EXCLUSIVE: Smile producer Temple Hill Leisure is partnering with Protagonist Photos on The Rule of Three, which is being arrange as the primary instalment in a brand new horror trilogy tailored from thriller creator Sam Ripley’s novel of the identical title.
Protagonist is launching gross sales on the upcoming Cannes market with Thomasin McKenzie (JoJo Rabbit) and Katie Douglas (Clown in a Cornfield) aboard to star. James Roday Rodriguez (Gravy) directs, tailored from a screenplay by Todd Harthan (ABC’s Excessive Potential) and Rodriguez.
The synopsis reads: “Beware, Beware, The Rule of Three, It’s coming for you, prefer it got here for me… Are Amy (Douglas) and her household tormented by a lethal curse? Each three years, loss of life strikes below mysterious circumstances, horrifically killing members of the family. It’s virtually three years to the day since Amy’s dad and mom’ loss of life, and Amy realises the curse should strike her subsequent. With the assistance of her finest buddy Lizzy (McKenzie), the 2 pals attempt to cheat Amy’s loss of life and discover a strategy to reverse the curse. However is Amy’s destiny already sealed? Dangerous issues all the time occur in threes, so they are saying…”
Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Isaac Klausner will produce for Twilight and Smile outfit Temple Hill, with Hal Sadoff and George Berman executive-producing. Dave Bishop, James Pugh and George Hamilton function government producers for Protagonist, in collaboration with Rodriguez and Harthan’s new shingle, Taft Tennis.
The Rule of Three marks Temple Hill and Protagonist Photos’ fourth collaboration, which started with Clown in a Cornfield, scheduled for a large U.S. theatrical launch on Might 9. The businesses additionally joined forces on the horror Monitor, presently in manufacturing, and Simon Curtis’ Encore.
“The Rule of Three is the type of gripping horror that will get below your pores and skin and stays there,” mentioned Bishop. “It’s a daring, elevated horror with an unsettling psychological edge that faucets into one thing common – and terrifying…a really wild journey. With Temple Hill’s experience within the style paired with a chillingly sharp idea, this can be a should see for horror followers and audiences worldwide.”
Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen added: “We have been instantly hooked by James’ imaginative and prescient for a contemporary and terrifying curse film revolving across the infamous lore behind the quantity 3. Centred on a ride-or-die friendship between two younger ladies, set towards the nostalgic backdrop of the 90’s, and underpinned by James’ trademark wit, we all know that audiences will discover The Rule of Three scary and hilarious in equal measure. And with this being the primary within the franchise, there are numerous jaw-dropping twists and turns to come back.”
“That is any director’s dream — supportive and mustached producers, an unbelievable forged and materials that defies the methods we attempt to outline ‘style’ filmmaking. Come for the phobia, keep for the storytelling,” mentioned Rodriguez.
McKenzie’s upcoming initiatives embody Bleecker Avenue’s comedy Fackham Corridor from comic Jimmy Carr, and Anna Lee from Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet, writers and director of the Oscar winner, The Brutalist.
Douglas will subsequent lead the horror function Clown in a Cornfield, which made its debut at SXSW 2025 and can launch in theaters within the US on Might 9, 2025. Earlier credit embody Lifetime’s The Lady Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story, Lifetime’s Consider Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey and Vertical’s The Stroll.
McKenzie is repped by UTA, Untitled Leisure, Gail Cowan Administration and Johnson Shapiro; and Douglas is repped by Play Administration, and Skrzyniarz & Mallean. Roday Rodriguez is repped by CAA, Principal Leisure and Peikoff Mahan Regulation Workplace; Harthan is repped by UTA, Circle Administration+Manufacturing, and Barnes, Morris. Sam Ripley is repped by CAA on behalf of James Wills at Watson, Little.
