Stars of Barbarian and Late Night with the Devil unite on The Shepherd

David Dastmalchian (Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, Apple TV+’s upcoming “Murderbot”) and Georgina Campbell (Barbarian, The Watchers) are set to star in the horror-thriller The Shepherd, it was announced today. The film is directed by John Hyams (Sick, Alone, HBO’s documentary The Smashing Machine) and written by Alexander Gustaveson. Anton is handling worldwide rights and co-repping North American rights with UTA Independent Film Group and Cinetic, launching sales at the Marche du Film.

Reuniting the producers behind the box-office hit Late Night with the Devil - which also starred Dastmalchian - The Shepherd is produced under the Spooky Pictures – Image Nation partnership with Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Split) and Roy Lee (It franchise, Barbarian, A Minecraft Movie) for Spooky Pictures (Strange Darling, Chloe Okuno’s Watcher); Ben Cornwell, Jordan Foley and Nick Smith for Paperclip Ltd. (Alone, Snack Shack) along with Jonathan Rosenthal (Alone, The Abandon); and Sébastien Raybaud (Fuze, Greenland: Migration, Greenland, The Night House) for Anton. The film is executive produced by David Dastmalchian under his Good Fiend Films banner, Georgina Campbell, Ben Ross and Derek Dauchy for Image Nation, Rami Yasin for Spooky Pictures, and Yeardley Smith for Paperclip Ltd.

Anton and Image Nation are financing the film, with production set to start on The Shepherd in the fall, 2025.

In the desolate Nevada night, a young woman in labor fleeing an abusive past, has her escape hijacked by a mysterious stranger, who hides an ominous threat in the back of her car.

Ben Ross, CEO of Image Nation, said: “Following the success of Late Night with the Devil, we’re excited to be working with David Dastmalchian once again on The Shepherd. David brings a distinctive energy and depth to every project he’s part of, and this film marks another strong collaboration in our ongoing partnership with Spooky Pictures.”

"Once I turned the first few pages of The Shepherd I was hooked. I immediately wanted to see this high-octane, horrifying world brought to life and John is the perfect person to make it happen. After collaborating with Roy and Steven on Late Night with the Devil, I have been looking forward to getting back in the sandbox with them and I can't wait to bring the genre force of Good Fiend Films into the equation," added David Dastmalchian.

The Shepherd is part of a slate of upcoming projects from Spooky Pictures and Image Nation including Charlie Polinger’s The Plague starring Joel Edgerton, which will premiere in Cannes’ prestigious Un Certain Regard competition, Randall Okita’s Menace starring Isabel May, and Damian Mc Carthy’s Hokum starring Adam Scott.   

David Dastmalchian starred in Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winning Oppenheimer alongside Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. He made his feature film debut in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight and went on to star in Marvel Studio’s Ant-Man and its sequels Ant-Man and The Wasp and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania alongside Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly. Additional credits include James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad with Margot Robbie and Viola Davis and Warner Bros.’ Dune with Timothée Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson. He can be seen next in Apple TV+’s new sci fi series “Murderbot.”

Georgina Campbell is known for her starring roles in 20th Century’s horror-thriller Barbarian alongside Bill Skarsgård and Justin Long and Warner Bros.’ The Watchers opposite Dakota Fanning. She won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC’s “Murdered by My Boyfriend,” making her the first non-white actress to win that award. Additional TV credits include “Broadchurch,” the “Black Mirror” episode "Hang the DJ" and Syfy’s “Krypton.”

David Dastmalchian is repped by Atlas Artists. Georgina Campbell is repped by UTA, Entertainment 360, Independent Talent Group and Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan LLC.

ABOUT IMAGE NATION

Image Nation Abu Dhabi is one of the Middle East’s leading film studios with a mission to unlock the potential of the region’s creative talent to bring its vibrant storytelling to the world.

The company has built its reputation on breaking boundaries and unleashing imagination through content ranging from award-winning films and TV programs to documentaries and non-scripted series, produced in partnership with a global network of content creators, distributors, and channels. By catalyzing ideas, talent, and enterprise, the studio fosters dialogue and builds relationships that help bridge cultural gaps. 

Image Nation productions have been screened at film festivals across the globe and received the film and TV industry’s highest honors, including Academy Awards, BAFTAs, and Emmys.

In delivering on its mission, Image Nation also plays an important role in realizing Abu Dhabi’s vision to shape a competitive, sustainable, and globally open economy and positioning the emirate as a regional content creation hub.

ABOUT SPOOKY PICTURES

Vertigo Entertainment's Roy Lee (The Ring, IT, Barbarian) partnered with prolific horror producer Steven Schneider (Paranormal Activity, Insidious, Split) in 2020 to form the indie genre label Spooky Pictures. The label has produced some of the most acclaimed independent genre films in recent years, including Strange Darling (2024, dir. J.T. Mollner) and, under its co-production partnership with Image Nation Abu Dhabi, Watcher (2022, dir. Chloe Okuno) and Late Night with the Devil (2023, dir. Cairnes Brothers). Spooky Pictures boasts a diverse and exciting slate of upcoming features, including Charlie Polinger’s The Plague starring Joel Edgerton, Randall Okita’s Menace starring Isabel May and Damian Mc Carthy’s Hokum starring Adam Scott.

ABOUT ANTON

Helmed by producer Sébastien Raybaud and headquartered in London, with offices in Los Angeles and Berlin, Anton’s current film slate includes Zachary Wigon’s psychological horror film Victorian Psycho from Longlegs producer Dan Kagan; David Mackenzie’s thriller Fuze starring Theo James and Aaron Taylor Johnson; Night of the Zoopocalypse, the CGI animated feature from the Studios behind Despicable Me, Ice Age: Collision Course and Paw Patrol; Memoir of a Snail, the stop motion animated feature from Academy Award-winner Adam Elliott, which was Oscar Nominated for Best Animated Feature, took home the top Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, was awarded the Best Film at the London Film Festival and screened in Official Selection at the Telluride Film Festival; Martin Campbell’s Cleaner starring Daisy Ridley and Clive Owen; the survival thriller A Prayer for the Dying starring Johnny Flynn and John C. Reilly, currently in post-production; and Claude Barras’ animated feature Savages which enjoyed its World Premiere in Official Selection at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Additional projects include Greenland: Migration starring Gerard Butler, who reprises his role in the sequel to Anton’s blockbuster Greenland, currently in post-production.

Recently, Anton developed, produced and financed the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival title The End We Start From starring Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch; Mothers’ Instinct starring Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway; the action thriller Canary Black, starring Kate Beckinsale and Rupert Friend; and Jamie Child's thriller Jackdaw, starring Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Jenna Coleman.