Last year, Netflix surprised the world by snagging up the rights to J.J. Abrams' new CLOVERFIELD movie THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX and unleashing it the night of the Super Bowl. It was a hell of a publicity stunt and today we have word via Collider that the streaming giant has just acquired the rights to another anticipated horror flick. This time, the film in question is CITADEL and SINISTER II director Ciarán Foy‘s ELI starring Lili Taylor (THE CONJURING), Kelly Reilly (10X10), Max Martini (FIFTY SHADES OF GREY) and Sadie Sink (STRANGER THINGS 2).
Like the above-mentioned THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX, Paramount Pictures originally held the rights to the film ELI before giving them over to Netflix. The script is credited to David Chirchirillo, Ian Goldberg and Richard Naing. Charlie Shotwell stars as the title character:
A young boy plagued by an unknown, debilitating illness that requires him to live completely sealed off from the outside world. After exhausting every option, his parents put their trust—and Eli’s life—in the hands of a doctor whose experimental treatments may be the boy’s last hope. As Eli undergoes the intense process that could potentially cure him, he begins to be haunted by experiences that force him to question who he can trust.
Producer Trevor Macy (GERALD'S GAME, THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE) said:
I’ve had a lot of really good experiences with genre material on Netflix and I’m really proud for them to have this movie.
Producer John Zaozirny:
We’re super excited to be working with Netflix and know they’ll make excellent partners. I can’t wait for everyone to see what a great film Ciarán has made and the amazing performances of the actors.
Macy produced the film via his Intrepid Pictures banner along with Zaozirny, while Matt Alvarez executive produced alongside Melinda Nishioka and Jenny Hinkey. I'm looking forward to this new film, and you should be too. With the power behind the camera being what it is, I can't imagine ELI will be a waste of time. In fact, the movie made our Top 10 Most Anticipated Genre Flicks of Winter 2019! Netflix will release the film in 2019.