NEON has bought the U.S. rights to the new Jeff Nichols film as production on “King Snake” is heating up in Arkansas, and the project stars Margaret Qualley (“The Substance”), Michael Shannon (“The Shape of Water”), and Drew Starkey (“Hellraiser”).
The exciting update on “King Snake” comes to us from a report from Variety. Described as a Southern gothic horror tale, the movie was fully financed by FilmNation Entertainment, as they’re overseeing the worldwide sales at the Cannes Film Market, and seeking distribution partners for other markets outside of the United States.
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A synopsis for Nichol’s rural horror flick that has already started filming this month, as mentioned by the outlet:
“‘King Snake’ follows a young couple (played by Qualley and Starkey) who inherit an Arkansas farm where they face real-world problems and supernatural forces, battling physical and metaphysical demons while confronting the property’s dark legacy.”
Nichols also produces “King Snake” alongside his Tri-State Pictures partners Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Sarah Green, in association with Range Media Partners. FilmNation’s Stacey Snider and Glen Basner are listed as executive producers on the film as well.
His last directorial effort was the 2023 period motorcycle gang drama “The Bikerriders.” This sees the acclaimed filmmaker reunite with Shannon (who appeared in “Bikerriders”) after also working together on “Midnight Special,” “Take Shelter,” and “Shotgun Stories.” They once nearly rebooted the James Cann-led “Alien Nation” for 20th Century before the sci-fi buddy cop flick eventually was placed into a development limbo.
This big acquisition news comes as NEON is aiming to make a major splash at the Cannes Film Festival this month with films set to debut there such as James Gray‘s “Paper Tiger,” Arthur Harari‘s “The Unknown,” Cristian Mungiu‘s “Fjord,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi‘s “All of a Sudden,” Hirokazu Koreeda‘s “Sheep in the Box,” Na Hong-Jin‘s “Hope,” Nicolas Winding Refn‘s “Her Private Hell” and more.
“King Snake” sounds like it could be more horror-specific than something like “Take Shelter,” but that remains to be seen. With NEON’s involvement, there will likely be a rather large award season push for the movie (potentially making a debut at next year’s film festival circuit, if they complete it in time).
- Christopher Marc
- Christopher Marc
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- Christopher Marc
