A24 is gathering a star-studded cast for its first foray into the world of family films with The Legend of Ochi, according to a recent report from Deadline.
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The film is set to star Academy-Award nominee Willem Dafoe, Academy-Award nominee Emily Watson, Finn Wolfhard, and Golden Globe nominee Helena Zengel. Isaiah Saxon is attached to direct the feature, marking the directorial debut for him. The film is also said to be based on his original characters, world, and screenplay.
The Legend of Ochi will follow a young girl (Zengel) who runs away from home and discovers a secretive animal species known as the OCHI, with not much else known about the story just yet. The film’s score will be composed by Dirty Projectors founder Dave Longstreth. Saxon will produce the film alongside Traci Carlson, Richard Peete, and Jonathan Wang. The Russo Brothers, Mike Larocca, and Angela Russo-Otstot will executive produce alongside Louise Lovegrove and Alex Plapinger.
This marks a bit of a change for A24, which has usually produced more adult-oriented features like dramas, thrillers, and horrors. However, The Legend of Ochi acts as their first film that reportedly is just simply a more normal family film.
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According to the report, the film is a “throwback to old school pre-Lord of the Rings Peter Jackson” films, and also noted that A24 “jumped at the chance” to work with Saxon after they saw his pitch. Prior to this, Saxon was perhaps best known for his work as a music director, having worked with a number of stars including Björk, Panda Bear, and Grizzly Bear.
