Brian De Palma’s Weinstein-Inspired Horror Pic Gets A Title & ‘Elle’s Producers

Brian De Palma’s Weinstein-Inspired Horror Pic Gets A Title & ‘Elle’s Producers

Brian De Palma’s horror project that takes inspiration from the Harvey Weinstein scandal now has a title, producers and a planned setting. Saïd Ben Saïd, producer of Paul Verhoeven’s award-winning Elle, tells Deadline the script De Palma is writing is called Predator. Ben Saïd, who produced De Palma’s 2012 Passion starring Rachel McAdams and Noomi Rapace, will produce Predator with partner Michel Merkt. Separately, De Palma has said he’s using the Toronto Film Festival as a backdrop for the intrigue.

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Without revealing the title or his producers’ names, De Palma last week evoked Predator during a French tour for his thriller novel Are Snakes Necessary? which he co-wrote with Susan Lehman. The Carrie, Scarface and Untouchables director told local press he was preparing “a horror film, with a sexual aggressor” at its center. He has since elaborated that the project will take place “within the context of sexual harassment in Hollywood” and told Le Point the project will shoot in Toronto.

Production, he said, won’t begin for another year due to Ben Saïd’s busy schedule. He and Merkt are currently collaborating on Verhoeven’s next, Benedetta, a thriller that mixes religion with erotica and controversy. They also have Ira Sachs’ A Family Vacation in pre-production, among other projects.

De Palma has thriller Domino on deck with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Guy Pearce and Carice Van Houten starring. The Euro-backed film was on some wish lists for last month’s Cannes, but could now turn up at one of the fall festivals.