EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off the SXSW debut for his latest feature Never After Dark, Dave Boyle has been set to direct a new untitled feature for Paramount Pictures and producer Walter Hamada’s 18Hz label. Nick Romano will also executive produce for 18Hz.
Boyle will also rewrite the screenplay, based on an earlier draft by Natalie Conway and Peter Stanley-Ward. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the project is described as sci-fi-inflected horror. The project is part of Hamada’s discretionary fund relating to his overall Paramount deal.
Hamada’s slate at Paramount includes Passenger, which will be in theaters on May 22. The film stars Jacob Scipio, Lou Llobell and Melissa Leo and was directed by André Øvredal. The company’s Primate, directed by Johannes Roberts, was released January 9.
Boyle’s most recent film, the Japanese-language horror film Never After Dark, premiered at SXSW to critical buzz and took home the Audience Award in the Midnighter section. Previously, Boyle served as showrunner and director on the Netflix series House of Ninjas, which hit the No. 1 spot on the streamer’s Global Top Ten (Non-English) list in 2024.
Boyle is represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis.