Writer/Director Chris Weitz and John Cho have a history going back to the original “American Pie” film in 1999. They team up next for the horror film “They Listen,” their eleventh collaboration overall.
Deadline reports that production for the film is already underway in LA. Katherine Waterston co-stars with Cho in the Sony–Blumhouse co-production. Plot details are under wraps, but Cho’s had success in low-budget horror before. The Cho thriller “Searching” was a late-summer box-office smash in 2017, grossing $75 million worldwide of an $880,000 total budget.
Cho received an Independent Spirit Award nod for Best Male Lead for his work in “Searching.” Recent work for the actor includes the Amazon Studios father-daughter dramedy “Don’t Make Me Go” and Netflix‘s live-action “Cowboy Bebop” series. Best known for his roles in the “Harold & Kumar” and “Star Trek” franchise, Cho got his start in Weitz’s first “American Pie” film, where the pair first met.
Meanwhile, Waterston has a ton of exciting projects on the way soon. First, she has a supporting role in Damien Chazelle‘s upcoming old Hollywood epic “Babylon,” in theaters next weekend. She also stars in the upcoming Tye Sheridan thriller “Black Flies” with Sean Penn. On the TV front, she stars in the forthcoming second season of HBO‘s “Perry Mason,” premiering on March 6.
As previously noted, Weitz’s first Hollywood hit was 1999’s “American Pie,” which he co-directed with his brother Paul Weitz. They also co-wrote “Antz” together and adapted/co-directed 2002’s “About A Boy.” Solo directing efforts for Weitz include 2007’s “The Golden Compass,” 2009’s “New Moon” from the “Twilight” franchise, and 2011’s “A Better Life.” Recent writing credits for Weitz include Disney‘s “Pinocchio” from this year and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
Stay tuned for more details about “They Listen,” but with its planned late-summer wide release, Weitz & co. expect they may have a hit on their hands.