Bad Apples: Saoirse Ronan holds a child captive in satirical thriller

Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) has signed on to star in Bad Apples, a project that’s described as “a biting satirical comedy with thriller elements”. The film will mark the English language debut of Swedish filmmaker Jonatan Etzler (One More Time) and is set to start filming in the UK in the spring of 2024. Bad Apples is being made under an Equity contract, so it will still be able to go into production even if the Screen Actors Guild isn’t over by then… although we hope it will be.

Scripted by Jess O’Kane, Bad Apples is based on the Rasmus Lindgren novel De Oönskade. It will tell the story of Maria (Ronan), a primary school teacher doing her best to inspire a class of 10-year-olds but unable to because of one unruly and chaotic student. With her career in question and the child’s behavior spiraling, she makes a series of bad decisions that lead to her accidentally taking and locking this “bad apple” in her home. Maria tries desperately to backtrack, but when the class starts flourishing and the staff and parents are thrilled with the improvement, she finds herself in a very complicated predicament.

Oskar Pimlott is producing for Pulse Films, the company that has been behind films like Pig, American Honey, and Mogul Mowgli. Judy Counihan and Jamie Hall of Pulse Films serve as executive producers alongside Philip Knatchbull, Marc Smit, Paul Wiegard, and Kristian Brodie of CCM, as well as Paul Grindey and Charles Moore of Viewfinder Film.

Pimlott provided Deadline with the following statement: “Jonatan has an unparalleled ability to create hilarious and horrifying cinema from the uncomfortable truths of human nature. We couldn’t be more excited that his unique perspective is going to collide with the extraordinary depth and talent of Saoirse Ronan in this special film.“

HanWay Films is launching worldwide sales at the American Film Market. The company’s CEO Gabrielle Stewart said, “We have been following with much excitement the development of this brilliant screenplay with one of the most interesting directors to be emerging from Scandinavia. This is such a juicy part for Saoirse Ronan who will bring to life all the drama, the comedy and the brutal tension of this unique role. Pulse are producers making cutting edge cinema and we are thrilled to be working with them.“

How does Bad Apples sound to you? Are you interested in seeing Saoirse Ronan play a child abductor in a satirical thriller? Share your thoughts on this one by leaving a comment below.