EXCLUSIVE: Cory Michael Smith (Mountainhead), Vic Carmen Sonne (The Girl with the Needle) and Tamara Podemski (Murderbot) have joined Daniel Zolghadri (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You) in The Temple, a horror film from directors Calvin Thomas and Yonah Lewis which we first reported on in November 2024.
Now off the ground, with production underway in Toronto, The Temple follows Jonathan Baby, an orphaned millionaire who enlists the help of a radiation scientist to communicate with the ghosts of his parents.
Co-written by Lev Lewis (White Lie, Dead Lover), who also serves as editor and composer, pic marks the fifth feature from Canadian writer-directors Thomas and Lewis, whose previous credits include White Lie and The Oxbow Cure.
Speaking to the origins of the project, Yonah Lewis said, “A year after my mother’s death, I moved into the house she died in. I don’t believe in ghosts, but I quickly found myself wondering if I would feel her presence at all. Almost hoping for it. This quickly sparked an idea for Calvin and me. What if someone wasn’t afraid of the ghosts? What if that person wanted to be in that haunted house?”
The film is produced by Lindsay Tapscott and Katie Bird Nolan of Babe Nation Films (Bonjour Tristesse, Alice, Darling), Thomas and Lewis of Lisa Pictures, Alison Almeida (Karupy, Boxcutter) and Ryan Bobkin (Blue Heron, Shook). Neil Mathieson of Arbitrage Pictures, Elevation Pictures and Urban Post Productions are exec producers. Elevation Pictures is distributing the film in Canada and ROW sales are currently open.
The team at Babe Nation said, “We’re thrilled to see this movie head into production with such an incredible cast and crew. Calvin and Yonah are such thoughtful, intelligent filmmakers––true ones to watch––and we can’t wait for audiences to see what they’re capable of.”
Coming off of roles in Succession creator Jesse Armstrong’s HBO movie Mountainhead, Oscar contender Sentimental Value, and Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, Smith will next be seen starring alongside Dakota Fanning and Jake Johnson in the indie drama The Sun Never Sets from Joe Swanberg, which is premiering at SXSW. Coming up, he’ll also be seen starring in A24’s Famous with Zac Efron, as well as their hostage thriller October from Jeremy Saulnier. He is repped by UTA and Circle Management + Production.
Best known for starring in the recent Oscar-nominated international feature The Girl with the Needle, Sonne is repped by UTA, Behind the Scene and Brookside Artist Management.
Most recently seen starring in series like Outer Range and Murderbot, Podemski is repped by Buchwald, Circle Management + Production, and Play Management.
English (US) ·