‘The Invitation’ Director Karyn Kusama to Helm Horror Flick ‘Breed’

Karyn Kusama handily delivered one of this year’s best thrillers with The Invitation, an incredibly unnerving and masterful “horror film for grown-ups” that proves you don’t need gimmicky jump scares and supernatural creatures to create chilling atmosphere and spooky vibes. Although her most recent effort wasn’t overt horror, it looks like Kusama’s next project definitely is, as she’s attached herself to helm Breed for executive producer Scott Frank.

20th Century Fox has officially announced the new project, which Kusama will direct from a screenplay by Invitation scribes Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi. Breed is based on a novel by Chase Novak, and centers on a wealthy New York couple whose failed attempts to have a child lead them to a Eastern European clinic with some controversial methods. 10 years later, the couple and their twin children begin experiencing the horrific side effects of that experimental procedure.

Breed is the first film Scott Frank will oversee through his new production deal at Fox. Best known as a screenwriter, Frank’s recent credits include The Wolverine and A Walk Among the Tombstones; he’s also working on a new Netflix series called Godless, with Steven Soderbergh producing.

As The Wrap points out, Kusama’s involvement with Breed is even more notable in light of the site’s own recent reporting on Fox — the findings of which revealed that the studio had no women lined up to direct any of their upcoming films through 2018.