Neill Blomkamp to Direct Joel Kinnaman in Alien Abduction Thriller ‘They Found Us’ for AGC Studios

Actor Joel Kinnaman is teaming up with “District 9” and “Elysium” filmmaker Neill Blomkamp for a new sci-fi film. Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios will fully finance “They Found Us,” a new alien abduction thriller to be directed by Blomkamp with Kinnaman attached to star, AGC Studios Chairman and CEO Ford and Temple Hill’s Wyck Godfrey announced on Wednesday.

“They Found Us” is based on an original screenplay by Jeremy Slater (“Moon Knight,” “Fantastic Four,” “The Exorcist,”) and will be produced by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen for Temple Hill Entertainment (“Smile,” “Twilight” franchise, “Maze Runner” franchise).

Ford is onboard as an executive producer along with Temple Hill’s John Fischer. The film will shoot in Australia in 2023. AGC International will launch sales in Cannes with UTA Independent Film Group co-repping US rights.

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“They Found Us” is an alien abduction story of a father, played by Kinnaman, and daughter Kaylee who undertake a camping trip in the Utah wilderness to heal their broken relationship. Attacked by a hostile extraterrestrial lifeform, their lives, not just their relationship, are at stake as they fight with a humanoid beast to stop their abduction to an unknown and terrifying alien world.

“We’re delighted to extend our relationship with Neill, who is a master of the sci-fi and horror genres. Jeremy Slater’s taught terrifying screenplay is a perfect match for Neill’s visual talents and the proven audience-pleasing instincts of our partners at Temple Hill,” Ford said in a statement.

Godfrey added: “We’re so excited to be working with Neill and Joel and everyone at AGC to bring ‘They Found Us’ to life. The otherworldly horror and breathless suspense at the center of Jeremy’s script is merely the backdrop for an all too relatable and emotional story of a father and teenage daughter grappling with their differences and working through their estrangement.”

Kinnaman just wrapped production on AGC action thriller “The Silent Hour” directed by Brad Anderson, starring alongside Mark Strong, Sandra Mae Frank and Mekhi Phifer. The actor is best known for his work in films like “The Suicide Squad,” “The Informer” and “The Secrets We Keep” and shows such as “House of Cards” and “The Killing.” He currently plays the lead role in “For All Mankind” on Apple TV+. He will soon be seen in John Woo’s highly anticipated action-thriller “Silent Night” and “Sympathy for the Devil” opposite Nicolas Cage.

Blomkamp most recently directed Sony’s “Gran Turismo” which hits theaters this August. He’s repped by CAA and Gendler & Kelly and Kinnaman is repped by WME and Magnolia Entertainment.

AGC’s SVP of Legal & Business Affairs Anant Tamirisa negotiated the deal on behalf of AGC; and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller, Gellman, Meigs & Fox negotiated on behalf of Temple Hill.

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