Ben Wheatley has been a busy man during the current pandemic. Not only did he put the finishing touches on his recent Netflix thriller, “Rebecca,” but he’s also prepping work for his action film, “Tomb Raider 2.” But that’s not all. As he revealed just a couple of weeks ago, Wheatley also found time to write and produce an entire horror feature during the pandemic. And now, we have more information about the film, titled “In the Earth.”
According to Deadline, Wheatley’s previously-untitled film is actually called “In the Earth” and stars Joel Fry (“Yesterday”), Ellora Torchia (“Midsommar”), Hayley Squires (“I, Daniel Blake”), and Reece Shearsmith. And with the title comes a description of the plot. “In the Earth” follows the story of the world desperately on the hunt for a cure to a virus. And as the world attempts to figure out how to stop this disastrous illness, a park scout and a scientist venture into the woods on a routine equipment run but soon their journey takes a dark turn as the forest comes to life around them.
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As mentioned, the filming of “In the Earth” took place entirely during the current, real-life pandemic that the Earth is facing. Wheatley teased the project recently when discussing the release of his new film “Rebecca” on Netflix. With the lockdown taking effect, Wheatley, like other filmmakers, took it as an opportunity to work on something completely new and different.
And after “In the Earth,” it’s reported that he’s likely to begin work on “Tomb Raider 2” sometime in early 2021. In addition to that highly-anticipated sequel, Wheatley has also been named the director of “The Meg 2,” marking back-to-back sequels for the eclectic filmmaker.
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A release date hasn’t been revealed for “In the Earth,” but NEON has purchased the rights to distribute in the US. The international distribution strategy has yet to be revealed. But with Wheatly on board, and the timeliness of the story, it’s likely we’ll see this film sooner rather than later.
