Sarah Paulson may already have her hands full with a number of projects in the pipeline, but the Emmy-winning actress seems to be capable of juggling even more with the latest announcement that she has been tapped for the main role in Searchlight Picture's horror thriller movie, Dust. Paulson will replace Claire Foy (The Crown) who was originally selected for the role in June 2020 but had to abandon the project due to scheduling conflicts.
The horror thriller movie which is a Hulu original is centered around Paulson's character, described as a "young mother who is haunted by the past as she encounters a threatening presence and takes extraordinary measures to protect her family." The horrific plight faced by Paulson's yet unnamed character is exacerbated by the fact that she is also trapped in a hazardous dust storm that has taken over Oklahoma in the 1930s.
Dust adds to a growing list of Paulson's collaborations with Searchlight Pictures as she is also set to serve as an executive producer. She has previously starred in acclaimed Searchlight projects including the historical drama, 12 Years a Slave, and Martha Marcy May Marlene. For their latest project, Searchlight executives, David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield have expressed excitement about working with Paulson again saying in a joint statement, “Sarah is an extraordinary artist and we are thrilled to be working with her again.”
Paulson has demonstrated her expertise in the horror genre with several roles in the Ryan Murphy anthology horror television series, American Horror Story (AHS) where she has portrayed versatile characters in all except one season of the FX hit series which has run for 10 seasons and counting. Paulson's success in AHS has led her to work with Murphy on FX's American Crime Story (ACS) where Paulson earned an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for her portrayal of prosecutor Marcia Clark, the lead prosecutor in the O.J Simpson murder case in the first season of the true-crime series. She returned in the third season Impeachment: American Crime Story in a different role describing it as "the greatest experience I’ve ever had from an acting standpoint period."
Dust adds to Paulson's recent line-up which already includes Clybourne Park, a screen adaptation of Bruce Norris' stage play of the same name, and Untamed, a series adaptation of Glennon Doyle’s memoir. In addition to AHS and ACS, Paulson is the lead and executive producer on the ongoing psychological thriller, Ratched.
Principal photography for Dust will begin in late August with Will Joines and Karrie Crouse set to direct on a script that will be provided by Crouse. Alix Madigan and Lucas Joaquin are lined up as producers while Chan Phung, Zahra Phillips, and Daejione Jones will supervise the project on behalf of Searchlight Pictures
A release date is yet to be set for Dust, however, it is confirmed that the horror thriller will stream on Hulu.
Watch Collider's interview with Paulson below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgcpEClBMbs