At one time, Watcher director Chloe Okuno was attached to direct the fourth entry in Netflix’s R.L. Stine-inspired Fear Street franchise – but while Fear Street: Prom Queen has made its way through production without her involvement (the movie ended up being directed by Matthew Palmer), Okuno has been busy getting another genre project set up. One that will reunite her with Watcher star Maika Monroe. This one is called Brides, and Deadline reports that it’s currently in pre-production, aiming to start filming in the Spring of 2025.
Scripted by Okuno, Brides draws inspiration from Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula. Set in 1960s Italy, it will show us what happens when Sally Bishop (Monroe) and her husband travel to a remote villa in the wake of Sally’s nervous breakdown. The villa’s owner, a mysterious count, takes a peculiar interest in Sally. But he gets far more than he anticipated when Sally’s feminist chaos is added to his perfect, violent Eden of vampire brides.
The project is described as being a “gothic, glamorous, and gory tale that will flip Bram Stoker’s narrative on its head, exploring the struggle between societal repression and carnal desire.”
Anthony Bregman and Stefanie Azpiazu are producing Brides for Likely Story. FilmNation Entertainment will be launching international sales at the upcoming American Film Market. UTA Independent Film Group represents the global and domestic rights.
Bregman provided the following statement: “Brides is set to redefine the horror genre with Choe Okuno’s unique blend of feminist themes and gory visuals. The script is dynamic and unsettling in all the best ways. Chloe always brings such dread and complexity to her characters, and we can’t wait to work with her and Maika to bring Sally to life or to un-death as the case may be.”
I enjoyed Watcher, so I look forward to seeing what Chloe Okuno and Maika Monroe will do with the vampire sub-genre. Does Brides sound interesting to you? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Monroe is a genre regular whose credits include Longlegs, God Is a Bullet, The Stranger, Villains, Tau, Independence Day: Resurgence, The 5th Wave, It Follows, The Guest, Bad Blood, and Flying Monkeys. She is attached to star in the long-awaited It Follows sequel They Follow, and recently signed on to star in the remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.