Simon Rex (Scary Movie 3-5, Red Rocket) has signed on to star in the thriller Don’t Get Up!, Deadline has learned.
Set during an Oklahoma storm, Rex stars as Barry, an ordinary man whose night spirals into a nightmare when he discovers the motel toilet he is sitting on has been rigged with a deadly explosive device. A mysterious caller informs Barry that he is sitting on the trigger: If he stands up, he dies. To survive, he must pay $220,000 before the countdown reaches zero.
Cut off from the world by catastrophic flooding, with nothing but his phone and his wits, Barry is forced into a terrifying psychological battle with the unseen bomb maker who has targeted him for an unknown reason, while an FBI agent races to uncover the truth.
As every desperate attempt to escape only worsens his situation, Barry realizes the attack is connected to a devastating secret from his past. As the clock ticks down in real time, Barry must confront his guilt, reconnect with the family he abandoned and somehow survive the night without ever standing up.
Production is set to begin in November, with Shaun Higton directing from a script he co-wrote with brother Andrew Adam Higton.
The Higton brothers will produce with Timur Bekmambetov, Maria Zatulovskaya, & Adam Sidman for Bazelevs (Searching, Unfriended) and John Einar Hagen (Polaroid) for Norsecode.
Celsius Entertainment will introduce Don’t Get Up! to buyers at this week’s Cannes film market.