Jessica Rothe is joining the cast of the upcoming action-thriller Boy Kills World. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Rothe will be taking over the role that was originally going to be played by Samara Weaving.
Rothe will play an assassin named June 27, replacing Weaving, who left the project due to scheduling conflicts. Her previous work includes playing Tree Gelbman in the Happy Death Day films (both directed by Christopher Landon), Forever My Girl (directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf), and 2017's Tater Tot & Patton (directed by Andrew Kightlinger). Rothe stars in Boy Kills World alongside Bill Skarsgård, who is best known for playing Pennywise in the It films (directed by Andy Muschietti), as well as Yayan Ruhian (John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum), Andrew Koji (Warrior, Snake Eyes), and Isaiah Mustafa (Shadowhunters, It: Chapter Two).
Boy Kills World tells the story of Boy (Skarsgard), a deaf-mute with a vibrant imagination. When his family is murdered, Boy escapes to the jungle and is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death. The film will be directed by Moritz Mohr, and Sam Raimi will be a producer for the film. Raimi is well known for directing the 2002-2007 Spider-Man trilogy (starring Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man/Peter Parker), and The Evil Dead film series.
Raimi's next film will be Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. "Moritz has a brilliant sense for action, humor, and world building that I just cannot wait for the world to see," Raimi previously said about Boy Kills World. Roy Lee will also be a producer for the film. The film will be produced by Raimi Productions, Vertigo Entertainment, Nthibah Pictures, and Hammerstone Studios.
No official release date has been announced for Boy Kills World. Production is scheduled to being on February 14 in Sourth Africa.