‘London Has Fallen’ Director, ‘10 Cloverfield Lane’ Writers Team for ‘Horizon Line’

The word ‘Hollywood’ is an easy stand-in for the entertainment industry at large, but plenty of the movies that end up at the neighborhood cineplexes of America’s small towns have roots in faraway places. Financiers, producers, and studios headquartered in distant nations have laid claim to a piece of the sugary, fattening pie that is U.S. box-office, and a notable move from Swedish production house Svensk Filmindustri today is the only the latest example. Joining together sought-after U.S. and Swedish talent for a buzzy-sounding project, the studio has made a significant motion to establish their presence in the domestic film market.

Horizon Line is the likely-to-be-changed title of the mysterious project that Svensk Filmindustri is coordinating. Laying claim to what they are banking will be the biggest names of tomorrow, the studio has enlisted Swedish-born director Babak Najafi (currently enjoying a moment in the spotlight as the helmer of London Has Fallen) to direct from a script written by the 10 Cloverfield Lane team of Josh Campbell and Matt Stuecken. The item from Deadline that broke this story isn’t especially generous with details, but it does identify the story as a “suspenseful thriller” about a couple on a lovely trip that goes horribly awry when the plane transporting them to their tropical destination gets lost over the Pacific. And then, to make matters even worse, the people seated in front of the couple won’t stop reclining their seats. And they’ve got a kid that won’t stop screaming. And the airline gave out mini-pretzel bags instead of those French sugar cookies. (Just that first part.)

Svensk Filmindustri’s investment in this project is a considerable gamble, seeing as the creative team all comes from major Hollywood releases that have yet to prove themselves. It’s hard to see 10 Cloverfield Lane flopping, though I might not say the same of London Has Fallen, but either way, this will be one to keep an eye on as it develops. Plane thrillers can be pretty gripping — see Flightplan. Also, just see Flightplan.