Álvaro Morte, “Money Heist’s” Professor and Japanese pop idol Tomohisa Yamashita, written by Alex and David Pastor and directed by Jorge Dorado, “The Head” broke viewership records on co-financiers Hulu Japan and HBO Asia and sold to over 90 countries including HBO in the U.S.

The Mediapro Studio retained IP. “Sales opened doors to new markets and clients with whom we hadn’t worked before,” said Laura Fernández Espeso, CEO of The Mediapro Studio. It also began blazing a trail for Tms’s drive into English-language series, one of its biggest ambitions.

Yet a sequel was, by any measure, a tall order. Season 1 was always conceived as a limited series , notes Ran Tellem,...

Adriana Martínez Barrón, most recently VP of Film at Eva Longoria’s UnbeliEVAble Entertainment, has moved to CBS as Vice President, Drama Series Development.

In her new role, Martínez Barrón will oversee a significant portion of the drama programming development for CBS Entertainment’s primetime lineup.

“Adriana has stellar creative instincts, a keen eye for talent and strong relationships within the creative community,” said Yelena Chak EVP, Drama Series Development, to whom Martínez Barrón reports. “We couldn’t be more excited to have her bring her wealth of experience and obvious passion for television to our Drama Development team here at CBS.”

At UnbeliEVAble, Martínez Barrón executive produced the film Let’s Get Merried, starring Mishel Prada, Xosha Roquemore and Tahj Mowry,for ViacomCBS and VH1. She’s credited with playing a key role in hiring first time Latina director Veronica Rodriguez, who has been nominated for an NAACP Award for her work in the film.

Adriana Martínez Barrón has joined CBS as vice president of drama series development.

In her new role, Martínez Barrón will oversee a significant portion of the drama programming development for CBS Entertainment’s primetime lineup. She will report to Yelena Chak, executive vice president of drama series development.

Martínez Barrón most recently served as vice president of film at Unbelievable Entertainment, Eva Longoria’s production company. There, she executive produced Veronica Rodriguez’s holiday romantic comedy “Let’s Get Merried,” which starred Mishel Prada, Xosha Roquemore and Tahj Mowry. She has also served as manager of Latin American original series and content acquisitions at Netflix, where she oversaw projects in Mexico, Argentina and Colombia and worked on series including “Daughter From Another Mother,” “Luis Miguel: The Series,” “Nicky Jam: El Ganador,” “The Occupant,” “Crazy About Her,” “Como Caído del Cielo” and “Intuition.” Before working at Netflix, Martínez Barrón served as creative...

Further additions include ‘Bad Blood’, ‘Beneath The Surface’.

UK-based genre specialist Devilworks has added three titles to its sales slate heading into next week’s online European Film Market.

The new films are led by Ignacio Lopez’s The Nanny’s Night, starring Spanish actress Diana Penalver. The film tells the story of the coolest babysitter in town, who is revealed to be a member of a malevolent satanic sect. Written and directed by Lopez, the film was produced by Spanish companies Artistic Films and Panic in Frames.

Vampire horror Bad Blood follows a social worker who takes a homeless...

Exclusive: Amid its continuing drive to ramp up local feature productions, Netflix has a host of ambitious titles coming out of Europe in the next year. Already, Paolo Sorrentino’s Oscar-shortlisted The Hand Of God launched on the service in late 2021, hitting the Top 10 in 11 countries, while ahead are films from such directors as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Louis Leterrier, Romain Gavras, Edward Berger, Roar Uthaug and Oscar winner Sébastian Lelio, among others.

Currently in production for later down the pike are J.A. Bayona’s Society Of The Snow and the Spanish feature spinoff of Netflix hit series Bird Box.

Former Universal, Film4 and STX executive David Kosse took on the role of VP of International Film at Netflix in 2019 with a mandate to oversee international film production and acquisitions and a focus on making and acquiring non-English language movies for the streaming site. Across the years, he has developed strong talent...

Exclusive: Netflix’s Spanish-language spin-off of its hit movie Bird Box is taking flight, with cast now confirmed for the Barcelona-set film, which goes into production in November.

Starring will be: Mario Casas, Georgina Campbell, Diego Calva, Alejandra Howard, Naila Schuberth, Patrick Criado, Celia Freijeiro with Lola Dueñas, Gonzalo de Castro, Michelle Jenner and Leonardo Sbaraglia.

