The upcoming thriller Victorian Psycho has traded one scream queen for another. Deadline reports that Longlegs‘ Maika Monroe will now take the lead in the film, taking over from The Substance‘s Margaret Qualley. The film is also set to star Thomasin McKenzie.

No reason was given for Qualley‘s departure, but her recent success has made her an in-demand actor. This year alone, she is set to star in Blue Moon, Honey Don’t!, and Happy Gilmore 2, with Huntington and The Dog Stars also in the works. Monroe is certainly a strong replacement. However, Longlegs is only the most recent entry in a horror resume that also includes It Follows and The Guest. Says director Zachary Wigon: “Maika’s intense screen presence has resonated with me over and over again throughout her history of complex performances. I’m absolutely thrilled for her to bring her unique style of psychological portraiture to the fascinatingly bizarre Winifred Notty.” The film was previously to be distributed by A24, but it too has departed the picture; it will be shopped to buyers at the imminent Cannes film market.

What Is ‘Victorian Psycho’ About?

Victorian Psycho is based on the unreleased novel of the same name by Virginia Feito, the bestselling author of Mrs. March. It takes place in 1858 and centers around Winifred Notty — a woman who arrives at Ensor House, a remote Gothic manor, to serve as its new governess. She does her best to educate the children and befriend Ensor’s nursemaid (Mackenzie) even as she attempts to hide her own psychopathic tendencies. However, pretty soon other staff members start to disappear, and it seems that Notty is to blame. Wigon, who directed Qualley in the erotic thriller Sanctuary, will helm the picture, with Feito set to adapt her own novel. it was originally set to film earlier this year, but is now targeting an August production start.

After the success of last year’s chiller Longlegs, Monroe has a busy slate of upcoming productions. She will star in the fantasy film 100 Nights of Hero, the thriller remake The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (inheriting the vengeful nanny role from Rebecca De Mornay), and the Pamela Anderson drama Place to Be. She is also set to star in They Follow, a sequel to her breakout horror hit It Follows.

Maika Monroe will now star in Victorian Psycho, replacing Margaret Qualley, and production is expected to begin this August.

via Collider