We might not be seeing many casting announcements for a while, as the Screen Actors Guild has joined the Writers Guild on strike – but right before the strike began, it was announced (via Deadline) that child actor Alix West Lefler had joined the cast of the psychological thriller Speak No Evil, which Universal Pictures will be giving a theatrical release on August 9, 2024. Filming on Speak No Evil began in late May and has been taking place in Croatia and the UK, but it’s not clear whether or not production wrapped before the strike began.
James McAvoy is reteaming with his Split and Glass producers at Blumhouse for this project, which also stars Mackenzie Davis (Terminator: Dark Fate) and Scoot McNairy (Argo).
Lefler’s previous credits include nine episodes of Riverdale, where she played Juniper, and the film The Good Nurse. Also on her filmography are Chateau Christmas, Cranberry Christmas, Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas, and Fishing for Love, plus episodes of Resident Alien, Siren, and The Good Doctor (which has nothing to do with The Good Nurse). Her character in Speak No Evil is Agnes, the daughter of Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy).
James Watkins, whose previous credits include Eden Lake and The Woman in Black, will be writing and directing the film, which will center on a family who takes a dream holiday to an idyllic country house, only to have the vacation turn into a psychological nightmare. Speak No Evil is a remake of a 2022 Danish film called Gæsterne, which was directed by Christian Tafdrup. The director wrote the screenplay for the film with his brother Mads Tafdrup. Gæsterne was nominated for eleven Danish Film Awards, which are the equivalent to what the Oscars are in the United States. That film had the following synopsis: A Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on a holiday. What was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts unraveling as the Danes try to stay polite in the face of unpleasantness. And if you’re interested in checking it out, it’s on the Shudder streaming service under the title Speak No Evil.
Blumhouse founder Jason Blum is producing the Speak No Evil remake. Christian Tafdrup serves as executive producer alongside Paul Ritchie, Jacob Jarek, and Bea Sequeira.
Have you watched Gæsterne / the original Speak No Evil? If so, are you interested in seeing a Blumhouse remake that stars James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, and Alix West Lefler? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
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