XYZ Films Acquires Screenlife Thriller ‘Resurrected’ From ‘Missing’ EP Timur Bekmambetov

EXCLUSIVE: XYZ Films has secured North American rights to the sci-fi thriller Resurrected, starring The Vigil‘s Dave Davis, from international sales agent Pulsar Content. Plans for the film’s release have not yet been disclosed.

Produced by Timur Bekmambetov’s Bazelevs, the company behind such titles as Searching and Wanted, Resurrected is set in a near future where the Catholic Church has found the secret to resurrection. They only grant a second life, however, to sinless believers under 65. Our protagonist Stanley (Davis), whose son was the first to be resurrected, finds the awful conspiracy behind the secret to eternal life, and now the Church will stop at nothing to prevent him from exposing the truth.

More from Deadline

• Raoul Peck’s Documentary On Photographer Ernest Cole Acquired by Magnolia Pictures And mk2 Leading Into Cannes Market

• 'Mad Men' Star Christina Hendricks To Lead Psychological Thriller 'Reckoner'; XYZ Films Launches For Cannes Market

• XYZ Films Hires Former Film Factory Executive To Oversee New Global Film Slate Including Cannes Title 'In Flames' 

Egor Baranov (Netflix’s S’parta) directed the pic, which was co-produced with France’s Logical Pictures (The Deep House), in association with Pulsar Content. Principal photography took place in Los Angeles, with Baranov directing remotely via a virtual director’s desk.

This was made possible because the film falls under the ‘screenlife’ subgenre, pioneered by Bekmambetov, in which the action is set from the point of view of smartphone and computer screens, as characters utilize devices that drive the narrative forward.

Bekmambetov’s debut screenlife production, the 2014 teen horror pic Unfriended, went on to gross more than $62 million against a budget of just $1 million after being picked up by Universal. His next screenlife production, Searching — a Screen Gems title starring John Cho — proved a sensation following its world premiere at Sundance 2018, grossing over $75M. Following that pic up last January was the sequel Missing, starring Nia Long and Storm Reid, which netted over $48M.

Baranov is repped by Against the Grain Entertainment; Davis by Greene Talent, People Store and Echo Lake Entertainment; and Bekmambetov by WME.

Best of Deadline

• TV Shows Affected By WGA Strike: 'You Bet Your Life', 'The Chi', 'FBI: Most Wanted' & More - Updated List

• 2023 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

• Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.