Jaume Collet-Serra Next Movie, a Survival Thriller ‘Play Dead’ Is Being Described as “Don’t Breathe meets 1917”

Jaume Collet-Serra is keeping the momentum going after the success of his Netflix thriller Carry-On. The filmmaker, known for House of Wax, Orphan, and The Shallows, has lined up his next project—Play Dead, a survival thriller.

Details about the plot remain secret, but sources describe Play Dead as a mix between Don’t Breathe and 1917. Don’t Breathe, directed by Fede Alvarez, is a tense home invasion horror, while 1917, helmed by Sam Mendes, is a gripping war film. This description suggests Play Dead may combine elements of both, possibly blending high-stakes survival with a wartime setting. However, that remains speculation for now.

The screenplay was written by Peter Stanley-Ward and Natalie Conway. The film is being produced by Nocturnal, BoulderLight Pictures, Bad Grey, and Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures.

Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert are producing through Ghost House, alongside Akiva Nemetsky and Keaton Heinrichs for Nocturnal, JD Lifshitz and Raphael Margules for BoulderLight, and Dane Eckerle for Bad Grey. Romel Adam and Jose Cañas are overseeing for Ghost House, while Tracy Rosenblum is handling things for BoulderLight. Scott Greenberg of LBI is set to executive produce, with Jazmyn Tanski overseeing.

Production is set to begin in May at NantStudios, located in Docklands Studios Melbourne.

Collet-Serra has built a strong reputation for crafting high-concept thrillers. His career took off with horror films like House of Wax and Orphan before he transitioned into action-packed thrillers, collaborating multiple times with Liam Neeson on Non-Stop, Unknown, Run All Night, and The Commuter. He later directed big-budget films such as Jungle Cruise and Black Adam.

Currently, he has The Woman in the Yard, a horror thriller starring Danielle Deadwyler, hitting theaters on March 28. He has also finished work on a new take on Cliffhanger, starring Lily James and Pierce Brosnan.

With Carry-On drawing in 164.8 million views since its December release, becoming Netflix’s most-watched movie of 2024 and one of its biggest films ever, expectations are high for Play Dead.

What do you think about this new project? Let us know in the comments below!