Chloe Okuno, the acclaimed director behind the psychological thriller Watcher, is set to helm a new gothic horror film titled Brides. The project, which Okuno also wrote, will star Olivia Cooke, known for her role in HBO’s House of the Dragon. Neon will distribute the film theatrically.
Brides follows Sally Bishop (Cooke) and her husband on a trip to a remote Italian villa. There, the mysterious count who owns the villa takes a peculiar interest in Sally. The film is described as gothic, glamorous, and gory, and is said to flip Bram Stoker’s narrative on its head, exploring the struggle between societal repression and carnal desire. Set in the 1960s, Sally’s feminist ideals will clash with the count and his group of vampire brides.
Olivia Cooke steps into the role of Sally Bishop, replacing Maika Monroe, who faced scheduling conflicts with her Universal film Reminders of Him. Cooke has a history in horror, having appeared in The Quiet Ones and Ouija, alongside her roles in Ready Player One and Me, Earl and The Dying Girl. She recently wrapped production on the Amazon series The Girlfriend opposite Robin Wright.
Okuno’s feature debut, Watcher, starring Maika Monroe and Burn Gorman, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. Her other works include the award-winning horror short Slut and the Storm Drain segment of the anthology series V/H/S/94. She has also directed episodes for Showtime’s Let the Right One In and James Wan-produced series Teacup, showing her talent for unsettling and exciting genre material.
Brides will be produced by Anthony Bregman and Stefanie Azpiazu through Likely Story. No release date has been set for the film, but it is expected to begin filming in Budapest, Hungary.
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Neon, the distributor, has a strong presence in the horror genre with recent releases including The Monkey, Longlegs, Immaculate, and Infinity Pool. Vampire projects have seen a resurgence in popularity recently, with films like Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu remake and Ryan Coogler’s Sinners bringing new life to the sub-genre.
