Two weeks ago, we heard that Longlegs, the latest horror project from The Blackcoat’s Daughter (a.k.a. February), I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, and Gretel & Hansel director Osgood Perkins, has racked up distribution deals with multiple companies around the world. Now Deadline has revealed the names of two actors who have joined previously announced leads Nicolas Cage (Prisoners of the Ghostland) and Maika Monroe (It Follows) in the cast: they are Alicia Witt (Urban Legend) and Blair Underwood (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D). Details on the characters Witt and Underwood are playing in the movie have not been shared.
The story Perkins wrote for Longlegs is said to be “in the vein of classic Hollywood psychological thrillers.” Monroe is taking on the role of FBI Agent Lee Harker, a gifted new recruit assigned to the unsolved case of an elusive serial killer (Cage). As the case takes complex turns, unearthing evidence of the occult, Harker discovers a personal connection to the merciless killer and must race against time to stop him before he claims the lives of another innocent family.
Cage has said the film is about “a character who’s hearing voices. It’s kind of like a possessed Geppetto, who’s making these dolls”. Production is currently underway in Vancouver, Canada. Cage is producing Longlegs through his company Saturn Films, which recently had success with The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent and Pig. Also producing are Dan Kagan, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Dave Caplan, and Chris Ferguson. Jason Cloth and Fred Berger of Automatik serve as executive producers with John Friedberg of Black Bear International.
In addition to directing the films mentioned at the top of this article, Perkins directed an episode of the recent revival of The Twilight Zone. He has also worked on the screenplays for the thriller Removal, the crime thriller Cold Comes the Night, and the horror film The Girl in the Photographs.
Are you interested in Longlegs? What do you think about Alicia Witt and Blair Underwood joining Nicolas Cage and Maika Monroe in the cast? Let us know by leaving a comment below. I haven’t really been a fan of Perkins’ movies, but I’ve been sold on Longlegs ever since we heard that Cage had signed on.