Thirteen months ago, it was announced that Mark Romanek had signed on to direct the horror film Mother Land. There were eight years between Romanek’s first film One Hour Photo and his second feature Never Let Me Go, and it looked like Mother Land was going to be his third movie. Eleven years after Never Let Me Go. But plans have changed. Romanek has stepped away from Mother Land and has been replaced at the helm by genre regular Alexandre Aja. The project is now moving forward with Aja, and Deadline reports that Halle Berry (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) has signed on to star in the film.
Scripted by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby, Mother Land follows
a mother and her twin sons who have been tormented by an evil spirit for years. When one of the boys questions whether the evil is real, the family’s sacred bond is broken, and it becomes a fight for survival.
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The project is set up at Lionsgate, and the company will be presenting it to potential buyers at the Cannes film market later this month. Shawn Levy, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine of 21 Laps are producing Mother Land with Aja. Berry will executive produce alongside Holly Jeter.
Lionsgate’s Erin Westerman had this to say about Mother Land:
We’re so thrilled to be working again with Halle and Alex. Halle is a force on screen – she’s the perfect person to convey the psychological terror of this mother trying to protect her family. And who better than Alex to ratchet up the tension? Powerhouse producers 21 Laps are going to deliver an elevated thriller that will keep audiences on the edge of their seat.”
Mother Land isn’t expected to start filming until next year, so hopefully Aja and Berry will both remain attached until it’s ready to roll. Aja’s previous directing credits include High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Mirrors, Piranha 3D, Horns, The 9th Life of Louis Drax, Crawl, and Oxygen.
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