EXCLUSIVE: Here in Cannes, 2AM, Elevation Pictures and HanWay Films have closed UK and U.S. pre-sales on Rapture, the medieval zombie horror we told you about last week, which is set to star Will Poulter (Midsommar), Kit Connor (Heartstopper) and Manu Ríos (Elite).
Independent Film Company (previously IFC Films) and Shudder have taken domestic rights in a deal brokered with Christine D’Souza Gelb for 2AM and Noah Segal for Elevation Pictures, along with CAA Media Finance Group and WME Independent.
The film, which is due to shoot later this year in Hungary, is being lined up for a U.S. theatrical release from Independent Film Company in 2026. Elevation will be releasing the film in Canada.
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Meanwhile, HanWay Films has closed a UK deal with True Brit in a deal brokered by Nicole Mackey for HanWay Films and Nick Manzi for True Brit.
The deals, which we understand between them are multi-million in dollars, have been closed here at Cannes (unlike — we’re told — the nice deal reported earlier today on The Hole).
It’s an intriguing premise and the type of project selling well in the market at the moment. Set in Medieval England in the year 1348, the story alights on Lansley Abbey, a remote stone monastery in Yorkshire, which houses ten monks bound by a life of strict routine and devotion. Their fragile peace is disrupted by the arrival of a messenger – a man with haunting news from the outside world who rapidly shows symptoms of a mystery illness. A virulent plague is spreading through the land: marked initially by a hemorrhagic fever, it turns its victims into “revenants” — restless, undead beings. As the contagion closes in, Lansley Abbey becomes a battleground: desperate outsiders beg for refuge while the infected threaten to overrun its walls. The monks are torn apart by a moral rift — between those who believe they must care for the sick and those who want to protect the centuries of knowledge safe-guarded by the monastery. As death is fully unleashed, so too is the brothers’ capacity for extraordinary acts of altruism and ruthless betrayal, forcing them to confront the ultimate question: what does it mean to be human?
The film marks the debut feature for playwright and director Jordan Tannahill. Producers are Elevation Pictures (Infinity Pool), 2AM (Past Lives) and Brookstreet Pictures (The Brutalist). Eli Arenson (Lamb) is attached as director of photography.
Poulter and Connor reunite after recently starring in Alex Garland’s Warfare. Spanish actor and singer Ríos also appeared in Pedro Almodovar’s Strange Way Of Life.
“We were instantly captivated by Jordan’s vision — it’s a bold, chilling vision that fuses historical drama with supernatural horror in a way we’ve never seen before, anchored by three of today’s most exciting actors,” said Independent Film Company’s Vice President of Acquisitions and Productions Ayo Kepher-Maat.
True Brit Entertainment founder & CEO, Zygi Kamasa, who previously released horror franchises including Saw and Jeepers Creepers for Lionsgate said: “At True Brit we’re always looking for new voices and are delighted to bring Jordan Tannahill, a London based Canadian writer with a track record of successful books and plays to the screen for his first feature. Rapture is a horror film so distinctive it will have audiences in UK and Ireland on the edge of their seats wanting more.”
