‘Mothering Sunday’ Star Odessa Young to Lead Psychological Horror ‘The Damned’ (EXCLUSIVE)
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“Mothering Sunday’s” Odessa Young has been tapped for award-winning director Thordur Palsson’s upcoming psychological horror “The Damned.”
The film will see Young star as Eva, a 19th-century widow tasked with making an impossible choice when, during an especially cruel winter, a ship sinks off the coast of her impoverished Icelandic fishing village. Any attempt to rescue survivors risks further depleting the starving villagers’ supplies.
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As the villagers struggle with their guilt, Eva begins to experience unsettling visions and suspects they are being punished for their choice. Shooting will begin on location in Iceland in January 2022.
Protagonist Pictures will represent sales worldwide, co-repping U.S. rights with CAA Media Finance.
Palsson (“The Valhalla Murders”) wrote the story while Jamie Hannigan wrote the screenplay (supported by Screen Ireland).
Young is currently appearing in Cannes title “Mothering Sunday” alongside Olivia Colman (“The Father”), Colin Firth (“The King’s Speech”) and Josh O’Connor (“The Crown”). An adaptation of the Graham Swift novel of the same name, “Mothering Sunday” is directed by Eva Husson and adapted by Alice Birch.
Young previously appeared in “Shirley” opposite Elisabeth Moss (“A Handmaid’s Tale”) and in Stephen King’s “The Stand” (CBS All Access). She also starred alongside Aaron Taylor Johnson in “A Million Little Pieces,” directed by Sam Taylor Johnson, and opposite Isabel Huppert in Trip Cullman’s Atlantic Theater Company’s production of “The Mother.”
Palsson, a graduate of the U.K.’s National Film and Television School, created and lead directed Netflix’s “The Valhalla Murders.” He has won a Special Jury Mention at PalmSprings Shortfest and the 2016 Nordic Talents competition organized by the Nordisk Film & TV Fund.
“’The Damned’ stems from a universal question that has tested human compassion in a myriad ways throughout history: would I help a stranger at the risk of endangering myself or my loved ones?” said Palsson. “It’s the age-old ‘us vs them’ dynamic, but in extreme circumstances. At the centre of this story is ‘Eva,’ a well-intentioned woman with very human blind spots — and Odessa Young’s unparalleled ability to convey a mix of inner strength, vulnerability and empathy makes me incredibly excited to see her bring our protagonist to life.”
Vision Award winners Emilie Jouffroy and Kamilla Hodol will produce for Elation Pictures alongside John Keville and Conor Barry of Wild Atlantic Pictures (“Gretel and Hansel”) and Netop Films (“Rams”).
“From the moment Thordur first pitched us ‘The Damned,’ we have felt that it would be a truly unique horror film, one with a compelling moral question at its heart,” Jouffroy, Hodol, Keville and Barry said in a statement. “It is set in 19th-century Iceland, but the themes couldn’t be more relevant today — and we know that Thordur will direct a distinctive, chilling and emotionally resonant film.”
Protagonist is organizing financing for the film; CEO Dave Bishop, head of acquisitions Luane Gauer and head of sales George Hamilton are executive producing.
Young is repped by CAA, Echo Lake Entertainment, and attorney Jim Gilio at Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Palsson is repped by CAA and Kelly Knatchbull at Sayle Screen in the UK.
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