The Occupant and The Head filmmakers Alex and David Pastor are writing and will direct the film, which will be an expansion of the Bird Box universe. After a mysterious force decimates the world’s population by causing all who see it to take their lives, Sebastian and his young daughter Anna must navigate their own journey of survival through the desolate streets of Barcelona. But as they form an uneasy alliance with other survivors and make their way toward a safe haven, a threat more sinister than the unseen creatures grows.

The original film,...

Ella Balinska to Headline Science Fiction Film — Ella Balinska has been cast in the upcoming science fiction thriller The Occupant. You saw her and loved her work in the recent reboot of Charlie’s Angels. She’s also the star of Netflix’s forthcoming Resident Evil series. She’s the very talented Ella Balinska. Now, she has just [...]

Continue reading: The Occupant: Ella Balinska To Star in Upcoming Science Fiction Film...

Ella Balinska, who stars in Netflix’s upcoming Resident Evil TV series, is to lead cast in sci-fi thriller The Occupant.

Balinska will play Abby who, during a desperate quest for her dying sister’s survival, finds herself stranded and alone in the icy Russian wilderness where a mysterious helper may or not be her salvation.

Co-written and to be directed by Hugo Keijzer, the project is an expansion of Keijzer’s 2019 short film of the same name, which played at festivals including Sitges, Fantasia and Bifan.

Script is by Philip M. Howe, Roelof-Jan Minneboo and Hugo Keijzer. The feature will be produced by Raymond van der Kaaij for Revolver Amsterdam (Love and Friendship) alongside Dutch producer Maurice Schutte and Elwin Looije.

The feature received a grant from Epic Games to potentially utilize Unreal Engine – their virtual production technology, which was recently used in The Mandalorian. The project also won...

Altitude Film Sales are representing the worldwide rights to “The Occupant,” a sci-fi thriller starring “Charlie’s Angel’s” alum Ella Balinska.

They plan to introduce the feature to buyers at Toronto.

“The Occupant” is based on Hugo Keijzer’s short film of the same name, which was a hit on the festival circuit. Keijzer is co-writing – alongside Philip M. Howe and Roelof-Jan Minneboo – and directing the feature-length version, which will shoot in Georgia and Ireland in early 2022.

The film centers around Abby (played by Balinska) who must navigate the Russian wilderness as she embarks on a quest to help her dying sister. It is described as a “high concept sci-fi thriller, with a powerful psychological story at its core.”

Raymond van der Kaaij will produce for Revolver Amsterdam (“Love and Friendship”) alongside Maurice Schutte and Elwin Looije.

Altitude will exec produce and represent worldwide sales.

“‘The Occupant’ is both...

Ella Balinska, the rising star who appeared in the recent Charlie’s Angels reboot and will soon be seen in Netflix’s upcoming Resident Evil series, is set to lead upcoming sci-fi thriller The Occupant.

The film — which will be introduced to buyers in Toronto, with Altitude Film Sales overseeing worldwide sales rights — will be directed by Hugo Keijzer, who co-wrote the script alongside Philip M. Howe and Roelof-Jan Minneboo.

Billed as a “high-concept” sci-fi thriller with a powerful psychological story at its core, The Occupant will see Balinska play a woman called Abby in a narrative that deals with themes ...

Ella Balinska, the rising star who appeared in the recent Charlie’s Angels reboot and will soon be seen in Netflix’s upcoming Resident Evil series, is set to lead upcoming sci-fi thriller The Occupant.

The film — which will be introduced to buyers in Toronto, with Altitude Film Sales overseeing worldwide sales rights — will be directed by Hugo Keijzer, who co-wrote the script alongside Philip M. Howe and Roelof-Jan Minneboo.

Billed as a “high-concept” sci-fi thriller with a powerful psychological story at its core, The Occupant will see Balinska play a woman called Abby in a narrative that deals with themes ...

"Fish on!!" Netflix has debuted an official trailer for the inspirational family film Blue Miracle, based on a true story about a Mexican orphanage that competes in a fishing tournament. After a hurricane leaves their boys home nearly destroyed, they decide to partner with a local fishing boat captain, as played by Dennis Quaid, and enter the tournament (Bisbee's Black & Blue) with no hope - only dreams. The film's main cast includes Jimmy Gonzales, Anthony Gonzalez, Bruce McGill, Nathan Arenas, Raymond Cruz, Miguel Angel Garcia, Isaac Arellanes, Steve Gutierrez, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Fernanda Urrejola, andSilverio Palacios. As uplifting as this true story is, this is one of these perfectly campy films filled with cheesiness designed to make "all audiences" feel good. At least Quaid has some good lines in this. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Julio Quintana's Blue Miracle, from Netflix's YouTube: The incredible true story of Casa Hogar,...

