Gillian Jacobs, most recently the star of Judd Apatow’s Netflix series Love, will star in Larry, a horror movie being made by Amblin and writer-director Jacob Chase.
Azhy Robertson is also starring in the project, which is being described as a two-hander in a similar fashion to the pairing of Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment in The Sixth Sense.
The story tells of a troubled young boy (Robertson) and his family who become the target of a monster that materialized through electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets. The project is based on Chase’s horror short and harkens back to early Amblin movies like the family under siege in Poltergeist as well as the more recent Mama, another horror short adapted into a feature film.
The Picture Company partners Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona are producing.
Cameras begin rolling Oct. 2 in Toronto.
The project is coming at a time when modestly budgeted and high-concept genre material seems to be striking a chord with audiences. Paramount’s A Quiet Place became a runaway hit earlier this year while New Line’s The Nun is tracking for a massive opening in the $35 million to $40 million range when it’s released Friday.
Larry takes Jacobs down a more dramatic path, as she is better known for her quirky comedic turns. The actress, who starred for six seasons on NBC’s Community, most recently starred in Netflix’s feature comedy Ibiza as well as headlining Love. She is repped by UTA, Authentic Talent and Lichter Grossman.
Robertson, who appeared in a couple of episodes of The Americans, had a turn with Rose Byrne and Ethan Hawke in Juliet, Naked, released in August. The young actor has several movies in the can, including Noah Baumbach’s latest, an untitled comedy that also stars Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver. He is repped by CESD Talent, Nani Saperstein Management and Nelson Davis.
