Barbarian’s Georgina Campbell has joined Ishana Night Shyamalan’s The Watchers, per The Hollywood Reporter. News of Campbell’s casting comes just one day after it was announced that Dakota Fanning would start in the supernatural thriller. The feature marks Night Shyamalan’s directorial debut; she is the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan, whose film credits include The Sixth Sense, Signs, and this year’s Knock at the Cabin. The film is based on a novel of the same name by A.M. Shine and was adapted by Ishana Night Shyamalan. The film landed at New Line following a bidding war.
According to the film’s official synopsis, The Watchers “follows Mina, a 28-year-old artist, as she gets stranded in an extensive, immaculate forest in western Ireland. After finding shelter, she becomes trapped alongside three strangers, stalked by mysterious creatures each night.” Fanning stars as Mina, while Campbell appears as one of the three strangers. No further casting details have been announced.
M. Night Shyamalan and Ashwin Rajan will serve as producers under Blinding Edge Pictures. Nimitt Mankad will also produce through Inimitable Pictures. Jo Homewood and Stephen Dembitzer serve as executive producers. The Watchers is set to begin filming in Ireland this summer, and New Line has scheduled its theatrical release for June 7, 2024.
Campbell is a BAFTA award-winning actress (for her role in BBC’s Murdered by My Boyfriend) and has appeared in series including Broadchurch, Black Mirror, Suspicion, and Krypton. Following her role in last year’s horror hit Barbarian, Campbell gained critical and audience praise.
Related: A Deeper Look at the Strange Career of M. Night Shyamalan
Georgina Campbell is a Modern Day Scream Queen
20th Century Studios
Georgina Campbell gained international recognition when she starred in Zach Cregger’s directorial debut Barbarian. She starred as Tess, a woman who arrives at her Air BnB the night before a job interview to find that it has been double booked and is being occupied by an unknown man. As it is late, the two agree to stay in the home overnight and resolve the issue in the morning. However, things become apparent quickly that something very, very strange is happening inside the house.
The film was met positively by audiences and critics who praised Cregger for his direction and screenplay and the film’s stars for their performances. Barbarian stars Campbell, Bill Skarsgård, Justin Long, Matthew Patrick Davis, Richard Brake, Kurt Braunohler, and Jaymes Butler.
Following that breakout role, Campbell has several projects in the works and is adding more credits to her horror resume. She will next star in Netflix’s Bird Box spinoff A ciegas, Lovely, Dark and Deep, and Andrew Kevin Walker’s Psycho Killer.
While horror fans would love to see more of Tess through a sequel or prequel to Barbarian, Cregger previously said that was not likely to happen:
“So there’s a big twist around the 40-minute mark and I always eagerly wait for that moment. It’s my favorite moment. Barbarian 2, not for me. Not gonna happen from me. Never say never, I could have an amazing idea tomorrow and be off to the races, but I doubt it.”
Barbarian is available to stream on HBO Max.
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