Bill Skarsgård, Samara Weaving, and Yayan Ruhian have been announced as the leading cast for the upcoming film Boy Kills World. The film, co-produced by horror master Sam Raimi, is described as an “action movie set in a dystopian fever dream reality,” and is gearing up to shoot in South Africa.
Skarsgård will play the protagonist Boy, a “deaf-mute with a vibrant imagination,” who escapes to the jungle after his family is murdered. Boy is subsequently trained by a mysterious shaman to become an “instrument of death.” Weaving will appear as an assassin, and martial arts veteran Ruhian will play Boy’s mentor.
German filmmaker Moritz Mohr caught Raimi’s eye with a detailed previsualization of the film’s cinematic approach, and will make his feature debut with the project, written by Arend Remmers and Tyler Burton Smith.
Boy Kills World is produced by Zainab Azizi of Raimi Productions, Stuart Manashil of Novo, and Dan Kagan and Andrew Childs of Vertigo Entertainment. Raimi will produce through his Raimi Productions banner alongside Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment.
The Evil Dead director said in a statement:
“I am thrilled to be partnering up again with Roy Lee on Moritz Mohr’s Boy Kills World. Moritz has a brilliant sense for action, humor, and world building that I just cannot wait for the world to see. We are excited to be collaborating with Nthibah and Hammerstone to bring Moritz’s unique film to life.”
Simon Swart, CEO of co-financiers Nthibah Pictures, added:
“Boy Kills World is set in a distinct dystopian world, combining real world themes with a stylized look that is fresh, cool and original, borrowing from the best of graphic novels. With a script that combines wild innovative action sequences, a sense of humor and a lot of crazy, this film has the potential to be a worldwide hit and potential franchise property.”
Skarsgård is coming off of the two It films and director Antonio Campos’ The Devil All the Time. He will also appear in John Wick: Chapter 4. Weaving, who made a splash as a scream queen with the two The Babysitter movies and Ready or Not, was recently seen in the underwhelming G.I. Joe spinoff Snake Eyes. She has worked with Raimi before, on Ash vs Evil Dead. Ruhian burst onto the scene with a supporting role in The Raid. He has since appeared in Star Wars: The Force Awakens and John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum.
Raimi, of course, is currently directing Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, his long-awaited return to superhero filmmaking after the original Spider-Man trilogy, which concluded in 2007. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates on Boy Kills World.