by FilmInk Staff
Shawn Hatosy, Néstor Carbonell, Kevin Durand, and David Cronenberg Round Out the Cast of the Searchlight Pictures Sequel, Commencing Principal Photography Today
Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Elijah Wood (The Monkey) will star in Matt Bettinelli-Olpin (Ready or Not) and Tyler Gillett’s (Ready or Not) READY OR NOT: HERE I COME, alongside Samara Weaving (Ready or Not), who reprises her role as ‘Grace’, and Kathryn Newton (“Big Little Lies”). Shawn Hatosy (“The Pitt”), Néstor Carbonell (The Dark Knight), Kevin Durand (Abigail), and David Cronenberg (The Fly) are rounding out the cast. Guy Busick (Abigail, Scream) and R. Christopher Murphy (Castle Rock) are returning to pen the script, along with producers Tripp Vinson (Fountain of Youth, Murder Mystery), James Vanderbilt (Zodiac, Fountain of Youth), Bradley J. Fischer (Transformers), and William Sherak (Abigail, Scream).
“We’re thrilled to be returning to the world of Ready or Not with Samara, Brett, Avery and Andrew,” said Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett, “and so excited to work with this immensely talented cast and the incredible artists across every department joining the Ready or Not family.”
Added Matthew Greenfield, President of Searchlight Pictures, “We’re beyond excited to make another film with the phenomenal Radio Silence. With Ready or Not: Here I Come, we get to go on another ride with the amazing Samara Weaving, mix in awesome new voices, and bring audiences a fresh take that’s every bit as twisted and fun as the first one. This is for those who’ve been waiting, and those who didn’t see it coming.”
Also returning behind the camera from the original black comedy horror Ready or Not are production designer Andrew Stearn (The Umbrella Academy), director of photography Brett Jutkiewicz (Scream), costume designer Avery Plewes (Scream VI), and makeup head of department Colin Penman (The Apprentice). New additions to the crew include editor Jay Prychidny (Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice), hair department head Ryan Reed (It Chapter Two), and sound mixer Thomas Hayek (Thanksgiving, The Boys).
Principal photography commences today in Toronto. Executive producers are Chad Villella, Tara Farney, Greg Denny, Guy Busick, R. Christopher Murphy, Samara Weaving, and Paul Neinstein.
VP of Production Richard Ruiz and Creative Executive Cornelia Burleigh are overseeing the project for Searchlight Pictures, reporting to Heads of Production and Development DanTram Nguyen and Katie Goodson-Thomas.
Sarah Michelle Gellar became a cultural icon playing the title role in the long-running television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and is set to reprise this role with a new chapter in the ‘Buffyverse’ from 20th Television and Searchlight TV, where Chloé Zhao will direct the pilot. She can currently be seen on Showtime’s “Dexter: Original Sin” which just got picked up for a second a season and is attached to star in and executive producer Bad Summer People based on the best-selling book for A+E Studios. Other notable credits include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, the box office hit The Grudge, Cruel Intentions and the live-action Scooby-Doo films.
Elijah Wood recently starred in Oz Perkins’ The Monkey, based on the Stephen King short story. He is best known for his iconic portrayal of Frodo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. In addition to reprising the role in The Hobbit series, Wood’s other credits include “Yellowjackets” and I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.
Shawn Hatosy stars on the acclaimed Max Original drama series, “The Pitt” alongside Noah Wyle. The series is a massive success with the first episode crossing 16.2 million viewers and currently averaging 10 million views weekly. It is among the top three most-watched Max titles ever and just ranked on the Nielson chart. Previously, Hatosy starred in two John Wells Productions series, the acclaimed “Animal Kingdom” and the Peabody Award winning “Southland” for which he was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for “Best Supporting Actor.” Hatosy’s film credits include Robert Rodriguez’s cult favorite The Faculty, Michael Mann’s Public Enemies, and Nick Cassavetes’ films Alpha Dog and John Q.
