Searchlight Pictures has acquired U.S. rights to Matt Black and Ryan Polly’s feature debut Monitor, the horror film that made its world premiere in the Mignighter section at SXSW. The film, one of the festival’s buzziest, stars Brittany O’Grady, Viveik Karla, Ines Høysæter Asserson, Gunner Willis, Sara Alexander and Camila Bejarano Wahlgren.
Producers are Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner, John Fischer and Adrian Guerra. Executive producers include Nuria Valls, Hal Sadoff, Ben Levine, Dave Bishop and George Hamilton. Searchlight will also distribute in the UK and Southeast Asia.
The logline: After a disturbing video surfaces online, something begins to spread — moving from screen to screen and targeting anyone who watches. No escape. No warning. Once you’ve seen it … it’s already too late.
“Matt and Ryan have crafted a visceral, modern thriller that taps directly into our collective fear of what may lurk just out of view, at the edges of our screens — delivering a truly wild ride. We can’t wait to bring it to audiences,” Searchlight Pictures president Matthew Greenfield said.
Plans for a 2027 release will be announced at a later date. Chan Phung, Head of Acquisitions, and Ben Wilkinson, VP Business Affairs, negotiated the deal on behalf of Searchlight with Temple Hill Entertainment and UTA Independent Film Group. Protagonist Pictures handled international sales.
“When we made the original Monitor short film eight years ago, we never imagined it would one day find a home at Searchlight Pictures,” said Black and Polly. “We’re beyond thrilled to be partnering with them to bring this monster to theaters, where it truly belongs on the big screen. Monitor was always meant to be experienced with a room full of people being terrified together. We’re incredibly grateful to our entire cast and crew and our partners at Temple Hill and Nostromo Pictures, who championed this project from the beginning and helped make this moment possible.”