Feature will start production towards the end of this year.

Netflix has commissioned a feature film spin-off from 2018 horror Bird Box, to be shot in Spain later this year.

The new film is neither a prequel or sequel to the first title, but is described by the streaming giant as an expansion of “the Bird Box universe”.

The film will be directed by Spanish brothers Àlex Pastor and David Pastor, whose previous credits include 2020 Netflix thriller The Occupant and 2009 sci-fi Carriers, about four friends seeking a haven from the global spread of a lethal virus.

Dylan Clark and Chris Morgan...

A Spanish movie spin-off of Netflix 2018 supernatural thriller hit “Bird Box,” which starred Sandra Bullock and was directed by Susanne Bier, is in the works.

The as yet to be titled movie will start production toward the end of this year in Spain.

Alex and David Pastor, whose credits include Netflix crime thriller “The Occupant,” HBO Max’s survival thriller “The Head,” sci-fi adventure “Carriers” and sci-fi horror “Los Últimos Dias,” will write and direct the project.

The producers are Dylan Clark, Chris Morgan, and Adrián Guerra and Núria Valls for Nostromo Pictures.

The executive producers are Bier, Ainsley Davies for Chris Morgan Productions, and Brian Williams for Dylan Clark Productions.

Alex and David Pastor are represented by managers Kaplan/Perrone Entertainment, agency Verve, and attorney Ryan LeVine/Karl Austen.

The Bird Box universe is expanding with a Spanish-language spinoff, we can reveal.

The movie will reunite Netflix with Bird Box producers Dylan Clark (The Batman) and Chris Morgan (Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw), but it will also have a distinctly Spanish flavor.

Writer-directors will be Spanish duo Alex and David Pastor, best known for 2020 Netflix thriller The Occupant and 2009 pandemic thriller Carriers, as well as Syfy series Incorporated and recent HBO Max series The Head, both of which they created.

Producing for Spanish outfit Nostromo Pictures will be Adrián Guerra and Núria Valls, producers of The Occupant and Spanish hit The Invisible Guest. Guerra is also well known as the producer of Ryan Reynolds box office breakout Buried.

The yet to be titled film, which will sit within David Kosse’s local-language slate at the streamer, is due to start production towards the end of this year in Spain.

Photo: 'Below Zero'/Netflix Violence and suspense are the name of the game in the new Spanish Netflix original film ‘Below Zero’, or ‘Bajocero’, the second feature-length directorial outing from co-scriptwriter Lluís Quílez. In the film, a National Police Corps officer named Martín (Javier Gutiérrez) transfers to a new precinct and his first assignment is to drive a prisoner transport truck in the dead of night. Gutiérrez’s starring role in ‘Below Zero’ marks his fourth Netflix film, after ‘The Motive’, ‘Mirage’, and ‘The Occupant’. Martín’s new partner Montesinos (Isak Férriz), a rule-bender, who for instance likes wearing an earring even though it’s not allowed, explains to Martín that the time of the transfer is random and last minute so that everything is safer and more discreet. For the same reasons, they can’t take their cellphones with them. A prisoner transfer in the middle of the night?...

In today’s Global Bulletin, The Mediapro Studio’s “The Head” lands on Starzplay in the U.K. and Germany and Zdf Enterprises finishes shooting on post-wwii documentary “Lawless,” A+E Networks U.K. announces a new factual series with Denise Welch, and Denmark’s Cph:Dox reschedules its hybrid 2021 edition.

Distribution

The Mediapro Studio Distribution has closed a deal with Starz that will land South-Pole murder mystery series “The Head” on the broadcaster’s streaming platform Starzplay in the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria and German-speaking regions of Switzerland and Luxembourg on Feb. 7.

One of the most significant steps into scripted drama production by Spanish producer The Mediapro Studio, “The Head” was executed in partnership with Hulu Japan and HBO Asia. It was written by Alex and David Pastor (“Hogar”) and directed by Jorge Dorado (“The Department of Time”)

“The Head” uses tricks of time and perspective to slowly uncover...

Familystyle has entered into a first-look deal with Entertainment 360, the joint venture between MRC Television and Management 360, Variety has learned exclusively.

Familystyle is the production company run by Karyn Kusama, Matt Manfredi, and Phil Hay. The first project being developed under the deal is the series “The Occupant.” Kusama is attached to direct with Manfredi and Hay attached to write. The Los Angeles-set conspiracy is about a mentally fragile but idealistic person who becomes a reluctantly pivotal figure in the clandestine struggle between a seemingly benign modern megacorporation and the ragtag groups of Angelenos who oppose it.

