In her first deal since winning an Oscar for her performance in Anora, Mikey Madison has signed on to star in Reptilia, a unique thriller feature from Alejandro Landes Echavarría.
Kirsten Dunst is also starring in the indie that has a power producing team behind it, including Pastel (Moonlight), Imperative Entertainment (Killers of the Flower Moon) and international production company AF Films. Landes Echavarría is also producing via his A STELA CINE banner.
Black Bear is financing the title, which is set for a sales launch at the Cannes Film Market via Charades, UTA Independent Film Group and 30West.
Based on a script by Landes Echavarría and Duke Merriman, the story tells of a dental hygienist seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade.
Principal photography will commence in the fall, according to the announcement.
Madison, already seen in key roles in such movies such as Scream 5 and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, broke out in the biggest way with Anora, which won five Academy Awards and Cannes’ Palme d’Or last year. In addition to her best actress Oscar, Madison ended up winning the BAFTA Award for best leading actress and the Independent Spirit Award for best lead performance. She also earned nominations for a Golden Globe, SAG Award and Critics Choice Award.
South American filmmaker Landes Echavarría previously directed Monos, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award and went on to win the award for best film at the 2019 BFI London Film Festival. It was also selected as the official Colombian entry for the best international feature category for the 92nd Academy Awards.
Dunst, who last starred in last year’s A24’s dramatic thriller Civil War, will next appear in Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman opposite Channing Tatum and in Ruben Östlund’s upcoming A24 feature The Entertainment System Is Down.
Madison is represented by UTA and Authentic Talent & Literary Management. Dunst is represented by UTA, Entertainment 360 and Hansen Jacobson. Landes Echavarría is represented by UTA and Lichter, Grossman.
Imperative, founded by Dan Friedkin and Bradley Thomas, was most recently behind Martin Scorsese’s 10-time Oscar-nominated Killers of the Flower Moon and next has A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, which Sony will release in September. Pastel is the filmmaker-forward banner founded by Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak.
