Julius Avery to Direct Python Survival Thriller Crush for 20th Century Studios
One of Hollywood’s hottest spec scripts has taken another major step towards the big screen. According to Deadline, Julius Avery, the filmmaker behind Overlord and The Pope’s Exorcist, has signed on to direct Crush, the upcoming survival thriller that sparked an intense bidding war before eventually landing at 20th Century Studios.
The project first made headlines last year after multiple studios competed for the rights to the screenplay, highlighting just how much confidence the industry has in its simple but terrifying premise.
A Fight for Survival Against a Giant Python
Inspired by true events, Crush follows a woman hiking alone through Florida’s Everglades who suddenly finds herself trapped inside the crushing coils of a gigantic python. Unable to escape and with every breath becoming increasingly difficult, she must fight to survive as the snake slowly tightens its grip around her body.
The film is expected to unfold primarily in real time, a storytelling approach that should only heighten the tension as audiences experience the ordeal alongside its central character.
It’s a stripped-back concept, but often the simplest ideas make for the most effective survival thrillers. Rather than relying on elaborate mythology or supernatural creatures, Crush promises a relentless battle between one woman and one of nature’s most formidable predators.
The Script That Started a Bidding War
Part of the excitement surrounding Crush stems from how the screenplay found its way into Hollywood.
The script was written by John Fischer, who currently works as an executive at production company Temple Hill. Rather than submitting it under his own name, Fischer uploaded it to The Black List under the pseudonym J.W. Archer, allowing the screenplay to be judged entirely on its own merits.
The gamble paid off.
The spec quickly attracted attention from representatives and studios, eventually triggering a competitive bidding war before 20th Century Studios secured the project.
Temple Hill producers Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey admitted they were initially surprised to discover that one of their own executives had secretly written the screenplay during his spare time.
“Needless to say, it was quite a surprise when John walked into our office and told us he had written a script on the weekends in Spain while working on one of our movies.”
They went on to reveal that any concerns quickly disappeared once they actually read the screenplay.
“We went from being terrified about how to come up with nice things to say when he asked us to read it to elated that it was a thrill ride of a movie that we wanted to produce.”
Julius Avery Returns to Horror
Bringing the project to life is Julius Avery, who has steadily built a reputation for delivering stylish, high-concept genre films.
Many horror fans first discovered Avery through Overlord, the 2018 World War II action-horror film that blended Nazi experimentation with creature-feature thrills. More recently, he directed supernatural horror The Pope’s Exorcist, starring Russell Crowe, while his earlier crime drama Son of a Gun helped establish him as one of Australia’s most promising filmmakers.
Avery had previously been attached to direct alien abduction horror project They Found Us, also for Temple Hill, but now turns his attention to what could become one of the most claustrophobic survival thrillers in recent years.
Temple Hill Continues Its Horror Push
The project will be produced by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey for Temple Hill, alongside Scott Glassgold of 12:01 Films.
Glassgold has quietly assembled an impressive slate of upcoming genre projects, with adaptations of Siren Head and Cartoon Cat currently in development, alongside Drew Hancock’s Seasons for Amazon MGM Studios.
With Julius Avery now officially attached and 20th Century Studios backing the production, Crush appears to be gaining serious momentum. Survival thrillers have long proven that they don’t need huge casts or elaborate settings to keep audiences on the edge of their seats, and the thought of spending nearly two hours trapped in the suffocating coils of a giant python certainly sounds like nightmare fuel.
Further casting and production details are expected to emerge as the project continues its journey towards the big screen.
