The First Purge director Gerard McMurray is heading to Louisiana for Goons, a new horror feature set amid the eerie backdrop of the state’s cane fields and plantations.
Power‘s Michael Rainey Jr. and The Exorcism‘s Chloe Bailey will star in Goon, which is now filming in New Orleans and nearby areas.
Tommy Oliver is producing via his Confluential Films, which will make the project under its New Fear Unlocked Productions, a new genre label dedicated to what the company says are “bold, elevated, culturally specific horror films from creators of color.”
McMurray co-wrote the script with Hodge K. Johnson.
“I can’t wait for audiences to see what Gerard and I are cooking up with the kick-ass squad we’ve assembled. I also couldn’t be more excited to kick off New Fear Unlocked with this film from such a talented director,” said Oliver, whose company is fully financing the feature.
Added McMurray: “I’m beyond excited to direct a film in the horror genre. Goons is a love letter to my hometown of New Orleans, and a deeply personal story for me. Producing this film along with Confluential/New Fear Unlocked shows the power of Black storytellers with a collaborative spirit.”
Confluential is known for projects such as the Sundance Grand Jury winner Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project and the Lily Gladstone feature Fancy Dance. Its new horror-focused label comes amid a hot time for horror, one of the few resilient genres at the box office, which has prompted studios all over Hollywood to shore up their footing in the space.
McMurray is repped by WME; Artists First; and Gang Tyre. Rainey is repped by Independent Artist Group, Higher Level Talents, Untitled Entertainment, and Yorn Levine. Bailey is repped by CAA. Oliver and Confluential are repped by CAA and The BALA Firm.
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