“Phil, Matt, and I have made some of our most personal work as a team,” said Kusama. “We are truly thrilled that MRC Television and E360 are the latest additions to our creative family. From the get-go, it was clear that our friends there shared our enthusiasms and ambitions and would...

Jorge Dorado turns the Canary Islands into Antarctica in this thriller, recounted through flashbacks, which follows the investigation into a violent incident in a sinister, dark and isolated place. In Endless Night, Isabel Coixet warned us that when the light fades away in the Arctic, it’s not only shadows that loom, but also our most deeply buried truths. The Head, a series directed by Jorge Dorado (Mindscape) from a screenplay penned by brothers Álex and David Pastor (who released their film The Occupant on Netflix a short while ago), uses equally snowy and icy settings, but on the opposite side of the globe, to build up a six-episode show, with dialogue mainly in English, which is effective because it hinges on mystery, horror and isolation. For those of us who have suffered the same thing at first hand...

With cinemas closed in much of the world and viewers watching films via streaming platforms, genre filmmakers at this week’s Frontières could be forgiven for primarily looking to Ott services to distribute their projects.

Genre films, of course, have increasingly found a home in recent years on SVODs. Mainstream platforms like Netflix have enjoyed success with the likes of sci-fi thriller “Bird Box,” while specialist platforms like AMC Networks-owned streamer Shudder, which features horror, thriller and supernatural fiction titles, have emerged as significant buyers at festivals and markets.

Yet, despite the inexorable rise of streaming platforms and the struggles of theaters amid Covid-19 cinema shutdowns, many of the producers and directors pitching projects on June 25 at Frontières – the annual Cannes Film Market dedicated to genre film – say they remain keen on a theatrical release alongside streamer distribution.

“We’re keen to find the best home for our film,...

This summer, Discovery is launching new Spanish-language channel Hogar de Hgtv, which translates to “Home of Hgtv,” for Cox and Charter customers. The new network “will feature the very best mix of content from Hgtv, Food Network and Discovery’s lifestyle brands from around the globe,” according to Discovery U.S. Hispanic, which is a division of Discovery, Inc.

It will also have original productions, such as “Mientras no estabas,” “Destino con Sabor” and “Chef a Domicilio,” a new series produced entirely from participants’ homes amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Other programs that will be translated and dubbed include “En la cocina” (“The Kitchen”), “Chopped: Eliminado” (“Chopped”), “Cocinando con Ina Garten” (“Barefoot Contessa”), “Primos a la obra” (“Cousins Undercover”), “Delicias en la playa con Katie Lee” (“Beach Bites with Katie Lee”) and “Giada en Italia” (“Giada in Italy”).

Also Read: 'Bargain Mansions' Host Tamara Day on Having to Stray From Both...

Nuria Valls

Valls already has 14 producer or exec-producer credits, including Eugenio Mira’s “Grand Piano,” Fernando González Molina’s Spanish blockbuster “Palm Trees in the Snow,” and Dan Krauss’ “The Kill Team;” all alongside her partner Adrián Guerra at Nostromo. Her latest productions include Alex and David Pastor’s “The Occupant” and Molina’s “Offering to the Storm,” both acquired by Netflix. Valls will shortly resume shooting on “Los favoritos de Midas,” created by Mateo Gil, her first TV series. “I’d like to do exactly what we’ve done so far: Making all kinds of movies we’d like to watch, not only genre.”

Oriol MAYMÓ

Maymó participated in the production of Rodrigo Cortés’ “Buried,” Marcel Barrena’s “Little World” and Pau Freixas’ TV-series “The Red Band Society” among many other titles. Now based out of Corte y Confección, he has produced Leticia Dolera’s Canneseries winner “A Perfect...

Opening up multiple shoot possibilities during Covid-19 and beyond, top Spanish producer Adrian Guerra is bowing Orca Studios, a new Spain-based virtual production facility that uses the same Led volume technology employed by Ilm on its Stagecraft system for “The Mandalorian” – hailed by some as the biggest technological step-forward since green screen.

Head of studio at Orca is Adrian Corsei, former head of studio at Trixter, Germany’s biggest VFX studio whose prolific Hollywood credits take in “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” 2.

Orca Studios has developed its cutting-edge technology with the support of Epic Games and collaboration of Kinolux in Spain.

Also pioneered by Jon Favreau on 2019’s “The Lion King” sequel, Led wall volumes replace static backgrounds in virtual studios with exterior or interior images that adjust in sync with camera movement, powered by video game PC engines, such as Unreal for “The Mandalorian.”

Allowing...