James McAvoy is back in a horrifying role onscreen to lead the English-language remake of “Speak No Evil.”
BAFTA award-winner McAvoy, who stunned audiences with his haunting performances in “Split” and “Glass,” plays a father who has an obsession with perfection. Paddy (McAvoy) and his wife Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) are parents to their mute son Ant (Daniel Hough) who was born without a tongue. But when Paddy invites American couple Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and Ben (Scoot McNairy) plus their 11-year-old daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) for a weekend getaway, things go sideways.
Per the official synopsis: “When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.”
To note, “Speak No Evil” onscreen couple McAvoy and Franciosi are also reuniting for Jamie Adams’ improvised couple comedy “Turn Up the Sun!” along with Lucas Bravo and Dolly Farzad.
“Speak No Evil” is based on the screenplay of the 2022 Danish horror sensation “Gæsterne,” written by Christian Tafdrup and Mads Tafdrup. That film, which debuted at Sundance, earned 11 Danish Film Awards nominations, the Danish equivalent of the Oscars. Writer/director James Watkins is behind the new iteration, and debuted the trailer at CinemaCon 2024.
“Speak No Evil” is produced by Blumhouse‘s Jason Blum and Paul Ritchie, and is executive produced by Beatriz Sequeira for Blumhouse, Jacob Jarek, and original “Speak No Evil” scribe Christian Tafdrup.
While “Speak No Evil” is set up at Universal where Blumhouse has a first-look deal, the production banner is set to remake a series of classic Lionsgate horror films starting with “The Blair Witch Project,” as also announced at CinemaCon.
The rise of English-language remakes, with fellow Danish feature “Another Round” set to be remade with Leonardo DiCaprio producing, has been encouraged as of late with a new program at the Cannes Film Festival. Newly-announced Cannes Remakes will debut at the upcoming film market edition from May 14 to 22. The Cannes Remakes program is designed to “tap into the thriving IP market, which has seen tremendous growth, largely driven by the increased investment from global streaming services,” per the official press release. “Film remakes, in particular, have established themselves as a lucrative venture in the marketplace as they offer lower risk and proven marketability.”
“Speak No Evil” premieres September 13 in theaters. Check out the trailer below.
