EXCLUSIVE: Robert Schwartzman‘s next movie is the supernatural horror thriller Portrait we’ve just learned. It’s just wrapped production and stars American Horror Story‘s Finn Wittrock and The Pitt‘s Supriya Ganesh.
Upgrade has boarded international sales and will introduce the project to buyers alongside domestic sales group, After Hours, at the upcoming American Film Market. Christine D’Souza, Julia Nelson, and Peter Van Steemburg will handle North American sales for After Hours.
Written by Zac Stanford (Sleepwalking), from a story by Schwartzman and Stanford, Portrait explores the terrifying intersection of grief, obsession and the supernatural, as a couple’s dream of a new beginning descends into paranoia and violence. When Mark (Wittrock) and his pregnant wife Leah (Ganesh) leave the big city behind to start a new life in a small-town farmhouse, they hope to escape the chaos and build a family together. But after discovering an unsettling antique portrait of a mysterious pioneer woman, their idyllic retreat begins to unravel. Supernatural visions, inexplicable violence and the discovery of long-buried secrets lead Mark on a terrifying journey to save his family.
The movie also stars Whitmer Thomas (Weapons), Este Haim (Licorice Pizza) and Andrew Divoff (Wishmaster).
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The film was produced by Schwartzman, Dani Koenigsberg, T. Justin Ross for Beachwood Park Films, with EPs Greg Lauritano, and Maggie Kaufman Coffey and Marissa Paiva for The Table Productions.
“I find the most impactful horror stories are the ones that make us rethink our lives, a ‘what if this happened to me’ story and situation,” says Schwartzman. “Zac [Stanford] and I wrote the story for Portrait back in 2018 inspired by our love of buying antiques and the concept of not knowing where these objects come from, who they belonged to. What if there was something evil attached to a hidden treasure we stumble upon, unexpectedly inviting a terrifying energy or spirit into our lives? I gravitate to horror films and I scare very easily so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a story that could have this same effect on someone else.”
“Robert has created a genuinely unsettling supernatural horror thriller that amplifies the commercial appeal of a sophisticated, character-driven mystery,” said Jonathan Kier and Matt Brodlie, Co-Presidents of Upgrade Productions. “Finn is an extraordinary actor for this kind of material, and the combination of this cast and Robert’s distinctive visual sensibility makes Portrait a compelling proposition for international audiences.”
Schwartzman’s directing credits include The Good Half, Hung Up On A Dream, The Unicorn, Dreamland and The Argument (also penned by Stanford). He was also the producer on the recent breakout The Last Showgirl.
Wittrock is repped by CAA, Mosaic, Weissenbach Management, and Shreck Rose Dapello. Ganesh is repped by Untitled Entertainment and Granderson Des Rochers.