Dakota Fanning cast as Mina in The Watchers

DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: Dakota Fanning (The Equalizer 3) has added to an already stacked dance card, closing a deal to lead the buzzy supernatural thriller The Watchers, which will mark the feature debut of writer-director Ishana Night Shyamalan.

The film set up at New Line Cinema following a multi-studio bidding war, which is based on the 2021 gothic horror novel by A.M. Shine, tells the story of Mina (Fanning), a 28-year-old artist who gets stranded in an expansive, untouched forest in western Ireland. When Mina finds shelter, she unknowingly becomes trapped alongside three strangers that are watched and stalked by mysterious creatures each night.

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Ishana Night Shyamalan & The Watchers

DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: We hear that New Line has landed The Watchers, a project from Ishana Night Shyamalan which will mark her feature directorial debut and which she adapted from the A.M. Shine novel of the same name. There’s a lot of excitement around the thriller which is being fast-tracked for a June 7, 2024 global theatrical release; cameras rolling later this year. New Line beat out other studios with a competitive bid.

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THE WATCHERS

A spine-chilling Irish horror adventure set in the remote unknown forests of Galway, from debut Irish author A.M. Shine.

'A dark, claustrophobic read' - T. Kingfisher, author of Paladin's Grance

You can't see them. But they can see you.

This forest isn't charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its treeline. Mina's is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker. As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams.

Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground. These creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn't reach the bunker in time.

Afraid and trapped among strangers, Mina is desperate for answers. Who are the Watchers and why are these creatures keeping them imprisoned, keen to watch their every move?

Perfect for fans of Francine Toon, Paul Tremblay and Andrew Michael Hurley.

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