London, UK (February 4, 2026) – Filming is underway on the first installment of the new horror trilogy Rule of Three from Temple Hill Entertainment, the powerhouse behind worldwide sensations Smile and Smile 2, as well as the blockbuster franchises The Twilight Saga and The Maze Runner trilogy, and Nostromo Pictures, the European production house behind Red Lights and Prime Video’s global #1 hit Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End. Rule of Three is based on the acclaimed novel of the same name by bestselling thriller author Sam Ripley, with James Roday Rodriguez (Gravy) directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with Todd Harthan (“High Potential”).
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”).
Leading sales, finance and production company Protagonist Pictures also announced a string of international deals ahead of EFM including Germany, Austria, Switzerland and France (Wildbunch), Portugal (Cinemundo), Latin America (Sun), Australia and New Zealand (Umbrella), Eastern Europe (M2), Baltics (ACME), Ukraine (Greenlight), India (Pictureworks), Philippines (Pioneer), Middle East (Front Row) and Israel (Lev).
Rule of Three synopsis reads: 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…
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.
Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Isaac Klausner produce 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.
“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,” said Protagonist’s CCO George Hamilton. “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.”
“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,” the producers shared in a joint statement.
Founded by Godfrey and Bowen in 2006, Temple Hill Entertainment is the successful banner behind a number of blockbuster film franchises, including the 2022 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.
Guerra and Valls launched Nostromo Pictures in 2010 and have since produced more than 40 feature films. The company first broke out with the multi-award-winning Sundance hit Buried, which grossed over $20 million worldwide, followed by the high-profile thriller Red Lights, starring Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Olsen, Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro. Their credits also include Prime Video’s global #1 chart-topper Apocalypse Z: The Beginning of the End, and the critical and commercial success The Invisible Guest (Contratiempo), one of the top-grossing Spanish thrillers of all time.
East most recently starred in Heretic opposite Hugh Grant and Sophie Thatcher. Credits also include Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated The Fabelmans, the Lena Dunham-produced series “Genera+ion,” and the feature The Wolf of Snow Hollow.
Simpson received an Emmy nomination for his role in the sci-fi epic series “Westworld.” He has also earned recognition for his roles in “House of Cards,” “Pachinko,” and the long-running hit comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” He currently stars in Dark Matter and recently reprised his role in the USS Callister sequel episode of “Black Mirror,” for which he earned a BAFTA TV nomination.
Foster is a two-time Tony Award winner and seven-time nominee who has most recently led the Broadway revivals of Once Upon a Mattress and The Music Man. She’ll next star as country music legend Loretta Lynn in the upcoming Coal Miner’s Daughter Broadway adaptation. On TV Foster led TV Land’s “Younger” for seven seasons and has appeared in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” and “Bunheads.”
Everett Scott broke out in his feature debut as Guy Patterson in Tom Hanks’ That Thing You Do! and will next be seen starring in “Elle,” the highly anticipated prequel series to the Legally Blonde films. He most recently appeared in the hit Amazon series “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” His film credits include An American Werewolf in Paris, Clouds, Sister of the Groom, Finding You, and One True Loves.
Hasna is a BAFTA TV nominee who starred in the acclaimed film Layla. He currently stars in the political-thriller series “The Agency: Central Intelligence,” and his other recent TV credits include “Black Mirror,” “Slow Horses,” “Extraordinary,” and “Dead Hot.” Hasna was named a 2023 ‘Screen International Star of Tomorrow.’
East is repped by WME, Link Entertainment, Vault Entertainment and Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan; Simpson is repped by CAA, Cognition, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; Foster is repped by CAA; Everett Scott is repped by Gersh and John Carrabino Management; Hasna is repped by Insight Management & Production and Circle Management+Production. Roday Rodriguez is repped by CAA and Principal Entertainment; Harthan is repped by UTA, Circle Management + Production and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich & Gellman.
