Jason Bateman is planning to direct a film based on the Hasbro board game CLUE, but that project has proven to be too big for Bateman to tackle before he has to get back to work on the Netflix series Ozark, for which he recently won an Emmy for "Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series". So Bateman is putting CLUE on the backburner and focusing on directing a smaller project, a "contained thriller" called SHUT IN.
I wouldn't expect that title to stick, since we're just a few years out from a Naomi Watts movie that was called SHUT IN, but we'll see…
This SHUT IN is described as "an edgy thriller in the vein of PANIC ROOM", and centers on
a single mother who is held captive by her violent ex, with her two young children left at risk. She must do everything to protect them and survive.
Just like the Watts SHUT IN, this one started out as a spec script that was featured on the Black List. This script was written by Melanie Toast, who lives in a small Texas town with her husband and children. Cinestate's Dallas Sonnier took note of her script when he saw it on the Black List and acquired it with the intention of quickly self-financing it as an indie. Instead of going the indie route, SHUT IN is now set up at New Line Cinema.
Bateman and Sonnier will be producing the film with Michael Costigan, Roy Lee, and Dan Farah.
Primarily known for acting in comedies, Bateman has previously directed the films BAD WORDS and THE FAMILY FANG – comedies that he also starred in. The plan is for SHUT IN to start filming in the first quarter of 2020, and Bateman does not intend to star in the film.
Bateman also directed a couple episodes of the Stephen King series The Outsider, which is set to premiere on HBO on January 12th.