Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Jessica Sula and Haley Lu Richardson have joined James McAvoy in M. Night Shyamalan’s next thriller.
Joy and Buckley are signing on for lead roles opposite McAvoy, while Sula and Richardson will round out the cast in supporting roles.
Shyamalan will write, direct and produce along with Jason Blum.
As with any Shyamalan project, plot details are under lock and key, but the film will likely include elements of the supernatural. Given Blum’s involvement, the movie’s budget will be relatively small, which would be more on par with Shyamalan’s “The Visit,” which overperformed at the box office, bringing in $83.1 million worldwide.
Marc Bienstock will also produce, while Ashwin Rajan and Steven Schneider are on board as exec producers. Production is expected to start this November in Philadelphia. The film is not currently set up at a studio.
Taylor-Joy’s break-out performance in “The Witch” earned her rave reviews at Sundance and this would mark her first major role following the film’s premiere earlier this year. She also is set to star opposite Shea Whigham in “Hunstville” and will co-star with Kate Mara in “Morgan.” She is repped by Troika.
Buckley had previously worked with Shyamalan on “The Happening” and past credits include “Pretty Little Liars,” “The Leftovers” and “Five Time Champion.” She is repped by Stewart Talent and Parseghian Planco.
The pic will mark Sula’s first starring role in a feature film having previously starred in the British TV show “Skins.” She is repped by Gersh and Waring and McKenna.
Richardson caught the eye of many execs following her scene-stealing role in the Sundance dramedy “The Bronze.” She is repped by Gersh, 3 Arts and Coast to Coast Talent.
At the edge of an expansive barren valley, all that remains of The Wallace Farm for Wayward Youth is a few hollowed-out husks of buildings. Seventeen- year-old Kendal (Haley Lu Richardson) can barely recall when the Oregon valley was still lush. It’s been a decade since the last rainfall, and society at large has dried up and blown away. Kendal and the few others that remain barely scrape by while dreaming of escape.
When a greedy water baron lays claim to what little of the precious resource remains underground, Kendal must decide whether to run and hide or bravely fight for the few cherished people and things she has left. Co-starring Booboo Stewart (The Twilight Saga), Max Charles (The Amazing Spider-Man, Mr. Peabody & Sherman) and genre veteran Barbara Crampton (You’re Next, Re-Animator), THE LAST SURVIVORS is a suspenseful look at a futuristic world where only the most resourceful survive.
