Keri Russell and Jesse Plemons star in del Toro-produced Antlers

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

BLADE franchise writer David S. Goyer and BLADE II director Guillermo del Toro are teaming up to produce a supernatural horror-thriller titled ANTLERS for Fox Searchlight. The film is set to be the genre debut of CRAZY HEART / BLACK MASS / OUT OF THE FURNACE / HOSTILES director Scott Cooper, and Cooper has found his first two cast members.

Keri Russell has signed on to star as 

a fourth-grade teacher who tries to help a troubled boy in her class, only to discover that he’s been hiding a nightmarish secret. Now something terrifying is coming for the boy, and she has to protect him.

Joining her in the cast in an unspecified role is Jesse Plemons, who worked with Cooper on BLACK MASS and HOSTILES.

Channel Zero creator Nick Antosca wrote the screenplay for ANTLERS with Henry Chaisson, based on Antosca's short story The Quiet Boy. Cooper did some revisions when he came on board the project.

Cooper has said that he is drawing inspiration from THE EXORCIST, HALLOWEEN, and Andrei Tarkovsky's STALKER as he prepares to go into production on ANTLERS. This all sounds very promising to me, and Russell and Plemons are great actors to have in any cast.

Miles Dale, who produced del Toro's Best Picture winner THE SHAPE OF WATER, is producing ANTLERS alongside del Toro and Goyer.

We'll keep you updated on this one as it continues to move forward.