Movies
Sophie Thatcher to Star in ‘The Babadook’ Director’s Sci-Fi Tale ‘The Girl Who Was Plugged In’
The Babadook and The Nightingale filmmaker Jennifer Kent has set the dystopian sci-fi film The Girl Who Was Plugged In as her third feature, Deadline reports.
Sophie Thatcher (Heretic, Companion) is set to star in dual lead roles.
Kent will direct from her own screenplay, adapted from James Tiptree, Jr.‘s Hugo Award-winning 1973 novella of the same name, which revolves around a woman who loses her soul to technology in an effort to be loved.
Per Deadline, “Thatcher plays disfigured, suicidal young protagonist P Burke who is hired by a mega tech corporation to virtually operate a beautiful but brainless ‘flesh body’ called Delphi, grown in a lab with the sole purpose of influencing the masses and selling products.
“As Delphi’s star rises, P Burke becomes enthralled by her and descends into a tech psychosis with disastrous consequences.”
Kent will produce alongside Cody Greenwood for Rush Films, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones & Fred Berger for Range Media Partners, Brandon Millan & Sam Wasson for Felix Farmer Productions, and Hualien Media International. Terris Ko and Range’s Dani Sommerhauser executive produce.
“I have never felt a more urgent need to make a film as much as I have with The Girl Who Was Plugged In,” said Kent. “Even though the original story was published over 50 years ago, its themes are now landing with a searing relevance, as if it was just written.”
The Girl Who Was Plugged In is slated to enter production in mid-November in Australia.
Goodfellas will launch international sales at next week’s Cannes film market. CAA Media Finance and Range Select co-rep US rights.
Thatcher can next be seen in Nicolas Winding Refn’s Her Private Hell, in theaters July 24, followed by the final season of “Yellowjackets,” currently in production for a late 2026 debut. She also recently signed on for the witch hunt thriller Cavendish.
Sunrise Films has announced the official North American release of William Bagley‘s horror comedy Hold the Fort, and it’s accompanied by an energetic new trailer.
Hold the Fort debuts on digital platforms on June 23.
In the film, “Lucas and Jenny think their life is finally coming together when the couple become homeowners. Little do they know that their new house comes with a big catch. Lucas and Jenny soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when they become trapped in a battle between their Homeowners Association and an onslaught of monsters from hell. The horror-comedy takes the timely concern of home-ownership and wraps this up in an entertaining action-packed thrill ride.“
Watch the new trailer below, which introduces one wild HOA gathering during an equinox. Things get bloody fast.
Chris Mayers (Adult Swim Yule Log), Haley Leary (“The Walking Dead”), Levi Burdick, and Julian Smith star.
William Bagley writes and directs, in addition to producing with Smith, Matt Dodd, Luke Williams, and Tim Reis (Adult Swim Yule Log).
Ahead of the release, Bagley said, “My goal with this film was to make a hilarious, fast-paced thrill ride while also telling a great story with heart. Hopefully, through all the blood, laughs, fights, and gags, you leave the film feeling inspired to tackle whatever life throws at you.“
Hold the Fort premiered at Fantasia last summer before going on to play FrightFest London, Toronto After Dark, and Beyond Fest.
I wrote in my review, “It’s an infectiously charming assemblage of jokes and monster vignettes bound together by a barebones plot with not much on its mind beyond delivering an entertaining time.”
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