Joachim Rønning has spent his career delivering large-scale spectacle, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and the recently released Tron: Ares are not exactly intimate productions. That makes his pivot to a mysterious, tightly guarded horror film genuinely intriguing. The producing team assembled around System is one of the most impressive in contemporary genre filmmaking, and Spooky Pictures has rapidly become one of the most interesting labels in the horror space, backing projects across a wide range of styles and budgets. A blockbuster director making a personal horror film from his own original script, with Roy Lee and Steven Schneider producing, that’s a combination worth paying close attention to.
What We Know
System is now in production in London. Joachim Rønning directs from a script he co-wrote with his brother Andreas Rønning. He also produces. That’s where the concrete details end. Cast and plot remain completely under wraps, Deadline’s report confirms production has begun but offers nothing further on story or characters.
The Producing Team
Roy Lee produces through Spooky Pictures, the same Roy Lee behind It, Weapons, The Ring, and Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil. Steven Schneider also produces, the genre veteran behind Paranormal Activity, Insidious, What Happened to Doris?, and the upcoming System. Image Nation Studios CEO Ben Ross (Watcher, Company) and Spooky Pictures’ Rami Yasin (Hokum) executive produce.
Spooky Pictures has been one of the busiest labels in horror over the last 12 months. Their current slate includes 4 x 4, The Event, Sundowning, Occupant, and V/H/S: SCP. The company previously collaborated with Image Nation Studios on Late Night with the Devil, Charlie Polinger’s The Plague, and Hokum starring Adam Scott.
Why This Is Worth Watching
Rønning is best known for big-budget franchise entries, but personal horror films from unexpected blockbuster directors have a strong track record. James Wan built the Conjuring and Insidious universes. Scott Derrickson came from The Day the Earth Stood Still and made Sinister. A director who knows how to control scale and craft large set pieces bringing that discipline to a horror film he wrote himself, from scratch, with his brother, is a genuinely compelling proposition. The secrecy around cast and plot only adds to the intrigue.
No release date, cast, or further plot details have been announced. Production is underway in London.
