Blumhouse finally managed to locate and hire a female director. Several weeks after Jason Blum’s unfortunate remarks that he’d really like to work with women directors, but there’s just not enough of them out there, IndieWire reports Sophia Takal (“Always Shine”) has helmed an episode of Blumhouse’s Hulu horror anthology, “Into the Dark.” She’s the first woman to direct a Blumhouse original, the source confirms.
Every month, a new installment of “Into the Dark” drops on Hulu. Each feature-length entry is tied to a specific holiday.
Takal directed “New Year New You,” an 85-minute feature premiering December 28. Starring an all-female cast that includes Suki Waterhouse (“Assassination Nation”), Carly Chaikin (“Mr. Robot”), Kirby Howell-Baptiste (“Killing Eve”), and Melissa Bergland (“Winners & Losers”), the installment is about high school friends who get together on New Year’s Eve — and are forced to confront traumas from their past.
“It’s in the vein of hysterical women horror movies,” Takal said of the project, “but it’s really a satirical takedown of the loathsome internet culture of today.” “It’s fun that over the holidays, if someone’s sitting at home visiting their high school friends, they can watch this,” she added. “I think so far this is the most accessible movie I’ve made.”
“This was my first time working as a director-for-hire,” Takal revealed. “I was nervous I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to the project, but [Blumhouse] trusted me.”
Takal’s previous directorial efforts include “Green,” a portrait of an unusual love triangle, and “Always Shine,” a tense thriller about female friendship and the pressures show business places on women. She has also worked as an actress, producer, writer, and editor.
