Theo James (“The White Lotus”) will star in a new feature adaptation based on the terrifying short story “The Monkey”, written by the King of Horror, Stephen King. The supernatural story has been adapted for the screen by genre specialist Osgood Perkins (Longlegs, Gretel & Hansel), who will also direct.
The film has an all-star horror pedigree and is being produced by Atomic Monster’s James Wan (creator of the Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring franchises) and Michael Clear (M3GAN), and C2 Motion Picture Group’s Jason Cloth (Joker, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves) and Dave Caplan (Babylon). Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Insidious, Sinister) and Fred Berger (La La Land), Chris Ferguson (Afflicted, Child’s Play) and Stars Collective's Peter Luo and Nancy Xu will executive produce, alongside John Friedberg (Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, Greenland) for Black Bear International. The project was developed with Atomic Monster and Stars Collective, with C2 Motion Picture Group coming on board to fully finance. Black Bear International will be introducing the project to buyers next week in Cannes.
When twin brothers Hal and Bill discover their father’s old monkey toy in the attic, a series of gruesome deaths starts occurring all around them. The brothers decide to throw the monkey away and move on with their lives, growing apart over the years. But when the mysterious deaths begin again, the brothers must reunite to find a way to destroy the monkey for good before it takes the lives of everyone close to them.
James Wan is one of the most highly regarded names in the horror genre, with this year’s M3GAN grossing $177 million. He’s the creator of multiple blockbuster horror film franchises including Saw, Insidious and The Conjuring Universe, which together have grossed a staggering $3.7 billion in worldwide box office. He is also one of the most sought-after directors of studio tentpole films, with previous films including Furious 7 ($1.5 billion) and Aquaman ($1.15 billion).
Theo James most recently appeared in the critically acclaimed second season of “The White Lotus” for HBO and will next be seen as the lead in Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen” television series for Netflix.
Talking about the project, Wan said: “Stephen King is the godfather of the horror genre. He had a huge influence on me as a child and throughout my career and it’s always been a dream to help bring one of his stories to life. The 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 genre fan like Osgood to bring this 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 perfectly checks the box of what is working in the marketplace right now and will be a hot property,” said Jason Cloth and Dave Caplan. “We can’t wait for audiences to see Theo James in this role – he is really going to knock it out the park with an amazing performance.”
Black Bear International’s robust Cannes slate includes Guy Ritchie’s upcoming untitled action movie, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Henry Cavill, and Eiza GonzΓ‘lez; Matthew McConaughey crime-thriller The Rivals of Amziah King from Black Bear Pictures and Heyday; the romantic epic On Swift Horses starring Daisy Edgar Jones, Jacob Elordi and Will Poulter; Max Minghella’s thriller Shell starring Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber; and Timur Bekmambetov’s Motor City starring Alan Ritchson.