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ABOUT TEMPLE HILL ENTERTAINMENT
Temple Hill Entertainment was founded in 2006 by Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen. Together they’ve produced a number of successful film franchises, notably The Twilight Saga, The Maze Runner trilogy, and the Smile series along with The Fault in Our Stars, Fatherhood, The Hate U Give, Love, Simon, First Man and Happiest Season. On TV, they have success with the hit ABC series, Revenge and FX‘s Dave. Today, Bowen and Godfrey are joined by President of Film Isaac Klausner, SVP of Development John Fischer, and EVP of Development Laura Quicksilver as a collective of producers, consistently releasing multiple feature films each year, with offices in Los Angeles and London and a thriving publishing division. Temple Hill‘s next release CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD premiered at SXSW to critical acclaim and releases wide on May 9th. Other features upcoming include MY OXFORD YEAR for Netflix, THE MAP THAT LEADS TO YOU for Amazon, and PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION, the adaptation of Emily Henry’s bestselling novel, also for Netflix. Temple Hill is currently in production on three feature films, MONITOR, a horror based on Matt Black & Ryan Polly’s terrifying short of the name, CHILDREN OF BLOOD AND BONE, based on the internationally bestselling book series and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Blacklist standout HEART OF THE BEAST, starring Brad Pitt and directed by David Ayer.
ABOUT NOSTROMO PICTURES
Nostromo Pictures, founded in 2010 by Adrián Guerra and Núria Valls, has established itself as one of Europe’s most dynamic production powerhouses, dedicated to producing global content with high production value. The company has produced over 40 feature films, including the Sundance sensation BURIED starring Ryan Reynolds, RED LIGHTS with Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Olsen, Sigourney Weaver and Robert De Niro, and the Spanish box-office phenomena PALM TREES IN THE SNOW and GOD’S CROOKED LINES. Nostromo is also behind the massive international success THE INVISIBLE GUEST (Contratiempo), the hit YA franchise THROUGH MY WINDOW for Netflix, and the global #1 hit APOCALYPSE Z: THE BEGINNING OF THE END for Prime Video. Recently, the family dramedy WOLFGANG (EXTRAORDINARIO) was one of the highest-grossing films of the year in Spain, while THE PENGUIN LESSONS starring Steve Coogan premiered to audience acclaim worldwide.
Nostromo recently launched THE NIGHT MANAGER SEASON 2, produced with The Ink Factory, and is currently in production on a robust slate of major projects. These include BLACK TIDES, directed by Renny Harlin and starring Melissa Barrera and John Travolta; MONITOR, a high-concept horror film selected to premiere at SXSW; and the sequel APOCALYPSE Z: PART II. Upcoming features also include THE EDGE OF NORMAL directed by Carlota Pereda, DEEP WATER directed by Renny Harlin, CRONOS directed by Fernando González Molina, and the major international co-production DAY DRINKER, directed by Marc Webb and starring Johnny Depp and Penélope Cruz.
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 Brady Corbet, Chloe Zhao, Yorgos Lanthimos, Sean Baker, Rose Glass, Taiki Waititi and Pawel Pawlikowski.
Protagonist handled international sales and sold to Focus Features on Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones and Guy Pearce, which premiered in Venice to stellar reviews and garnered 3 Academy Awards including Best Actor in a Leading Role, Best Achievement in Cinematography and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, and 3 Golden Globes including Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama, and Best Director. The film also received nine BAFTA nominations winning Best Director, Best Actor, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score.
The company also handled sales and executive produced Nora Fingscheidt’s The Outrun, starring 4x Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan. The film premiered in Sundance and Berlin to critical acclaim, and was nominated for two BAFTA awards including Outstanding British Film and Leading Actress.
Additional recent titles include H is for Hawk, which Protagonist both represented and executive produced. Produced by Plan B and starring Claire Foy and Brendan Gleeson, the film was recently nominated for a BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film. Protagonist’s first in-house production, The Man in My Basement, directed by Nadia Latif and starring Corey Hawkins and Willem Dafoe, premiered at TIFF in 2025 and is now available worldwide on Disney+.
Protagonist maintains an ongoing partnership with Temple Hill Entertainment, with The Rule of Three marking their fourth collaboration following Clown in a Cornfield, and the horror feature Monitor, slated to premiere at SXSW 2026, as well as Simon Curtis’s comedy feature, Encore.
The company’s current slate includes the psychological horror The Night House, adapted from Jo Nesbø’s bestselling novel and directed by Jesper Ganslandt, starring Jacob Tremblay and Aaron Paul; and The Return of Stanley Atwell, adapted from a short story by Steven Soderbergh, starring Nicholas Galitzine and produced by Hera Pictures, the team behind Hamnet.
PR via Maxine Leonard PR