Searclight Pictures landed U.S. rights to “Monitor,” from filmmakers Matt Black and Ryan Polly, following the horror movie’s buzzy SXSW debut.
The premise of the movie hinges on this question: “What if the worst thing on the internet wasn’t meant to be seen?” The story follows as a demonic entity that stalks social media content moderators after they block a disturbing video that pops up online. Despite their efforts, a synopsis teases, “something begins to spread — moving from screen to screen and targeting anyone who watches. No escape. No warning. Once you’ve seen it… it’s already too late.”
“Monitor” stars Brittany O’Grady (“The White Lotus,” “It’s What’s Inside”), Taz Skylar (“One Piece”), Viveik Karla (“Blinded by the Light,” “Voyagers”), Ines Høysæter Asserson (“Harajuku)”, Gunner Willis (“The Bondsman”), Sara Alexander (“Call the Midwife”) and Camila Bejarano Wahlgren (“The Sandhamn Murders”).
The feature film, produced by Nostromo Pictures and Temple Hill, creators of the “Smile” franchise, made its world premiere last month in the Midnighter section at SXSW.
“Matt and Ryan have crafted a visceral, modern thriller that taps directly into our collective fear of what may lurk just out of view, at the edges of our screens — delivering a truly wild ride. We can’t wait to bring it to audiences,” said Searchlight Pictures president Matthew Greenfield in a statement announcing the acquisition. Searchlight will also distribute in the U.K. and Southeast Asia.
The film will be released in 2027; details of the rollout will be announced at a later date.
“When we made the original ‘Monitor’ short film eight years ago, we never imagined it would one day find a home at Searchlight Pictures,” added Black and Polly. “We’re beyond thrilled to be partnering with them to bring this monster to theaters, where it truly belongs on the BIG SCREEN.”
The duo continued: “‘Monitor’ was always meant to be experienced with a room full of people being terrified together. We’re incredibly grateful to our entire cast and crew and our partners at Temple Hill and Nostromo Pictures, who championed this project from the beginning and helped make this moment possible.”
Producers are Temple Hill co-founders Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, Isaac Klausner and John Fischer with Nostromo Pictures’ Adrian Guerra. Executive producers include Nostromo’s Nuria Valls, alongside Hal Sadoff, Ben Levine, Dave Bishop and George Hamilton.
“’Monitor’ is the kind of horror experience that burrows under your skin — elevated, insightful, and above all, terrifying,” the producers added. “We’re proud to be partnering with Searchlight to bring Matt and Ryan’s bold, original directorial vision to the big screen.”
Chan Phung, head of acquisitions, and Ben Wilkinson, VP of business affairs, negotiated the deal on behalf of Searchlight with Temple Hill Entertainment and UTA Independent Film Group. Protagonist Pictures handled international sales.
“Monitor” is one among a crop of films to take on the “horrors of content moderation,” notes Variety’s William Earl. Just this spring, three films debuted that center on online moderators. In addition to “Montior,” the comedic anthology “Grind,” from Ed Dougherty and Brea Grant, includes a key segment in which a moderator’s purgatorial existence drives him mad, while Daniel Goldhaber’s “Faces of Death,” starring Barbie Ferrera, features a meta-narrative also set in the world of content moderation — a job Goldhaber once held for a summer.
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