Award-winning Bollywood superstar
Kangana Ranaut (
"Emergency",
"Queen",
"Fashion") is set to star in the new horror drama
"Blessed Be The Evil". The film marks Ranaut's first lead role in a Hollywood mainstream feature.
Anurag Rudra (
"New Me",
Tailing Pond") will direct from a screenplay written by Rudra and
Gatha Tiwary, who will both also produce.
Inspired by true Indian folklore, the movie follows a Christian couple who tries to move forward after a devastating miscarriage by buying an abandoned farm with a dark past. Soon their love and faith are tested by a malevolent presence.
Tyler Posey (
"Teen Wolf",
"Truth or Dare") and
Scarlet Rose Stallone (
"Gunslingers",
"Tulsa King").
The production has made the decision to shoot in the U.S. to avoid running into any uncertainties stemming from the recently announced Trump industry tariffs. Filming will begin this summer in New York.
Producers presented the film at the Cannes Film Market. Casting is by
Lisa London and
Catherine Stroud of London/Stroud Casting. Award-winning cinematographer
Wade Muller (Millennium Films'
"Elephant White", and Saban Films'
"Occupation: Rainfall") is confirmed as Director of Photography.
Rudra had this to say about the project:
"Being born and spending my childhood in rural India, I was told stories that got embedded in my mind and heart. This folklore was so special that I truly believed in all the stories, and wanted to showcase them internationally through the art of cinema - the strongest and most beautiful way to connect to dreams and reality."
Tiwary added:
"A story like Blessed Be The Evil is very rare. Lions Movies has developed a spine-chilling narrative with unprecedented suspense and drama. It also has great potential for international markets, both in streaming and selling."
Kangana Ranaut is a multi-award winning renowned Indian actress, filmmaker, and politician, best known for portraying strong, unconventional female characters in Hindi cinema. Ranaut gained critical acclaim for her roles in
"Fashion",
"Queen" and
"Tanu Weds Manu Returns", with the latter two securing her consecutive National Film Awards for Best Actress. Ranaut wrote, directed and produced the period drama
"Emergency", in which she portrays Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and is set during one of the most controversial periods of post-Independence Indian history. The film received a worldwide theatrical release in January 2025. Ranaut has received multiple awards including four National Film Awards (India's equivalent of the Academy Award), and four Filmfare Awards, honouring artistic and technical excellence in Indian cinema, among other numerous accolades. In 2020, Kangana was honoured with the 'Padma Shri', India's fourth-highest civilian award, for her contributions to the arts. Beyond her film career, Ranaut serves as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha in India, entering office as a first-time member in 2024.
Tyler Posey's breakout role came as the lead Scott McCall on MTV's
"Teen Wolf" which earned him several Teen Choice and ALMA Awards, and its revival film -
"Teen Wolf: The Movie", which Posey also produced. Additional credits include the slasher-horror
"Truth or Dare", co-starring
Lucy Hale, The CW's smash hit series
"Jane the Virgin" starring
Gina Rodriguez and
Justin Baldoni, and
"Maid in Manhattan", starring
Ralph Fiennes and
Jennifer Lopez.
Scarlet Rose Stallone is an actress and reality star, and the youngest daughter of
Sylvester Stallone and
Jennifer Flavin. Stallone made her film debut in the crime comedy
"Reach Me", starring
Sylvester Stallone and
Kyra Sedgwick, and has since appeared in various films and TV shows, including
"The Gunslingers", starring
Nicolas Cage, Heather Graham and
Stephen Dorff,
Taylor Sheridan's (
"Yellowstone") series
"Tulsa King" and Paramount+'s reality series
"The Family Stallone".
Writer/Director/Producer
Anurag Rudra produced the documentary short
"Tailing Pond", which was narrated by Emmy Award winner
Cynthia Nixon, and qualified for the 93rd Academy Awards for Documentary – Short category. Rudra's directorial debut, the horror-thriller
"New Me", screened at the Cannes Marché du Film in 2022.
