“Lurker,” one of the buzzier titles to debut at Sundance this year, just had its release in theaters late last month. Now, Deadline reports via the TIFF market, two of that film’s stars will lead another psychological thriller executive producer by the late David Lynch.
Archie Madekwe and Havana Rose Liu will star in “Hyena,” which, based on it synopsis, sounds like a gnarly, horror-tinged riff on Pier Paolo Pasolini‘s “Theorema.” Here’s a brief synopsis for the film out of Toronto:
In Hyena, Genevieve (Rose Liu) brings her enigmatic new boyfriend, Alexei (Madekwe), to her seemingly idyllic family home. Her family tries to be welcoming – until he begins psychologically hunting them, exposing secrets and forcing them to confront their buried desires and hypocrisies. As the family unravels, Genevieve must summon the courage to save her broken family – and herself – but not without a cost.
Scott Coffey, who starred in several Lynch projects including “Wild At Heart,” “Lost Highway,” “Mulholland Drive,” and the web series “Rabbits,” will direct the thriller, and plans to start shooting the film later this year. Lynch also helped Coffey develop the idea for “Hyena,” so fans of the director may be curious to see how much of Lynch’s touch may be on this project. “Hyena” is one of a few posthumous film credit for Lynch, the other two being executive producer credits on “The Happy Worker,” a film that debuted at Locarno earlier this year, and the thriller “A Fall From Grace,” written by Lynch’s daughter, Jennifer.
Here’s a press statement from Coffey about “Hyena”: “”Hyena” is a very personal story for me. True horror is psychological—sometimes the most terrifying monsters are the ones across from you at the dinner table. I can’t wait to work with Havana Rose Liu and Archie Madekwe, two of the most magnetic and fearless young actors today.”
Audiences will recognize Madekwe from recent films like “Saltburn” and “Midsommar,” and “Beau Is Afraid.” Meanwhile, Rose Liu had a lead role in the 2023 comedy “Bottoms,” and a significant one in Jesse Eisenberg‘s upcoming musical comedy at A24. The actress also stars in two other upcoming films: “Power Ballad,” another musical comedy, and the thriller “Tuner.”
Stay tuned for more details on “Hyena” after it hits production.
