Shudder has announced that Stephanie Beatriz and Paul Wesley will headline the cast of the Shudder Original Film History of Evil, a horror-thriller written and directed by Iranian-American filmmaker Bo Mirhosseni. Produced by XYZ Films, Two & Two Pictures and Jake Siegel, the film will stream exclusively on Shudder in North America, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.
In the film, a family on the run from a corrupt state takes refuge in a safe house with an evil past – a terrifying last stop on a near-future Underground Railroad.
Beatriz is best known for her work on such hits as Encanto, In The Heights, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and she’s just finishing an incredibly successful run starring in 2:22: A Ghost Story on stage in London’s West End. She is repped by ICM Partners, Authentic Talent and Literary Management and attorney, Mitch Smelkinson.
Wesley is known for roles in The Vampire Diaries, Before I Disappear, Peaceful Warrior and Tell me a Story. Wesley has a burgeoning directing and producing career under his production banner, Citizen Media. He is repped by ICM Partners, Anonymous Content and attorney, Marcy Morris.
Both Beatriz and Wesley will serve as executive producers.
“We are thrilled to be working with XYZ and Two & Two Pictures as we continue to spotlight new and emerging storytellers within this genre, and Bo’s thrilling film debut is no exception,” said Emily Gotto, VP of Global Acquisitions and Co-Productions for Shudder. “We are excited to have such talents as Stephanie and Paul on board to bring these dynamic characters to life and look forward to sharing the film with Shudder members.”
Babak Anvari and Lucan Toh of Two & Two Pictures commented, “We are delighted to be working with Bo, Stephanie and Paul on this deeply terrifying and unique horror film, and honored to have found a home at Shudder, whose cutting-edge platform has continues to push genre films forward. Everyone on this team has demonstrated a commitment to bringing timely and entertaining stories to the world, and we couldn’t be more excited to work with them.”
History of Evil is the first project under a pact between XYZ Films and Two & Two Pictures to discover, develop and produce projects from first and second-time genre filmmakers from under-represented demographics. The pact is set to produce two to three pictures a year initially and was hatched as a result of XYZ Films partnering with Two & Two on Under The Shadow, Anvari’s feature film debut, which went on to win a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut. The companies most recently collaborated on Anvari’s third feature film, I Came By, which is currently in post-production. Two & Two, based in London and Los Angeles, was founded in 2017 by Anvari and Toh after they worked together on Anvari’s debut, Under The Shadow.
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