Jeffrey Dean Morgan (AMC’s Emmy-winning “The Walking Dead,” Warner Bros.’ Watchmen) and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth (Netflix’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” Disney’s upcoming Pinocchio) are set to star in the new horror thriller Felix.
Written by Casey Giltner and directed by John Kissack (the horror thriller Everfall), the film is set to start principal photography this spring.
Felix is produced by Joe Carnahan (Hulu’s Boss Level, Open Road’s The Grey), Jayson Therrien (FX’s “Fargo,” Netflix’s “Black Summer”) and Kissack. Highland Film Group is representing worldwide rights, with sales underway.
“We could not be more thrilled to reteam with Joe Carnahan after the success of Hulu’s Boss Level starring Mel Gibson and Frank Grillo. We are so excited to have the incredibly talented Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth join our Felix family and bring these roles to life,” said Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser. “This Super 8 meets Child’s Play thriller is a nail-biting and suspenseful horror film. We cannot wait to see cameras roll on this totally awesome project,” added Highland COO Delphine Perrier.
In this unique and chilling tale, Charlie (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and his best friend Jimmy are making a movie with dreams of becoming Hollywood directors. When Charlie’s Dad (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) finds an old ventriloquist doll named Felix among his late mother’s belongings, Charlie and Jimmy immediately cast Felix as the creepy antagonist in their movie. Through a chain of increasingly sinister and disturbing events, the family discovers that Felix has a mind of his own and it’s up to Charlie and Jimmy to rid their family of this ominous force they’ve awoken.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is known for his role as Negan in AMC’s Emmy-winning series “The Walking Dead” and will next star in AMC’s new spinoff series “Isle of the Dead” with his “Walking” co-star Lauren Cohan. His film credits include Watchmen directed by Zack Snyder, Rampage starring Dwayne Johnson and Naomie Harris and The Losers starring Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans and Idris Elba – all three for Warner Bros. His additional TV credits include the recurring role of Denny Duquette on Shonda Rhimes’ long-running series “Grey’s Anatomy” and CBS’ political drama series “The Good Wife.”
Benjamin Evan Ainsworth has made quite the wave in his short time on the screen. His breakout role came as Miles Wingrave in Netflix’s mini-series “The Haunting of Bly Manor.” In 2021, he held his own alongside comedy stars Ben Schwartz and Alyson Hannigan in Disney’s Flora & Ulysses. Ainsworth most recently was seen starring in the new Lionsgate series “Son of a Critch” that premiered in January. Next up this year is David S. Goyer’s epic adaptation of the comic “Sandman” for Netflix. He also stars in the titular role in Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Pinocchio, directed by Robert Zemeckis and also starring Tom Hanks.
Morgan is represented by UTA, attorney Stuart Rosenthal of Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher and Viewpoint. Ainsworth is represented by Alan Siegel Entertainment, ICM Partners, Mark Jermin Management and Paul Hastings.
Highland Film Group’s current sales slate of films also includes Daniel Casey’s Wardriver starring Dane DeHaan and Sophie Turner; Rusty Cundieff’s 57 Seconds starring Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson; John Stalberg Jr.’s Muzzle starring Aaron Eckhart; One True Loves starring Shang-Chi’s Simu Liu, Phillipa Soo and Luke Bracey; Adrian Grünberg’s thriller The Black Demon starring Josh Lucas; James Cullen Bressack’s Hot Seat starring Mel Gibson and Kevin Dillon; K. Asher Levin’s Slayers starring Thomas Jane, Abigail Breslin and Malin Akerman; Renny Harlin’s The Misfits starring Pierce Brosnan, Nick Cannon and Tim Roth; Allan Ungar’s Bandit starring Josh Duhamel, Mel Gibson and Elisha Cuthbert; Stephan Rick’s The Good Neighbor starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Luke Kleintank and Avan Jogia’s Door Mouse starring Hayley Law, Famke Janssen and Keith Powers.
