After starring in the comedy Vacation Friends and its upcoming sequel Honeymoon Friends for the Hulu streaming service, Lil Rel Howery has taken the lead into another Hulu Original: the sci-fi horror movie The Mill. It’s said that The Mill is largely a one-man show, but Scoot McNairy (Monsters), Pat Healy (Station 19) and Karen Obilom (House Party) are also in the cast.
Directed by Sean King O’Grady (We Need to Do Something) from a screenplay by Jeffrey David Thomas (All American: Homecoming), The Mill sees Howery playing the role of a white-collar businessman who mysteriously wakes up in an open-air prison cell containing only an old grist mill. Forced to work as a beast of burden to stay alive, he must find a way to escape before the birth of his child. An image of Howery’s character in the cell can be seen at the bottom of this article, courtesy of Deadline.
The film is being produced by Howery and O’Grady, alongside Josh Feldman, and Jesse Ford. Barbara and Brooke Goldner of Altar Rock Pictures serve as executive producers with David Worthen Brooks, Arbi Pedrossian, and Jenna Cavelle of 20th Digital Studio.
Shot in New Jersey, The Mill has already wrapped production. It will be released on Hulu in the United States and on Disney+ internationally sometime later this year.
In addition to Vacation Friends and Honeymoon Friends, Howery’s acting credits include roles in Get Out, Uncle Drew, Tag, Bird Box, Brittany Runs a Marathon, Good Boys, Judas and the Black Messiah, Bad Trip, Fatherhood, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Free Guy, National Champions, Bromates, Spin Me Round, I Love My Dad, Deep Water, and Poker Face. With his work on The Mill finished, he’s now in production on an action comedy called Code 3. Howery is best known for his comedic performances, so it will be interesting to see him carry a sci-fi horror project almost entirely on his own.
How does The Mill sound do you? Is this something you’d be interested in watching when it reaches Hulu? Share your thoughts on this project by leaving a comment below.