Please Don’t Feed the Children: Vernon Davis, former NFL player, joins Destry Allyn Spielberg horror film

During his NFL career, Vernon Davis played as a tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, the Denver Broncos, and the Washington Redskins. Since retiring on the day of the 2020 Super Bowl, he has racked up multiple acting credits, including playing a serial killer in the recently released thriller The Ritual Killer. Now Deadline reports that Davis has landed a role in the horror film Please Don’t Feed the Children, which will serve as the feature directorial debut of Destry Allyn Spielberg – a daughter of Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw.

Please Don’t Feed the Children has secured a SAG interim agreement that will allow it to film during the ongoing Screen Actors Guild strike.

Scripted by Paul Bertino, the film has the following synopsis: After a viral outbreak ravaged the country’s adult population, a group of orphans heads south in search of a new life… only to find themselves at the mercy of a deranged woman harboring a dangerous secret.

Davis joins a cast that includes Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey), Zoe Colletti (Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), Regan Aliyah (XO Kitty), and Andrew Liner (Vampire Academy). He provided the following statement: “I’ve been very fortunate to work with some incredible people early in my acting career, and this is no different. I’m beyond excited to be part of Destry’s directorial debut, as well as the opportunity to share the screen with such a talented and inspirational cast.“

Destry Allyn Spielberg previously won Best Thriller at the City of Angels Women’s Film Festival in 2022 for her short film Let Me Go the Right Way. She wrote the script for that one with Owen King (yep, a son of Stephen King), crafting the story of a young veteran whose sense of reality is crumbling and the psychiatrist who treats him. Before Please Don’t Feed the Children started moving ahead as her first feature, it was announced that she was going to be directing an action film called Four Assassins (and a Funeral), which was described as being like “The Kingsman meets Knives Out meets Succession“. She is expected to circle back to Four Assassins (and a Funeral) after Please Don’t Feed the Children is finished.

Spielberg had this to say about being hired to direct the film: “I am so grateful to have the opportunity to bring this story to the screen with such a collaborative and inspirational team. This picture is so much more than just a horror film. It’s a dream come true to work with a talent such as Michelle Dockery. I am excited to elevate the genre with our incredible cast and crew.“

Please Don’t Feed the Children is being produced by Jason Dubin through his company Perry Street Films, as well as Josh Kesselman and Michael Hagerty.

Does Please Don’t Feed the Children sound interesting to you? What do you think of Vernon Davis joining the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below.