Zoe Kazan to topline “There Are Monsters” horror

PanARMENIAN.Net - Zoe Kazan (“Ruby Sparks”) is set to star in “There Are Monsters,” a new horror film from “The Strangers” writer-director Bryan Bertino that will be distributed in the U.S. by A24, it was announced Tuesday by Atlas Independent and Unbroken Pictures, TheWrap reports.

Production will start this summer in Ottawa, Canada, and Embankment Films will begin selling the feature to international territories at the Cannes Film Festival.

“There Are Monsters” follows a mother (Kazan) and her terrified young daughter Lizzie who are trapped and tormented by a merciless creature. In the end, only a mother’s protective love, her most primal instinct, can save them.

William Green and Aaron Ginsburg of Atlas Independent will produce with Adrienne Biddle of Unbroken Pictures. Atlas Entertainment’s Richard Suckle will be executive producing alongside Sonny Mallhi.

UTA Independent Film Group brokered the A24 and Embankment deals on behalf of the producers.

Bertino, who previously wrote and directed the $85 million-grossing film “The Strangers,” is represented by UTA, which also reps Kazan along with Washington Square Films.

Atlas Independent is comprised of a hands-on team of producers working under the umbrella of Charles Roven‘s Atlas Entertainment. Led by Green, the company produces movies with budgets of $10 million or less, betting on the potential high profit margins of smaller films with commercial appeal. The company works in tandem with filmmakers to help package and secure financing for their modestly sized projects.

Atlas Independent has produced five movies since its inception in 2012. Most recently, Atlas Independent premiered William Monahan‘s “Mojave,” which A24 bought following its premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. The film stars Garrett Hedlund and Oscar Isaac. Completing post-production is Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego’s “The Hollow Point,” a crime thriller starring Patrick Wilson, Ian McShane & John Leguizamo. Atlas Independent’s previous films include “Revenge For Jolly!” starring Isaac, the British crime caper “Get Lucky” and Lopez-Gallego’s “Open Grave” starring Sharlto Copley.

Unbroken Pictures is a partnership between Bertino and Biddle. The company was formed to focus on quality and original storytelling inside the horror genre. They’ve produced several movies since the company’s inception including Akiva Goldsman‘s upcoming “Stephanie” starring Frank Grillo and Anna Torv, as well as “February,” which stars Emma Roberts and Kiernan Shipka.