Gillian Jacobs signs to star in Amblin horror movie Larry

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

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A few years ago, Marcus Dunstan was set to direct a HALLOWEEN sequel called HALLOWEEN RETURNS, and mentioned that he would like to include actress Gillian Jacobs in the cast. That project soon fell apart and we're getting a completely different HALLOWEEN movie next month, but Jacobs has gotten a prominent role in a genre project after all – she has signed on to star in the Amblin horror film LARRY.

A feature expansion of a short film made by writer/director Jacob Chase, LARRY tells the story of 

a troubled young boy and his family who become the target of a terrifying monster that materializes through electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. 

The young boy in question will be played by Azhy Robertson, and it's said that the film will largely focus on the interactions between Jacobs and Robertson's characters, similar to the pairing of Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment in THE SIXTH SENSE

What really gets me interested in this project is the fact that it's meant to "harken back to early Amblin movies". The tone and style of '80s Amblin films like E.T., GREMLINS, THE GOONIES, and BACK TO THE FUTURE was really something special. LARRY is also being compared to POLTERGEIST and MAMA.

Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona of The Picture Company are producing the film, with production set to begin in Toronto on October 2nd.

Jacobs is primarily known for working in comedy (her credits include the Judd Apatow series Love and Dan Harmon's Community), so it will be interesting to see her as a horror heroine.

Source: THR

About the Author

Cody is a news editor and film critic, focused on the horror arm of JoBlo.com, and writes scripts for videos that are released through the JoBlo Originals and JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channels. In his spare time, he's a globe-trotting digital nomad, runs a personal blog called Life Between Frames, and writes novels and screenplays.