Osgood Perkins Begins Filming The Young People with Tatiana Maslany, Lola Tung, Nico Parker, and a Star-Studded Cast
Osgood Perkins has quietly become one of modern horror’s most fascinating filmmakers, and he is not slowing down any time soon. Just months after wrapping Keeper and releasing his Stephen King adaptation The Monkey, Perkins is already deep into his next nightmare. Deadline reports that production is underway on his latest film, The Young People, which promises to continue the writer and director’s streak of eerie, slow burning terror.
Perkins, who first impressed horror audiences with The Blackcoat’s Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, seems to be on a creative rampage. The Monkey and Keeper will have hit theaters within nine months of each other, and now The Young People joins the queue, suggesting that the director has reached his most prolific phase yet.
Returning to collaborate with Perkins once again is Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany, who starred in The Monkey and will soon appear in Keeper. Maslany is perhaps best known for her incredible range in Orphan Black, where she played multiple clones, each with distinct personalities. She also took on Marvel territory in She Hulk Attorney at Law. Her return to Perkins’ world suggests a continued creative chemistry between the two, one that promises more dark and psychological storytelling.
Joining Maslany in The Young People are Lola Tung and Nico Parker, two rising stars whose recent work has made them names to watch. Tung broke out with her role in The Summer I Turned Pretty, where she anchored the romantic drama with a natural warmth that will make her turn in horror all the more intriguing. Parker, daughter of actress Thandiwe Newton, recently appeared in The Last of Us and will soon star in How to Train Your Dragon. Between these two and Maslany, Perkins has assembled a cast that perfectly blends fresh talent and seasoned experience.
The supporting cast rounds out beautifully, too. Heather Graham, a familiar face to horror fans from Suitable Flesh and thrillers like Boogie Nights, brings star power and genre credibility. Johnny Knoxville, forever associated with Jackass, might sound like an unexpected addition, but he has quietly shown impressive acting chops in darker material such as The Ringer and We Summon the Darkness. Cush Jumbo, best known for The Good Wife and The Good Fight, brings intensity and intelligence to every project she touches. Rounding out the ensemble are Lexi Minetree from The Paramedic Who Stalked Me, Lily Collias from Good One, and Brendan Hines from Lie to Me, ensuring that The Young People is stacked from top to bottom with talent.
Plot details are being kept under wraps for now, but according to Deadline, a leaked glimpse of page 76 from the script included a reference to “The Old Ones,” suggesting that Perkins may be diving headfirst into Lovecraftian horror territory. That idea alone is enough to spark curiosity among genre fans, as Perkins’ slow, poetic storytelling style seems tailor made for cosmic dread and psychological unraveling.
Perkins wrote the script himself and is directing the film, which is being co-financed by Neon and Lyrical Media. The project is part of Perkins’ first look deal with Neon, announced earlier this year. Under the agreement, Neon will produce and release films that Perkins writes, directs, or produces through his new company Phobos, which he co-founded with longtime producing partner Chris Ferguson. Deadline reports that Neon will handle United States theatrical releases while representing international rights, signaling major confidence in Perkins’ ongoing output.
Producing The Young People are Perkins, Ferguson, and Brian Kavanaugh Jones of Range, who has worked with him on several previous films. With Neon behind it, the studio that has handled hits like Titane, Infinity Pool, and Longlegs, The Young People has all the makings of another stylish, prestige horror entry.
Perkins’ filmography continues to evolve in fascinating ways. After cutting his teeth on psychological chillers like The Blackcoat’s Daughter and I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House, he brought his signature dread to the twisted fairy tale Gretel and Hansel. He then turned to King’s The Monkey and the mysterious thriller Keeper, starring Tatiana Maslany and Rosemarie DeWitt. His recent pace of work recalls horror legends like John Carpenter in the 1980s, striking while the creative iron is white hot.
If The Young People really does embrace Lovecraftian mythology, it could mark a thrilling new direction for Perkins, combining his haunting visual style with the scale of cosmic terror. Fans of his moody, character driven horror will no doubt be eager to see what nightmares he conjures next.
With The Monkey and Keeper both arriving in theaters within a year, and The Young People already filming, Osgood Perkins seems unstoppable, a modern horror auteur with no interest in slowing down.
Stay tuned for more updates as production continues, and keep an eye on that fog rolling in. If Perkins’ previous work is any indication, The Young People is going to get under your skin and stay there.
