Movies
Michael Biehn To Make Return to Action Cinema With Adam Wingard’s ‘Onslaught’
The cast of A24’s Onslaught from The Guest director Adam Wingard and writer Simon Barrett only continues to heat up. THR reports that The Terminator and Aliens star Michael Biehn is set to make his return to studio films with the gonzo actioner.
Reginald VelJohnson, remembered for his role in action classic Die Hard, and comedian Eric Wareheim (Tim & Eric) have also joined the cast.
The actors join previously announced cast members Drew Starkey, Dan Stevens, Blink Twice star Adria Arjona, and UFC Champion Alex “Poatan” Pereira, who is still in talks.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Onslaught is being described as “a gonzo action horror thriller.” Michael Biehn will play a leader of an elite group of mercenaries who try to reign in the threat. VelJohnson is playing a member of the mother’s trailer park community as is Wareheim.
Arjona stars as a mother who “falls back on a particular set of skills in order to protect her loved ones after she runs afoul of a threat that has escaped a secret military base. Pereira will play a character called The Butcher and bring his set of skills – including anaconda chokes and roundhouse kicks – to his meaty role.” As for Stevens? The actor will play a German scientist working on the experiments that escape, not unlike his role in this year’s Cuckoo. Pereira will play the central villain.
Producers include Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett for Ryder Picture Company (RPC) banner alongside A24, Alexander Black for Lyrical Media, Wingard and Jeremy Platt for Breakaway Civilization, and Simon Barrett. Deadline’s report also notes this afternoon, “Lyrical’s Jon Rosenberg and Natalie Sellers will serve as executive producers with A24.”
Adam Wingard’s directorial credits also include A Horrible Way to Die, V/H/S, V/H/S/2, and Blair Witch, while Simon Barrett scripted all of the above. Barrett recently made his feature directing debut with Séance, and he wrote the upcoming Azrael starring Samara Weaving.
Shooting begins in November in New Mexico, so expect to hear more about Onslaught soon. The casting news already indicates that the “gonzo action horror” won’t be hyperbole.
Before updating the video nasty Faces of Death, director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei explored the dangers of online life in tech-thriller Cam, their feature debut that was acquired by Netflix in 2018 after making waves on the festival circuit.
At the end of last year, the Netflix exclusive quietly departed from the streaming platform, left without another streaming home.
It’s not an isolated story; Mike Flanagan’s Hush also left streaming entirely for a period until it was finally picked up on both physical media and other streaming services.
While the tech-thriller currently isn’t available to watch on Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, or any other platforms, that’s not a problem for Cam thanks to a very cool move by Goldhaber: the director has made his breakout film accessible to watch online for free via his website.
As his site notes: “CAM is unfortunately not currently available to view on any platforms, so you can watch it here if you like :).“
No subscriptions or fees necessary, just hit play.
Cam follows Alice (Madeline Brewer), who works as an online cam girl obsessed with her ranking on the cam site. The higher her ranking goes, the more it draws unwanted attention, and Alice soon finds herself replaced on her own show with a doppelganger.
Written by Mazzei, a former camgirl, it uses the horror thriller premise to examine the life of a sex worker; Alice’s career ambition is directly at odds with the shame it brings to her family, and how she tries to spare them from it by keeping them in the dark. It only compounds her danger when the doppelganger enters the equation in Goldhaber’s engaging thriller.
For a deep dive into the treacherous world of Cam, listen to Horror Queers’ episode on it now.
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