STX Entertainment and Lakeshore Entertainment announced today that they have begun principal photography on the theatrical feature The Boy, a frightening new thrill ride from director William Brent Bell (The Devil Inside), starring Lauren Cohan (“The Walking Dead”).
In the film, Greta (Cohan), a young American woman looking to escape a troubled past, takes a job in a small England village as a nanny for a wealthy couple’s 8-year-old son while they take a long vacation. She arrives at the remote manor to discover that things are not quite right. The surprisingly elderly Mr. & Mrs. Heelshire have a list of strict rules for her to follow in caring for their son Brahms, and they mysteriously warn Greta that not following them precisely could result in something terrible. But, the most disturbing realization of all is that Brahms is not an actual 8-year-old boy….he’s a life-sized porcelain doll, whom the doting parents care for and deeply love, just like a real boy.
“If you love him,” Greta is sternly instructed, “he will love you back.”
Isolated and alone, Greta notices that every time she breaks a rule, something strange happens in the house, and the doll reappears in different places and positions than where she put him. Compelled to uncover the mystery behind Brahms, Greta enlists the help of the local grocery delivery man, the only human being she sees for weeks, who shares horrifying details about the Heelshire family’s disturbing past, leading Greta to realize that she wasn’t just hired – she was chosen.
“As STX Entertainment continues ramping up production on a diverse slate of films, we are excited to be a part of this original, petrifying movie,” says Adam Fogelson, Chairman of the STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group. “‘The Boy’ will be an important addition to our growing slate and we are thrilled to be in business with Lakeshore Entertainment, one of the most successful production companies working in our industry today.”
“It is great to have such talented artists in front of and behind the camera to bring this film to audiences,” added Lakeshore CEO and chairman Tom Rosenberg. “We’re looking forward to working with the team at STX and are excited to have ‘The Boy’ as part of their inaugural slate of films.”
“As we make more and more films, STX will be a studio that supports fresh and daring filmmakers like William Brent Bell,” said Oren Aviv, President and Chief Content Officer of STX Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group. “We love this terrifying script and think the movie will be a great start to our 2016 line-up.”
Written by Stacey Menear, The Boy is being produced by Tom Rosenberg & Gary Lucchesi, Roy Lee, Matt Berenson, and Jim Wedaa. The film will be shooting in Victoria, British Columbia and the surrounding community.
STX Entertainment and Lakeshore Entertainment are producing The Boy, and the companies recently announced plans to distribute the movie nationwide on January 22, 2016.The Boy is the fourth film STX has put into production with its partners in recent weeks.
