LaKeith Stanfield and Ben Mendelsohn to Lead Horror Molepeople

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A new horror film is heading underground. LaKeith Stanfield and Emmy winner Ben Mendelsohn will star in Molepeople , directed by Rob Savage, and the film now has a release date: August 27, 2027. Stanfield announced the date himself on stage at New York Comic Con on Friday evening, Variety reports. The film is a co-production between Paramount Primal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster, with Paramount handling worldwide distribution. What Molepeople is about The story follows a man who goes down into the abandoned tunnels beneath New York City. There, he discovers what the official logline calls "a twisted society lurking beneath the streets". Nathan Elston wrote the script. Savage, who The Hollywood Reporter notes had a film opening the same weekend, is directing. Film facts Stars: LaKeith Stanfield, Ben Mendelsohn Director: Rob Savage Writer: Nathan Elston Studios: Paramount Primal and Blumhouse Atomic Monster Distributor: Paramount (worldwide) Release: August 27, 2027, in cinemas A casting change Stanfield is a replacement. TheWrap reports that he steps in for Anthony Ramos, who was previously attached to star alongside Mendelsohn. Shooting in the UK According to The Hollywood Reporter, production is due to begin at the end of November or in early December in the UK. That puts filming only weeks away. The project started out as an independent film. It moved to Paramount when producers J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules created Primal, their genre label, THR says. The producers are Blumhouse Atomic Monster chief Jason Blum, Lifshitz, Margules and James Harris. Ryan Turek, Tracy Rosenblum, Elston and Savage are executive producers. Two horror powerhouses team up Variety frames the film as a meeting of two horror businesses. Paramount Primal is one of the specialty labels in Skydance's film division, focused on "smartly budgeted" projects with "pulp sensibility". Blumhouse Atomic Monster spent two decades perfecting low-budget horror hits. Variety says the combined Blumhouse Atomic Monster, formed when Blumhouse merged with James Wan's Atomic Monster in 2024, has grossed more than $10 billion worldwide. Its franchises include The Conjuring , Halloween , The Purge , M3GAN and Five Nights at Freddy's . The company's latest release, Other Mommy , opened at the top of the box office, as we covered in our box office report . Stanfield's history with Blumhouse Molepeople will be Stanfield's third film with Blumhouse. Variety notes he had a small part in 2014's The Purge: Anarchy and a key role in Jordan Peele's Oscar-winning 2017 film Get Out . THR adds that he recently appeared in a film from Boots Riley. Mendelsohn is coming off the Venice Film Festival premiere of a thriller directed by Casey Affleck that also stars Scoot McNairy, THR reports. TheWrap notes that Stanfield is represented by CAA and Stark Management, and Mendelsohn by WME. More news from the panel The Comic Con panel also brought other Blumhouse news. TheWrap reports a short-film deal with horror creator Heidi Wong, known online as "The Horror Queen", who will make a new horror short for the company. Paramount Primal's growing slate Variety also outlines what else Paramount Primal is building. Its projects include "Sweet Spot", a high-concept thriller spec from writing duo Nic Curcio and Kirby Gladstein, and "The Troop", based on the horror novel by Nick Cutter. The label has acquired US rights to adapt the original screenplay for A Nightmare on Elm Street from the Wes Craven estate. It is also developing the R-rated fantasy "Tower Defense" from writer Evan Daugherty. Blumhouse Atomic Monster has had a big 2026 of its own. Variety reports that Obsession and Backrooms became the highest-grossing films ever for Focus Features and A24 respectively. They helped the company pass $1 billion at the worldwide box office for the second year in a row. What's next Cameras roll in the UK within weeks, and the film is set for late August 2027. Expect first-look images once production is under way. For more upcoming releases, visit our Movies section and Film hub. Sources: Variety | The Hollywood Reporter | TheWrap