STX Takes Global On Melissa Barrera Thriller 'Bed Rest' From Lori Evans Taylor
EXCLUSIVE: STXfilms has acquired worldwide rights to Bed Rest, a supernatural thriller to star In the Heights' Melissa Barrera for writer-director Lori Evans Taylor, who will make her directorial debut.
After years of struggling to start a family, Julie Rivers (Barrera) is pregnant again and moving into a new home with her husband as they embrace a fresh start. After being ordered to mandatory bed rest, Julie begins to slowly unravel as she suffers through the monotony and anxiety of her new constraints. Soon, terrifying ghostly experiences in the home begin to close in on Julie, stirring up her past demons and causing others to question her mental stability. Trapped and forced to face her past and the supernatural, Julie fights to protect herself and her unborn baby.
Bed Rest is being produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, and Paul Neinstein through their Project X banner, along with Evans Taylor and Barrera. Cameras roll next month in Winnipeg.
STXfilms will release Bed Rest directly in the US, UK and Ireland, and in the rest of the world through its network of foreign distribution partners. STXinternational will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming Virtual AFM next week.
"Bed Rest is a chilling supernatural cinematic thriller," said Adam Fogelson, chairman, STXfilms Motion Picture Group. "Lori Evans Taylor's script was on the Black List for a reason: her compelling writing comes from a personal point of view we haven't often seen on the big screen, and that will elevate the material. We're also big believers in Melissa Barrera's talent as an actress to bring this character to life. Horror has been a consistently successful genre for us at STX, and as a studio with a strong track record supporting female filmmakers, we are proud to be releasing Lori's directorial debut. We're also
thrilled to be in business with William, James, Paul and the Team at Project X on a movie that will keep audiences riveted."
Project X partners Sherak, Vanderbilt and Neinstein added, "We have known Lori both personally and professionally for years and have always been huge fans of her writing. This screenplay was so unnerving and deeply felt, we knew she was the right director to bring this to the screen. We had just worked with Melissa on Scream, where we saw her incredible talent first hand. We're thrilled to have put them together, and that our longtime friends at STX will be our partners on this project. Their success with low and mid budget films and their commitment to female and diverse talent, both in front of and behind the camera, make them the ideal home for this film."
STXfilms' President of Production Sam Brown alongside creative executives Marisa Moreno and Alexandria Martin are overseeing the feature on behalf of the studio. Financing for the film is provided by BondIt Media Finance.
In addition to In the Heights, and the upcoming Scream from Spyglass Media and Paramount, Barrera starred in the musical Carmen, and the Netflix series Breathe. She previously starred in the Starz series Vida and the independent film All The World Is Sleeping, which recently premiered at the New York Latino Film Festival. She was recently announced as Clinique's new Global Ambassador. Barrera is repped by WME, Bridge Works Entertainment, Sugar 23, and Gang Tyre.
Taylor is currently writing Final Destination 6. Other recent writing credits include I Am Still Alive, starring and produced by Ben Affleck, the 21 Laps-produced I-5, and Small Price To Pay. She has previously produced stories for such television shows as Lucky Dog, Welcome Home, and others. She is represented by ICM Partners, Kaplan/Perrone and McKuin Frankel.
Project X Entertainment is the production company headed by Chief Content Officer Vanderbilt and Co-CEOs Sherak and Neinstein. Among their upcoming projects are the relaunch of Scream, Ambulance, an action-thriller directed by Michael Bay for Universal, Short Circuit, a remake of the 1986 comedy, and The Night Agent, a Netflix series based on the Matthew Quirk novel, created by Shawn Ryan.
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By the time Season 2 premieres, fans will have been waiting nearly two years for new episodes. However, they can rejoice that the Sony Pictures Television series— created, showrun and executive produced by Shawn Ryan— was renewed for a third season early last month. As Deadline previously reported, shooting is set to begin on Season 3 in Istanbul at the end of this year followed by a New York shoot in 2025.
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Written by James Vanderbilt, the pic follows estranged siblings (Krasinski and Portman) who partner on a global heist to find the mythological Fountain of Youth. They must use their knowledge of history to follow clues on an epic adventure that will change their lives — and possibly lead to immortality.
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