Sony’s Screen Gems has officially emerged victorious in a high-stakes, multi-studio bidding war against Amazon and Searchlight to secure the rights to Mime. This upcoming supernatural horror feature brings together a powerhouse lineup of top-tier genre talent.
The premise sounds tailor-made for high-tension paranoia. Mime is set inside a suffocating New York City apartment complex during a brutal heat wave blackout. The residents are trapped with zero power and rising temperatures. To make it worse, a sinister supernatural presence is creeping through the dark. Suddenly, they find themselves forced into a claustrophobic fight for survival.
An A-List Lead Steps Into the Darkness
Leading the nightmare is John David Washington, who continues to build one of the most dynamic filmographies in Hollywood.
After a breakout performance in Spike Lee’s Oscar-winning BlacKKKlansman, Washington seamlessly transitioned into high-concept blockbusters and grounded sci-fi. He headlined Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and Gareth Edwards’ sci-fi epic The Creator.
Washington also tackled period horror-drama in Netflix’s film adaptation of August Wilson’s The Piano Lesson. Throwing him into a claustrophobic, heat-soaked survival scenario like Mime marks a return to character-driven horror for the actor.
Visionary Directors and Genre Royalty Behind the Camera
The talent behind the camera is equally formidable. Nikyatu Jusu will direct from a screenplay by Stephen Herman (Silent, Black Box), based on Herman’s original concept. Jusu took the indie horror scene by storm with her critically acclaimed 2022 feature debut Nanny, which won the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for its striking, dread-infused blend of immigrant narrative and folklore.
Producing the feature is horror veteran Scott Derrickson (The Black Phone, Sinister, Doctor Strange) alongside Matt Tolmach and Camila Grove under Derrickson’s Crooked Highway banner. The project falls directly under Screen Gems’ active first-look deal with Derrickson, whose banner is also currently developing the upcoming thriller Bitter Bitter.
Combining the claustrophobia of a NYC summer blackout, the creative vision of Nikyatu Jusu, the producing pedigree of Scott Derrickson, and the sheer screen presence of John David Washington makes Mime an immediate title to watch.
We will keep you updated as casting rounds out, and production details emerge from the dark!
