Since making her feature directorial debut with the 2010 comedy Africa United, Debs Paterson has done a whole lot of TV work, directing episodes of the shows Doc, Halo, Willow, The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself, A Discovery of Witches, Domina, For Life, Harlots, and Strike Back. Along the way, she was also at the helm of the documentary The Skywalker Legacy. Now, it has been announced that Paterson is set to make her second narrative feature film, a zombie action horror project called Zero Protocol, and Rebecca Hall of Godzilla vs. Kong has signed on to star in the film.
Scripted by by Dan Hall (The Silent Hour), Zero Protocol has the following synopsis: An NYPD commissioner battles to manage a city-wide zombie outbreak exploding in real time, only to discover that her teenage daughter is trapped in the middle of the red zone.
The film is coming our way from Andy Serkis and Jonathan Cavendish’s Imaginarium Productions. Anton is financing the film and handling worldwide rights, co-representing the U.S. rights with WME Independent. They will be launching sales at the Marche du Film. Imaginarium’s Will Tennant and Jonathan Cavendish are producing, with executive producers including Debs Paterson, Rebecca Hall, and Dan Hall, as well as Sebastien Raybaud and Callum Grant of Anton, plus Andy Serkis and Phil Robertson of Imaginarium. Production is expected to take place later this year.
Debs Paterson provided the following statement: “Zero Protocol is an incredibly exciting fusion of technical and emotional filmmaking. I’m so thrilled to be working with Imaginarium’s world class team and the truly extraordinary Rebecca Hall to bring Dan’s gripping script to life.” Producer Will Tennant added, “Dan has written an absolutely thrilling and terrifying story and we couldn’t ask for a greater director than Debs to bring together the script’s big set pieces with grounded emotional drama. We are delighted that Rebecca Hall has come on board – I couldn’t think of anyone better to be marshalling us to safety during a zombie apocalypse.“
Are you looking forward to seeing Rebecca Hall take the lead in a zombie action horror film? Share your thoughts on Zero Protocol by leaving a comment below.
