‘Monitor’: ‘Smile 2’ Producers Temple Hill Announce Their Next Horror Feature!!

London, UK (November 1, 2024) – Temple Hill Entertainment, the producers behind the critically acclaimed box office megahits Smile and Smile 2, and leading sales, finance and production company Protagonist Pictures have announced the high concept horror feature, Monitor. Written and directed by Ryan Polly and Matt Black (I Bet You’re Wondering How I Got Here, Stalled) the film is based on their terrifying horror short of the same name.

Monitor is produced by Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and John Fischer for Temple Hill (Smile, The Twilight Saga, The Maze Runner Trilogy), Nostromo Pictures (The Night Manager Season 2 ) is co-producing. Protagonist’s Dave Bishop and George Hamilton serve as executive producers.

When a group of social media moderators refuse to publish a horrifying video, a demonic creature starts following them across every screen in their lives. Feeding off fear, the creature hunts them down one by one and attacks them until it gets what it wants… to be let out beyond the screen.

Protagonist Pictures is launching worldwide sales at the upcoming American Film Market, with production scheduled to begin in Spring 2025. This is the latest collaboration between Protagonist and Temple Hill, which began with the slasher horror Clown In A Cornfield which sold out at AFM 2022.

“Our friends at Temple Hill have an incredibly successful track record for making films that connect with global audiences. They deliver once again with this audacious and bold film that is sure to scare the hell out of cinema goers worldwide,” said Protagonist Pictures’ CEO, Dave Bishop. “Monitor is a horror as terrifying as it is timely, with its contemporary take on the frightening online world we’re all forced to navigate. Ryan and Matt have the talent to deliver all the scares and more, and we can’t wait to jump into production early next year.”

Polly and Black added, “The more we use screens in our daily lives, the more we learn we can’t trust them. It’s a universal anxiety that we think is ripe for a killer new horror concept. Temple Hill have been dream collaborators for us and their record in the genre speaks for itself. We can’t wait to summon this monster to the screen.”

“We’re thrilled to introduce Matt and Ryan’s terrifying filmmaking vision to the world,” the producers shared in a joint statement. “Monitor is a chilling and timely exploration of how digital reality can begin to overtake real life. To us, it is The Ring for the social media generation and we can’t wait for audiences everywhere to experience it.”

In addition to Monitor, writer-directors Ryan Polly and Matt Black are in development on multiple feature film projects including the feature-length adaptations of their award-winning short film Pizza Time. Polly and Black co-founded the film development and production company Bonus Features, which creates award-winning genre short films that have premiered at San Diego Comic-Con, and won the grand jury prize at Slamdance. He is also co-founder of the Weekend Video ad agency, which produces commercials and branded content for major brands including Nintendo, Pizza Hut, and Budweiser, among others. They are represented by Jon Kee at Circle Management + Production, and Raymond Tambe at JSSK. Monitor is their feature directorial debut.

Founded by Godfrey and Bowen in 2006, Temple Hill Entertainment is the prolific banner behind a number of blockbuster film franchises, including the 2022 successful sleeper hit, Smile, followed by the box office chart-topper, Smile 2, both released by Paramount Pictures. Their book-to-film adaptations, The Twilight Saga and The Maze Runner trilogy, have grossed over $5.3B and $949M worldwide respectively. Additional films include John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, starring Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort; Greg Berlanti’s Love, Simon, starring Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel; the critically acclaimed and NAACP Image Award-winner, The Hate U Give; and Fatherhood, starring Kevin Hart and Alfre Woodward.

Protagonist Pictures AFM slate includes the Scottish family drama Glenrothan, starring Alan Cumming, and Brian Cox in his feature directorial debut; Bharat Nalluri’s family adventure Flavia, starring Martin Freeman, Jonathan Pryce, and Molly Belle Wright; Philippa Lowthorpe’s H Is For Hawk, starring Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson; the Venice, TIFF and San Sebastian selection Kill the Jockey, directed by Luis Ortega and recently selected as Argentina’s feature film contender for the 2025 Academy Awards; Samir Oliveros’ TIFF title The Luckiest Man in America, starring Emmy and Golden Globe winner Paul Walter Hauser; the genre-bending comedy Sister Midnight, which recently screened at the London Film Festival and was nominated for Cannes’ Camera D’Or; and from directors Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, and Galen Johnson, the political horror-comedy Rumours, which debuted at Cannes before going on to screen at Toronto, San Sebastian, New York and London Film Festivals.

ABOUT TEMPLE HILL ENTERTAINMENT

Founded in 2006 by Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey, Temple Hill Entertainment is a production company based in Los Angeles, telling stories across film, television, publishing, podcasts, and documentaries. Since its inception, Temple Hill has had its finger on the pulse of popular culture, producing acclaimed films and television series that excite and inspire big, global audiences. Grossing over $5 billion at the box office, Temple Hill has produced numerous franchises and breakout hits, including. The Twilight Saga and The Maze Runner as well as adaptations of beloved, bestselling novels, including The Fault in Our Stars, The Hate U Give, and Love, Simon. Maintaining a high standard of ingenuity, commerciality, and critical acclaim, recent hits include last year’s horror film, Smile, for Paramount Pictures; Hulu’s most-watched original film, Happiest Season, starring Kristen Stewart and Mackenzie Davis; and the Oscar-nominated First Man, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by Damien Chazelle (La La Land, Whiplash).

About Protagonist Pictures

Led by Dave Bishop alongside George Hamilton and James Pugh, Protagonist Pictures is a sales, finance, and production company with a proven track record in outstanding films and commercial successes. Based in the UK, the company handles films from around the world, always maintaining a strong focus on filmmakers with exceptional vision and storytelling skills. Protagonist Pictures has championed groundbreaking filmmakers since its inception, including Chloe Zhao, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sean Baker, Rose Glass, Taika Waititi and Pawel Pawlikowski.

Protagonist Pictures just had three films premiering in the fall festivals: Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce, premiering in Venice to stellar reviews; Luis Ortega’s Kill the Jockey, starring Nahuel Perez Biscayart and Ursula Corbero, playing in Venice in Official Competition and TIFF, also recently selected as Argentina’s Oscar pick for 2025; and The Luckiest Man in America, by Samir Oliveros, starring Paul Walter Hauser, Walton Goggins and Shamier Anderson, also debuting at TIFF to sterling reviews.

The current slate also includes Adam Scott’s edge of your seat thriller Double Booked, starring Adam Scott, Zazie Beetz, Sterling K Brown and Alexandra Daddario, and the charming NY set comedy Encore, produced by Temple Hill and directed by Simon Curtis, with Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, Henry Winkler and Don Johnson. Protagonist Pictures also handled international sales on Eli Craig’s highly anticipated horror adaptation, Clown in a Cornfield, also from Temple Hill Entertainment.

Other recent titles include Sundance and Berlin film festival selection The Outrun starring Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu, Thordur Palsson’s elevated horror The Damned, starring Odessa Young and Joe Cole, and premiering at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival, both of which Protagonist also executive produced. The ensemble comedy Rumours, directed by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson, led by Cate Blanchett and Alicia Vikander, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, and Sister Midnight, starring Radhika Apte, Ashok Pathak and Chhaya Kadam, and directed by Karan Kandhari, which also premiered in Cannes at the Director’s Fortnight.