Lionsgate has acquired Portrait of God, a new horror feature that pairs Sam Raimi and Jordan Peele as producers for the first time in either of their careers. The project was previously set up at Universal, which quietly let it go earlier this year, clearing the way for Lionsgate to step in and give it a greenlight.
Chase Infiniti, who broke through earlier this year in the Best Picture winner One Battle After Another, will star. Writer and director Dylan Clark has described the film, which is based on his 2022 viral short of the same name, as a new angle on religious horror, though the studio has kept the plot under wraps. Clark, who co-wrote the script with Joe Russo, built a following making horror shorts for YouTube before landing his feature debut directing Lionsgate and Blumhouse Atomic Monster’s upcoming Blair Witch reboot, which he is shooting concurrently with setting up Portrait of God.
Raimi is producing through Ghost House Pictures alongside Rob Tapert and Romel Adam, while Peele produces through Monkeypaw Productions with Win Rosenfeld. Russo also produces, with Jose Cañas credited for Ghost House and Chris Rosati executive producing through NAT20 Films.
“We’re delighted to deepen our creative partnership with Dylan Clark, whose remarkable talent and distinctive perspective make him one of the most exciting emerging voices in horror,” Lionsgate film chief Adam Fogelson said in a statement.
Clark called the vote of confidence encouraging: “With Blair Witch, I’m experiencing firsthand the trust Lionsgate places in its filmmakers, and I couldn’t be happier that Portrait of God has found a home there as well.”
No release timeline has been announced for Portrait of God.
