Last October, we heard that Rachel McAdams was in talks to reteam with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness director Sam Raimi on the 20th Century Studios horror thriller Send Help, which Raimi would be producing and directing. McAdams was quickly joined in the cast by Dylan O’Brien (The Maze Runner), Chris Pang (Interior Chinatown), and Dennis Haysbert (24). Filming began in early February, putting the film on track for a January 30th, 2026 theatrical release – and now, the first images have dropped online! You can check them out at the bottom of this article, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.
In 2007, it was rumored that Sam Raimi would be producing a fantasy film with a screenplay written by Freddy vs. Jason and Friday the 13th 2009 writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. That didn’t pan out, but a decade later Raimi considered directing a Bermuda Triangle project that once had Shannon and Swift working on the script. Again, that didn’t pan out, with Scott Derrickson and more recently Marc Webb picking up the project after Raimi dropped it. In 2019, it was announced that Raimi would be directing an untitled island horror thriller, working from a script by Shannon and Swift. Then the pandemic hit and Raimi went on to direct Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness… but now he has circled back to the island horror thriller, and A Quiet Place writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods have done a rewrite of the script. They previously worked with Raimi on the Adam Driver dinosaur movie 65 and the anthology series 50 States of Fright. They also wrote and executive produced the Stephen King adaptation The Boogeyman for 20th Century Studios.
Raimi is producing Send Help alongside Zainab Azizi, the President of his company Raimi Productions.
When Send Help was first announced, it was said to be like “Misery meets Cast Away” in tone. That’s still the description being given, as Deadline mentioned, “the film is described as a two-hander horror thriller set on an island, falling somewhere between Rob Reiner’s Stephen King adaptation Misery and Robert Zemeckis’ classic Castaway.” They report that the film is a survival horror thriller about two colleagues who become stranded on a deserted island, the only survivors of a plane crash. On the island, they must overcome past grievances and work together to survive, but ultimately, it’s a battle of wills and wits to make it out alive.
Film scooper Daniel Richtman recently revealed that Send Help has the following logline: Comedy-adventure horror about a female put-upon employee and her jerk boss. On a business flight together with their company, the plane crashes on an island and only those two make it. She has serious survival skills which means she’s his only hope. Richtman also shared character details: LINDA: Smartest person in the room, but no one takes her seriously. Actor can’t be overly comedic, has to be believable in serious office setting. Eyed Sandra Bullock. BRADLEY: LINDA’S misogynistic boss.
Raimi told Entertainment Weekly he was drawn to this project because “I found the two lead characters, Linda and Bradley, to be complex, human, and constantly at odds with each other in often conflicting situations. The pitch was outrageous and original, all the while tracking these two in their conflict as their power dynamic changed dramatically. I knew right away that I wanted to direct this picture. … What I really love about this story is that it’s an underdog tale at its core. Not only is it about survival on a deserted island, but it’s also a story of female empowerment and transformation. Watching a once-powerful boss find himself dependent on someone he underestimated is satisfying. Our story is universal! We need to encourage our society to treat people with respect and kindness, regardless of status. It’s especially rewarding to see our heroine, Linda, come into her own in such an unexpected environment.“
I’m there to see anything Sam Raimi makes, so I’m looking forward to checking out Send Help. Are you interested in this movie? Take a look at the images, then let us know by leaving a comment below.
Source:
Entertainment Weekly