Filming is underway on the first installment of the new horror trilogy
"Rule of Three" from Temple Hill Entertainment, the studio behind
"Smile",
"Smile 2",
"The Twilight Saga" and
"The Maze Runner" trilogy, and Nostromo Pictures, the European production house behind
"Red Lights" and
"Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End". The new trilogy is directed by
James Roday Rodriguez (
"Gravy") from a script he co-wrote alongside
Todd Harthan (
"High Potential") based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by bestselling thriller author
Sam Ripley.
Here is the film's official synopsis:
"Beware, Beware, the Rule of Three, It's coming for you, like it came for me… Are Amy (East) and her family plagued by a deadly curse? Every three years, death strikes under mysterious circumstances, horrifically killing family members. It's almost three years to the day since Amy’s parents' death, and Amy realises the curse must strike her next. With the help of her best friend Lizzy (McKenzie), the two friends try to cheat Amy's death and find a way to reverse the curse. But is Amy’s fate already sealed? Bad things always happen in threes, so they say…".
Joining previously announced
Thomasin McKenzie (
"JoJo Rabbit",
"Last Night in Soho") is a newly revealed cast that includes
Chloe East (
"Heretic",
"The Fabelmans"),
Jimmi Simpson (
"House of Cards",
"Westworld"),
Sutton Foster (
"Younger"),
Tom Everett Scott (
"That Thing You Do!",
"The Summer I Turned Pretty") and
Bilal Hasna (
"Layla",
"Extraordinary").
Temple Hill and Protagonist Pictures' partnership began with
"Clown in a Cornfield", the award-winning book-to-film adaptation which grossed $15M worldwide, including $7.2M at the U.S. box office for IFC and $3M at the French box office for SND. They also teamed up on the horror
"Monitor", set to premiere at SXSW 2026.
"Rule of Three" marks their fourth collaboration.
Produces include
Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and
Isaac Klausner for Temple Hill, with
Hal Sadoff and
Ben Levine executive producing.
Adrián Guerra and
Núria Valls are producing for Nostromo Pictures.
Dave Bishop, James Pugh and
George Hamilton serve as executive producers for Protagonist, in collaboration with Rodriguez and Harthan's Taft Tennis.
Protagonist's CCO
George Hamilton said in a statement:
"As we kick off production on our fourth feature together, we're incredibly fortunate to be joining forces once again with Temple Hill on this daring and bold psychological horror. We're thrilled to have world-class international partners on board to champion the film and introduce the first chapter of what will be a fun, smart but unsettling story for audiences worldwide."
In a joint statement, the producers added:
"We could not be more excited to invite audiences everywhere to experience James' incredible filmmaking vision. Rule of Three is a terrifying and heart-wrenching exploration of the baggage we carry from our pasts and the power of friendship to help us try and overcome it. Led by two incredible actresses and a terrific ensemble cast, Rule of Three is a horrifying cinematic thrill ride bound to pack an emotional punch".
