“Less Than Zero” writer Bret Easton Ellis is set to make his directorial debut with “Relapse,” an elevated horror film he wrote starring “Stranger Things” breakout Joseph Quinn.
Paris-based SND has boarded the project as producer, alongside Adrian Guerra’s Nostromo (“Penny Dreadful”) and Simon Wallon’s Kiss & Kill (“Bonnie”). SND will handle worldwide sales on “Relapse,” as well as French distribution, and will tease the title at the EFM with a sizzle reel.
Quinn, who will next be seen in “Fantastic Four,” “A Quiet Place: Day One” and the “Gladiator” sequel, stars in ”Relapse” as Matt Cullen, who checks into rehab after witnessing a horrific death during a debauched party. Three months later, he is set to get his life back together, staying at his parent’s mansion in the hills of Los Angeles. But things have changed around Matt and everything seems off balance.
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“Fueled by his unstable personality and the invading power of social media, Matt’s paranoia grows, messing up with his rehabilitation program. As he starts using again, a mysterious presence starts growing around Matt, and a monster that has been haunting him since he was a teenager reveals itself. His therapist tries to help, convinced that the monster is actually in Matt’s head,” reads the synopsis.
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Ellis, whose novels have been translated and published all over the word, has been flirting with the movie world for decades, as many of his books, from “Less Than Zero” to “American Psycho” to “The Rules of Attraction,” have been adapted for the screen. His latest book, “The Shards,” has been optioned by HBO for a series. Ellis has also written four films, including 2013’s “The Canyons” and 2020’s “Smiley Face Killers.”
“I grew up watching the iconic horror movies of the 1970s,” said Ellis. “I’ve written ‘Lunar Park,’ a horror novel, as an homage to Stephen King. It seems appropriate that my first feature would be a horror film. There is a simplicity to ‘Relapse’ that seems like the perfect form for my directing debut: something direct and impactful.”
Ellis said he’s “never seen a monster movie in the kind of upscale L.A. setting I wrote about and I am familiar with.” The author-turned-director, who speaks about pop culture on “The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast,” described “Relapse” as a “monster movie with [my] signature characters — young, handsome, rich — at the center.” He also said it was a personal movie. “It will have my strokes: sex, drugs and paranoia. It will also be a fun, lush and commercial feature film for a lot of people to enjoy,” he continued.
Ramy Nahas, SND’s head of international sales, said, “‘Relapse’ combines the look and feel of the horror genre with the unique perspective of Bret Easton Ellis. It is the perfect mix of the themes Bret is famous for within a monster feature film. A cult author, a rising star actor and a captivating script.”
Wallon said he’s collaborated with Ellis for the screen on various shorts in the past and finds that he has a “unique voice and vision as a writer.”
“There is nothing more exciting than being by his side while he is inventing his filmic language alongside collaborators. Having SND’s and Adrian Guerra’s experiences in the field to engine this project is what ‘Relapse’ truly needs,” Wallon said.
Nicolas Rolland, who is producing the film at SND, said “Relapse” will have a “tangible and cinematographic presence,” like “The Thing,” “Pan’s Labyrinth,” “The Host” or “Alien.”
Rolland said “Relapse’s” creature will be designed by the Oscar-nominated VFX banner behind “Society of the Snow,” DDT Studios, which has “three decades of experience giving life to fantastic creatures, elevating director visions and provoking audience worst nightmares.”
Guerra “has a unique expertise and an impressive track record producing edgy genre feature films,” Rolland said, citing the producer’s credits, including “Buried,” “The Invisible Guest,” “Penny Dreadful” and “Bird Box Barcelona.”
Quinn is repped by CAA and Curtis Brown Group. Ellis is repped by CAA, Brian Young and his attorney Jonathan Shikora.
Bill Earl contributed to this report.
