Skydance The duo, known for the successful “It” movies, has joined forces with Skydance to form a new horror division called Nocturna, as announced by the company on Thursday.
Nocturna, overseen by the Muschiettis, aims to produce two high-quality horror films annually for global theatrical and streaming audiences. The first approved project is named “They Will Kill You,” a black comedy horror written by Kirill Sokolov and Alex Litvak, with Sokolov set to direct.
“They Will Kill You” follows a woman who becomes a housekeeper in a mysterious high-rise in New York City, unaware of the numerous disappearances that have occurred in the building over the years. It will be produced by Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, Andy and Barbara Muschietti, and Dan Kagan. The film will also be produced by Nocturna Co-Heads of Film, Russell Ackerman and John Schoenfelder.
Dana Goldberg, Skydance's Chief Creative Officer, remarked, “Andy and Barbara are visionary filmmakers who have mastered the art of scary event movies that connect with global audiences, and David and I along with the entire Skydance team are thrilled to partner with them on the launch of Nocturna.” She added, “It’s fitting that ’They Will Kill You’ will be our first project as it perfectly encapsulates Nocturna’s mission of delivering unique and entertaining horror experiences that will live in the audiences’ nightmares for years.”
“David, Dana and Don are smart, talented, daring, and incredibly supportive, and we look forward to joining hands on this new business venture,” shared Andy and Barbara Muschietti. “Under this label, we are excited to deliver the full range of emotions that our movies pack: Heart, humor and horror.”
The Muschiettis gained recognition with 2013’s “Mama” and achieved tremendous success with the “It” movies based on Stephen King’s classic novel, which earned over $1.1 billion worldwide. They are currently working on adapting the “It” universe into a prequel series for HBO Max titled “Welcome to Derry.”
The establishment of Nocturna follows a standout year for Skydance, marked by successes in both film and television through projects such as “Top Gun: Maverick,” the “Mission: Impossible” movies, “The Family Plan” on Apple TV+, and “Reacher” on Prime Video.
The Muschiettis are represented by WME, Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole and RMCPMK.
Sokolov is set to direct “Ultra” for Tristar. His debut feature, “Why Don’t You Just Die,” is an action-filled black comedy that premiered at Fantasia, winning the Audience Award and “Best New Director.” The film, released by Arrow, currently holds a “Certified Fresh” rating of 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. His next effort, “No Looking Back,” premiered at SXSW in 2022. Kirill is represented by CAA, Good Fear, and Todd Rubenstein at Morris Yorn.
Litvak, a former feature executive turned screenwriter, has production credits including “Predators” (2010), “The Three Musketeers” (2011) and Disney Plus’ “Secret Society Of Second Born Royals” (2020). He recently sold action specs “Versus” to Universal and Arcana to Lionsgate. Currently, he is working on an action adventure show about young Harry Houdini for Danny Strong and Fox TV, as well as a serialized heist series “The Score” for Starz. Litvak is represented by Fourth Wall Management and Karl Austen and Kelvin Le at Jackoway Austen Tyerman.
The Hollywood Reporter first reported the news.
