Attack the Block‘s John Boyega will executive produce UK fantasy horror A Spriggan from writer-director Keir Burrows (Anti Matter) and producer Josephine Rose (Slaughterhouse Rulez) of new outfit Bandit Country, reports Deadline. The Star Wars actor joins via his Upper Room Productions banner, through which he recently co-produced Pacific Rim: Uprising, alongside Legendary Pictures.
The film is a “creature feature” that follows a recently widowed mother who returns to her father’s isolated hotel only to find a sinister folklore presence haunting the land.
The crew includes two-time Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Neil Corbould and his company Neil Corbould Special Effects, which is handling special effects and creating the creature. Courbould is well known for his work on movies including Rogue One, Gravity and Gladiator. Production designer is Amanda McArthur (How to Build a Girl) and director of photography will be Burrows’ regular collaborator Gerry Vasbenter (Anti Matter).
In UK folklore, Spriggans were depicted as spirits related to the trolls of Scandinavia. They were often characterized as grotesquely ugly, wizened old men with large child-like heads. Although small, they were often considered to be the ghosts of giants, with the ability to swell to far greater size. The character has become the subject of a host of manga series in Japan.
There’s no word on if Boyega will star, but they are out to cast as of this writing.
