Eli Roth to direct Keanu Reeves in the psychological thriller Knock Knock

Eli Roth has not directed a movie since 2007. Well, technically he directed the Nazi film within a film in Quentin Tarantino‘s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, but that doesn’t count in my book. Later this year, we will get to see Roth’s cannibal horror flick THE GREEN INFERNO but now news is coming out that he will also be shooting another film he wrote in just a few months.

According to Deadline, Roth has written a thriller called KNOCK KNOCK and will have his biggest star to date in the lead role. Keanu Reeves will headline the movie alongside Ignacia Allamand, Colleen Camp, and Lorenza Izzo. The film will begin shooting in Chile next week.

Reeves will play a happily married family man who’s left along for the weekend. Two beautiful girls show up at his house, and turn his life upside down.

KNOCK KNOCK will be produced by the same team who financed and co-wrote THE GREEN INFERNO. It appears the script, financing, and backers all came together very quickly for the project which Roth shed some light on.

“I had a window before I promote Green Inferno, and I wanted to make a movie like Roman Polanski or Paul Verhoeven made when they were young, a classic psychosexual thriller that’s not a horror movie, but would have everyone on the edge of their seats. Getting Keanu is amazing, he’s a fine actor who is perfect for this. I feel I can have this movie ready for Toronto if I need to, and he’s catching a plane tomorrow and we’ll be fitting him for wardrobe right away.”

After years of writing and producing, this will be the first time Eli Roth has had two directorial projects so close together. He also has the long gestating THANKSGIVING movie in the pipeline as well as a project called ENDANGERED SPECIES. I like Roth a lot and hope that both KNOCK KNOCK and THE GREEN INFERNO live up to the hype.