Terrifier Actress Jenna Kanell Gets Wachowski Help For Directing Debut
EXCLUSIVE: Lilly Wachowski’s Anarchists United with Sarah Marie Flores and Lawrence Mattis have joined the upcoming sci-fi film De Novo as executive producers.
Written and directed by Terrifier actress Jenna Kanell, and currently in post-production, the film “follows Jonah, a reclusive scientist studying fungi who, in the wake of a cosmic event, discovers she is trapped in a simulation powered by the very system she helped create.”
Joining Kanell in the cast are Justin Chien (Avatar: The Last Airbender), Alexis Louder (Copshop), and Frank Crim (Dexter). Also joining as executive producer is James Ward Byrkit, writer and director of the indie sci-fi film Coherence.
Producing are Thang Ho and T.C. Barrera, Kanell’s partners at production company HOCA Studio. Also producing and representing the film’s distributor is Ahbra Perry, Vice President of Chroma, a label focused on championing independent voices in the genre space.
The project is one of three being brought to the AFM market by recently launched U.S. and UK-based sales firm Narrative Global Sales. The three projects will sit within Narrative’s genre label Chroma.
Also on sale at the market will be Father Figure, winner of Fantastic Fest’s 2026 Fantastic Pitches competition. The film, which is aiming to shoot next year, is written and will be directed by Connor Martin, with Josh Farnsworth as producer. The movie centers on a young couple’s elopement which is hijacked by a death cult determined to resurrect the groom’s dead father.
The third project, also due to film in 2027, is Stabbiest Season. Pic is written by Jack McDermott, who will also direct and produce, with Olivia Simon also producing and Alex Williams serving as executive producer. The synopsis reads: “When the mythical killer Anti-Claus turns a jolly Christmas Eve party into a bloodbath, a group of young revelers must work together to survive the night and stay off the naughty list… or else.”
Chien is represented by Gersh and Venture Entertainment Partners. Crim is repped by Element Talent. Louder is repped by Alexander White Agency and Haven Entertainment. Kanell is repped by Alexander White Agency and Zero Gravity Management.
