Joel Schumacher doesn’t seem to be having an easy time of it right now. His latest thriller, Nic Cage/Nicole Kidman thriller Trespass arrived with a wet splat at before shuffling off to VOD, and previous drama Twelve was critically savaged. So while he’d been looking to get back into the swing of things with psychological drama The Hive, he’s now jumped ship, leaving the way clear for The Machinist’s Brad Anderson.
Despite the title, The Hive features no insects. It’s the tale of a 911 emergency call centre worker who fields a desperate plea from a young girl. She’s under threat from a killer... And the phone jockey suddenly realises that the danger echoes an incident from her own past. So she risks her life to try to stop the serial killer from striking again. Oh noes!
Halle Berry had been in talks to star, but dropped out due to scheduling issues. But with Anderson aboard, the film should attract one of the other (as yet unnamed) actresses who have been flirting with the role.
"I'm extremely excited about working with Troika Pictures on The Hiv****e,” Anderson says in a statement picked up by Variety. "This script has two elements I always look for in a thriller: strong, believable female characters and a smart, very dark and very creepy story that will definitely resonate with large audiences."
He’s aiming to kick off shooting in the spring.