By MICHAEL GINGOLD
The leads have been named for the scream streamer’s politically tinged chiller.
Shudder has announced that Stephanie Beatriz (pictured, star of the hit London stage production 2:22: A GHOST STORY) and Paul Wesley (THE VAMPIRE DIARIES) will star in HISTORY OF EVIL, and serve as executive producers as well. The movie is written and will be directed by Iranian-American filmmaker Bo Mirhosseni, and it’s being produced by XYZ Films, Jake Siegel and Two & Two Pictures, the latter run by UNDER THE SHADOW’s Babak Anvari and Lucan Toh. The synopsis: “In the film, a family on the run from a corrupt state takes refuge in a safe house with an evil past–a terrifying last stop on a near-future Underground Railroad.”
“We are thrilled to be working with XYZ and Two & Two Pictures as we continue to spotlight new and emerging storytellers within this genre, and Bo’s thrilling film debut is no exception,” says Emily Gotto, VP of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions for Shudder. “We are excited to have such talents as Stephanie and Paul on board to bring these dynamic characters to life and look forward to sharing the film with Shudder members.”
Anvari and Toh say, “We are delighted to be working with Bo, Stephanie and Paul on this deeply terrifying and unique horror film, and honored to have found a home at Shudder, whose cutting-edge platform has continues to push genre films forward. Everyone on this team has demonstrated a commitment to bringing timely and entertaining stories to the world, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with them.”