Néstor Carbonell has appeared in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. He gained recognition for his role in “Lost”, as well as “Bates Motel” and “The Morning Show”. Most recently, he won the 2024 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his role in FX’s “Shōgun”.
Kevin Durand stars in the upcoming Paramount Pictures action comedy The Naked Gun and the IFC Films horror comedy Clown in a Cornfield, and recently starred in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and Abigail. His other film credits include Ballers, Resident Evil: Retribution, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and 3:10 to Yuma.
Renowned Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg, recognized for his body horror genre work, has earned a reputation as one of cinema’s most daring directors. His recent work includes The Shrouds, Crimes of the Future, Maps to the Stars, and Cosmopolis. His earlier work includes influential films Videodrome, The Fly, and Crash.
Geller is represented by CAA, Linden Entertainment, and Vision PR; Wood by Gersh, Linden Entertainment, and Narrative PR; Hatosy by Paradigm Talent Agency and Trademark Talent; Carbonell by Independent Artist Group and Thruline Entertainment; Durand by IAG, Alchemy Entertainment and Brecheen Feldman Breimer; and Cronenberg by WME.
About Searchlight Pictures
Searchlight Pictures is a global specialty film and television company that develops, produces, finances and acquires motion pictures and series for both worldwide theatrical and streaming releases. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and is part of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 1994 as Fox Searchlight Pictures, the company’s titles have grossed over $5 billion worldwide, amassing 52 Academy Awards including five Best Picture winners since 2009: Slumdog Millionaire, 12 Years a Slave, Birdman, The Shape of Water, and Nomadland; 64 BAFTA Awards; 35 Golden Globe Awards, and 10 Grammy Awards. Searchlight recently released Geremy Jasper’s O’Dessa starring Sadie Sink, Kelvin Harrison Jr., with Murray Bartlett, and Regina Hall; James Mangold’s 8-time Academy Award nominated A Complete Unknown starring Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan; Marielle Heller’s Nightbitch starring Amy Adams; Academy-Award winner A Real Pain, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, which also won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award: U.S. Dramatic at Sundance; and Yorgos Lanthimos’ 4-time Academy Award winner Poor Things, starring and produced by Emma Stone. Upcoming releases include Jay Roach’s The Roses starring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch; Andrew Stanton’s In The Blink of an Eye with Kate McKinnon, Rashida Jones, Daveed Diggs; HIKARI’s Rental Family starring Brendan Fraser; and Bradley Cooper’s Is This Thing On? starring Will Arnett, Cooper, Sean Hayes, Laura Dern, and Andra Day. The company includes Searchlight Television, the division which develops and produces series for streaming, network, and cable partners, and earned a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress and an additional 5 nominations for its first production “The Dropout” from Elizabeth Meriwether, in partnership with Hulu and 20th Studios. Searchlight Television also produced the Spanish-Language limited series “La Máquina”, with Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
About Radio Silence
Radio Silence is the acclaimed filmmaking team of Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett. Known for their work that blends horror, comedy, adventure, and sci-fi, Radio Silence tackles every aspect of the filmmaking process from development to writing, directing, and producing on set. In 2022 and 2023, Radio Silence was the team behind the most recent films in the Scream franchise, Scream and Scream VI.
Most recently, Radio Silence directed and produced the film Abigail, an original feature that follows the story of a young vampire and her hunt for revenge. The film was out for theatrical release on April 19, 2024 and stars Melissa Barrera, Kathryn Newton, Angus Cloud, Kevin Durand, Giancarlo Esposito, Dan Stevens, Will Catlett, and Alisha Weir.
Previously, Radio Silence helmed the hit horror comedy Ready or Not (2019), starring Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, and Andie MacDowell, for Searchlight Pictures with Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett directing, and Vinson Films and Mythology Entertainment producing. Radio Silence is also known for Southbound (2016), Devil’s Due (2014), and V/H/S (2012).
