Academy Award nominee Vera Farmiga, who recently wrapped up her time playing paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring franchise, is returning to supernatural horror with Inferno, a new thriller centered on a secret division of Scotland Yard that investigates the occult.
Farmiga is set to star in and executive produce the film, which was written and will be directed by Bryan Hill, whose credits include Ash vs. Evil Dead and Titans. ZQ Entertainment and Adrian Askarieh’s Prime Universe Films are producing, while Manifest Pictures will handle international sales and introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market. CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group will co-represent domestic rights.
Based on the long-rumored special division of Britain’s Scotland Yard that investigates the occult, Farmiga will portray a former detective whose pursuit of a killer forces her back into the “Black Branch” and on the trail of the paranormal terror she thought she’d escaped.
Inferno marks Farmiga’s return to the supernatural horror genre since leading The Conjuring: Last Rites, which grossed half a billion dollars worldwide. Her other genre credits include Orphan, Joshua, and the television series Bates Motel. Her horror filmography has generated more than $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office. Farmiga has also earned acclaim for her work outside the horror genre, including roles in Martin Scorsese’s The Departed and Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air. The latter earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
The film is scheduled to begin production in late spring.
“Great horror films challenge what we believe about the world. With Inferno, I want to create a terrifying mystery that stays with audiences long after the credits roll. Vera Farmiga is an extraordinary actor whose intelligence, emotional depth, and commanding presence make her the perfect person to lead us into and through that darkness,” said director Bryan Hill.
“Inferno is a sophisticated supernatural thriller that marries the investigative propulsion of a serial killer procedural with the visceral terror of possession horror,” said Yvette Zhuang, co-CEO of Manifest Pictures.
“We were immediately sucked into Hill’s script, which has unnerving procedural tension of Manhunter and the emotional, performance-driven horror of The Exorcist or Longlegs,” added Zach Glueck, co-CEO of Manifest Pictures. “Hill’s work collaborating with incredible directors from Ryan Coogler to Sam Raimi, and his experience on shows like HBO’s Titans, has prepared him for his role as a multi-hyphenate creator.”
Hill’s first feature film, Archangel, is currently in post-production. The project is produced by Image Nation, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider’s Spooky Pictures, and Hill’s Kevlar Creative.
In addition to his film and television work, Hill has written for graphic novels and video games. His screenwriting credits include Bitter Root, The Purgatory Game, and Universal’s upcoming Prince biopic, which is being produced by Ryan Coogler. His comics work includes American Carnage, Chariot, Blade: Evil Against Evil, and Batman and the Outsiders.
With Farmiga returning to the genre and a premise combining a serial killer investigation with supernatural horror, Inferno sounds like an interesting project. Are you looking forward to seeing how this one turns out? Let us know by leaving a comment below.