AR Content, Vertigo and Blumhouse Atomic Monster are teaming up to remake “Vincent Must Die,” the acclaimed French Belgian thriller directed by Stéphan Castang that premiered in the Cannes Film Festival’s Directors’ Fortnight sidebar in 2023.
Written and directed by David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, the film will be produced by AR Content’s Alexander Rodnyansky alongside Roy Lee (“Weapons”) of Vertigo Entertainment and Michael Clear (“M3GAN”) for Blumhouse Atomic Monster, along with Michael Kupisk of AR Content. Stuart Manashil will executive produce. The film was optioned by AR Content from Goodfellas, who will also serve as executive producers.
Described by Variety as “a witty, grimy, timely parable for our paranoid and persecuted era,” Castang’s genre-bending thriller earned widespread recognition and critical acclaim after bowing on the Croisette, receiving nominations for the Caméra d’Or in Cannes, best first film at the César Awards and best actor (Karim Leklou) and best first film at the Lumière Awards.
Written by Mathieu Naert, Dominique Baumard and Stéphan Castang, and starring Karim Leklou, Vimala Pons and François Chattot, the film follows Vincent, an ordinary man who suddenly finds himself under physical attack by anyone who makes eye contact with him.
The remake will be written and directed by Johnson-McGoldrick, a veteran screenwriter and producer known for “Orphan,” “The Conjuring: Last Rites,” “Aquaman” and “Insidious: Out of the Further.” “Vincent Must Die” marks his directorial debut.
“I’m so grateful to my collaborators at AR Content, Vertigo and Atomic Monster for bringing me this opportunity and trusting in my vision,” said Johnson-McGoldrick. “I immediately fell in love with the film, and so having a chance to step into this crazy world they created is a dream come true.”
“The original ‘Vincent Must Die’ is an extraordinary and thrilling piece of cinema, and I am honored to help bring this story to an even wider audience,” said AR Content’s Rodnyansky. “David has created some of the most powerful and memorable films in the horror genre, and I have complete faith in his vision for this adaptation. I’m excited to be partnering with David, Roy and Michael to bring this film to life.”
“We couldn’t be happier to be in business with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick again on this film,” added Atomic Monster president Clear. “David brings a keen sense of story and a knack for the cinematic experience to everything he does. We’re thankful to our partners at AR Content and Vertigo and looking forward to bringing ‘Vincent Must Die’ to life for a whole new audience.”
Johnson-McGoldrick is repped by CAA, Untitled Entertainment and Howard Abramson at Behr Abramson Levy Johnson.
Founded by the two-time Academy Award-nominated producer Rodnyansky (“Leviathan,” “Loveless”), AR Content is at this year’s Venice Film Festival with Kornél Mundruczó’s “Place to Be,” starring Ellen Burstyn, Taika Waititi and Pamela Anderson, and “The Road to Jericho,”a documentary by Amos Gitai, which will both world premiere out of competition.
Later this month, the company will release the event limited series “High Value Target: The Hunt for Saddam,” starring Joel Kinnaman and inspired by John Nixon’s nonfiction book “Debriefing the President,” on TNT.