Dave Franco to direct The Rental, starring Dan Stevens & Alison Brie

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Actor Dave Franco is set to make his feature directorial debut, and even though he's likely best known for his appearances in more light-hearted movies like NEIGHBORS and 21 JUMP STREET the movie he's going to be directing is described as a "horror thriller".

Franco's film is titled THE RENTAL, and it's set to star Dan Stevens of THE GUEST, Sheila Vand of A GIRL WALKS HOME ALONE AT NIGHT, Jeremy Allen White of the Showtime series Shameless, and Alison Brie (pictured above) of the Netflix series GLOW. Franco and Brie are credited together on several projects, and also happen to be married.

Written by Franco and Joe Swanberg, THE RENTAL tells a character-driven story about 

two couples who rent a vacation home for what should be a celebratory weekend get-away.

That doesn't offer any hint of what the horror element might be, but there is a second synopsis that gives a better idea of what sort of movie this is. It says the story focuses on 

two couples who rent an Airbnb vacation home and begin to suspect that the owner of the home is spying on them. 

So it's something along the lines of 13 CAMERAS and 14 CAMERAS, but I'm sure the villain here won't be as disgusting as the fellow in those movies.

THE RENTAL is being fully financed by Black Bear Pictures. Black Bear's Ben Stillman and Teddy Schwarzman are producing the film alongside Swanberg, Chris Storer, and Ramona Films' Franco, Vince Jolivette, and Elizabeth Haggard. Sean Durkin and Black Bear's Michael Heimler serve as executive producers.

Filming will take place in Oregon and is scheduled to begin in late April.