EXCLUSIVE: Billy Magnussen and Lulu Wilson have signed to co-star in Joe Lynch’s horror comedy Buzzkill ahead of an early 2026 shoot in Texas, as Anonymous Content and The Veterans join forces to launch sales on the film at the AFM.
Billed as a blend of A Quiet Place and Another Round, the movie is set in a small Texas town terrorized by a creature that can only be seen by people who are drunk.
Magnussen stars as recently widowed and recovering alcoholic Sheriff Red, who launches an investigation as locals begin turning up murdered and dismembered one by one, discovering that the monster feeds on the blood alcohol content of its victims.
With the annual brewery festival fast approaching, the whole town is about to get wasted. Red must face his demons and pick up the bottle one last time to take down the monster and save his town for good. Wilson co-stars as Lydia, Red’s vengeful little sister.
Lynch – whose previous credits include action-thriller Everly and action-horror Mayhem as well as Netflix’s Point Blank, Shudder’s original fantastic horror anthology Creepshow (2021), and the pilot episode of Tales from the Void (2024) – will direct from a screenplay written by Colin McLaughlin.
Brothers Dane and Cole Eckerle are producing through their company Bad Grey, the credits of which include titles like Last Straw and Mother, May I?.
Individually, Dane produced I Love My Dad which won the Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize at SXSW in 2022 and then sold to Magnolia. He also served as an EP on Greedy People with Joseph Gordon Levitt, Lily James, Himesh Patel, Simon Rex and Jim Gaffigan, which was released by Lionsgate last year.
“Colin has crafted a story that’s equal parts hilarious, scary and action-packed — an entertaining romp from start to finish,” said Dane Eckerle.
“Joe Lynch’s track record and ability to create high-octane genre chaos makes him the perfect filmmaker for the job. Add our stars, Billy and Lulu, plus our partners at Anonymous Content and The Veterans — and we couldn’t think of a better team to be brewing this movie alongside.”
Jonathan Schwartz and Nick Shumaker will produce on behalf of Anonymous Content with David Levine executive producing. Magnussen will also produce under his company HappyBad Bungalow, alongside partners Anne Hollister and Shane Andries who serve as co-executive producers.
AC Studios division AC Independent and The Veterans will have a sizzle reel and script available for buyers at the AFM. The Veterans will handle international territories and AC Independent will sell U.S. rights with UTA Independent Film Group.
Magnussen broke through with Rob Marshall’s Into the Woods with other credits including Guy Richie’s Aladdin, the Black Mirror TV Series, and No Time to Die.
He also starred as Pleakley in Disney’s live-action hit Lilo & Stitch and Road House alongside Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor. He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Actor for his role in the play, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike. He will next star as the lead in AMC’s upcoming 2026 series The Audacity from creator Jonathan Glatzer.
Wilson will be seen next in an upcoming Hulu feature alongside Gaten Matarazzo and Sean Giambrone, directed by comedy duo BriTANicK, while she is best known for her horror roles in Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016) and Annabelle: Creation (2017), as well as Mike Flanagan Netflix series The Haunting of Hill House (2018), and The Fall of the House of Usher (2023) and the soon-to-be triptych Becky (2020), The Wrath of Becky (2023) and the upcoming third instalment.
Magnussen is repped by UTA, Anonymous Content and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Wilson is repped by UTA, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein. Lynch is repped by Anonymous Content and Eclipse Law.
