Karen Gillan and Josh Hutcherson Headline Blasphemous, a Supernatural Thriller With a Star-Packed Ensemble

Karen Gillan, Josh Hutcherson, and Clive Owen will headline Blasphemous, a supernatural thriller that launches Hellraiser scribe Luke Piotrowski’s directorial debut.

File this under: possessed-road-thriller I want yesterday. Karen Gillan, Josh Hutcherson, and Clive Owen are teaming up for a supernatural movie called 'Blasphemous,' and the pitch is lean, mean, and honestly pretty fun.

The essentials

• Cast: Karen Gillan, Josh Hutcherson, Clive Owen
• Director: Luke Piotrowski (making his feature directing debut; co-writer on Hellraiser and She Rides Shotgun)
• Logline: A rookie priest and his devout mentor must shuttle a possessed young woman to a secure site for an exorcism. She bolts. Chaos follows. Faith gets stress-tested.
• Vibe: Think The Exorcist meets Training — yes, that second title appears oddly truncated in some materials
• Timing: Aiming to start production in August
• Sales: Handled by North.Five.Six, with talks expected around the European Film Market in Berlin
• Pedigree: The script landed on the 2023 Black List

What is 'Blasphemous' actually about?

It follows two clerics on a high-risk transport: Josh Hutcherson plays the rookie priest; Clive Owen is his seasoned, devout mentor. Karen Gillan is the possessed young woman they are trying to deliver to a secure location for an exorcism. She escapes mid-mission, and the whole thing turns into a frantic chase that doubles as a pressure cooker for belief, duty, and survival. It is a clean, high-concept setup with room for character fireworks.

Why this team makes sense

Luke Piotrowski, stepping behind the camera for the first time, co-wrote the recent Hellraiser entry and the upcoming She Rides Shotgun adaptation, so he is not new to stylish, skin-prickly horror. Hitch those instincts to a chase structure and a tight trio of leads, and you can see why this script caught heat.

Speaking of heat, the project’s been making the rounds since it hit the 2023 Black List, which tends to spotlight clever, production-ready ideas. That tracks with the word-of-mouth on this one being a character-forward thriller with bite.

"Blasphemous is one of the best scripts the collective producer group has ever read. It’s a one-of-a-kind genre ride that features sharp dialogue, compelling characters, and powerful ideas."

That endorsement comes from producer Scott Strauss, the former Sony executive who now runs the Badlands banner on this.

Status report and the business side

The plan is to roll cameras in August. North.Five.Six is handling sales, and the package is expected to be in the mix at the European Film Market in Berlin. Translation: expect distribution chatter soon if buyers like the combination of premise, cast, and Black List momentum.

Cast check-in

Karen Gillan keeps a foot in both blockbuster and genre worlds. She is part of the Guardians of the Galaxy orbit and the Jumanji franchise, and she is currently filming another Jumanji entry alongside Dwayne Johnson. She is also set to star in the upcoming remake of Highlander. Josh Hutcherson has the massive-franchise cred too, between The Hunger Games and the recent Five Nights at Freddy's breakout. Clive Owen brings the gravitas you want in a cleric mentor role, with standout turns in Closer, Sin City, and Steven Soderbergh’s series The Knick.

Bottom line

A possessed-woman transport thriller with Gillan, Hutcherson, and Owen, steered by a horror-savvy writer making his directing debut, and boosted by Black List buzz? That combo tends to travel well. If the August start holds and EFM bites, we will likely be hearing a lot more about 'Blasphemous' very soon.