STXfilms and Lakeshore Entertainment have today announced their latest joint venture, The Boy 2, a follow up to the successful horror-thriller feature The Boy (2016), which starred Lauren Cohan and Rupert Evans. Katie Holmes (Batman Begins, Phone Booth, Ray Donovan) will headline the cast in the role of ‘Liza’. William Brent Bell (The Boy, The Devil Inside) will return to direct the sequel.
Principal photography will begin in Victoria, British Columbia on January 14th, 2019.
"Unaware of the terrifying history of Heelshire Mansion, a young family moves into the estate, where their young son soon makes an unsettling new friend, an eerily life-like doll he calls Brahms."
Penned by the same writer, Stacey Menear, The Boy 2 will be produced by Lakeshore’s Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi and Eric Reid, as well as Matt Berenson, Jim Wedaa and Roy Lee.
William Brent Bell’s The Boy was produced for under $15M and grossed $68M worldwide.
Lakeshore’s Gary Lucchesi commented, “Following the success of The Boy, we are thrilled to be working on the next chapter of this chilling Brahms story with Stacey and William. We are also delighted to be continuing our relationship with STX, on this, our third partnership”
Holmes is best known globally for her role as Joey Potter in the hit TV series, "Dawson's Creek" (1998–2003), and as Rachel Dawes in Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins (2005). Her other credits include TV series "Ray Donovan" (2015), starring alongside Liev Schreiber, Jack and Jill (2011) and Woman in Gold (2015). She recently broke into directing with the award-winning festival darling All We Had (2016), which she also starred in opposite Stefania LaVie Owen and Luke Wilson. She will next be seen in upcoming musical drama, Coda, starring alongside Patrick Stewart.
Brent Bell has firmly established himself in the cinematic world of horror, having directed The Boy (2016), Wer (2013) and The Devil Inside (2012), and is currently in-development on multiple projects, including Blumhouse Productions’ TV series, "Posthumans."
Having recently collaborated on Pierre Morel’s action-thriller, Peppermint, starring Jennifer Garner and the romantic drama Adrift, starring Sam Claflin and Shailene Woodley, STXfilms and Lakeshore Entertainment continue their relationship with The Boy 2; STX Entertainment, who is co-producing with Lakeshore, will distribute in the US, while jointly handling international sales with Lakeshore.