The Walking Dead star Tom Payne has landed his next lead movie role in new horror-thriller Imaginary.
The new film comes from renowned horror production company Blumhouse and also stars Jurassic World‘s DeWanda Wise, whose casting was confirmed last week.
The story follows a woman called Jessica (Wise) who moves back into her childhood home with her family, though her stepdaughter Alice (Pyper Braun) starts to develop a worrying attachment to her stuffed bear, Chauncey.
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Jessica starts to grow concerned with Alice’s behaviour, and when she intervenes, she realises that there’s more to Chauncey than previously thought.
As well as Payne, Imaginary has also cast Preacher‘s Betty Buckley, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers‘ Taegen Burns, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series‘ Matthew Sato and Jungle Cruise‘s Veronica Falcón (via Variety).
The movie comes from director Jeff Wadlow, who also wrote the screenplay alongside Greg Erb and Jason Oremland.
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The casting news comes ahead of a trailer due for release today (November 16), while an eerie teaser has also dropped showing the central bear.
“This is Chauncey,” a young girl’s voice is heard saying. “He’s not imaginary… and he’s not your friend,” she adds, as things suddenly turn dark and creepy.
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Filming on the project finished before the recent Hollywood strikes, with the movie due for release in March next year.
Speaking recently about the project, Wadlow praised Wise (who is also on board as an executive producer), saying: “DeWanda has been more than a star on this movie – she has been a full creative partner.
“So much of horror grows out of our most basic fears of childhood, and DeWanda taps into all of that. You know that old saying that the audience’s imagination is scarier than any movie? We’re going to put that to the test.”
Imaginary will be released in cinemas on March 8, 2024.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every ‘t’ and dotting every ‘i’ as a sub-editor.
