Melissa Barrera, star of the hugely successful recent Scream reboot, is set to lead the cast of The One, described as an “erotic nightmare” set within the confines on the reality dating show, which Riley Keough is set to produce.
The film, from writer-director duo Kevin Armento and Jaki Bradley, will see Barrera (whose upcoming projects also include Your Monster and The Collaboration) star alongside Nicolas Hoult (The Great, upcoming Nosferatu for Robert Eggers and Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2) and Lana Condor (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, Ruby Gillman: Teenage Kraken).
The One follows Taylor (Barrera), who makes a last-ditch effort to find love by becoming a contestant on a reality dating show. Now down to just herself and two other women competing to win the heart of Mason (Hoult), Taylor begins to feel the artifice of the show fade, and the game becomes terrifyingly real. Amidst the opulent beachfront setting, fairytale dates and ever-flowing champagne, pursuit turns into obsession and rivalry turns into treachery as reality itself blurs. According to the film’s description, The One is a “nightmarish horror about the romantic and psychological warfare waged by our beloved popular entertainment — and also begs the question… are we, the viewers, complicit?”
Alongside starring, Hoult also produces alongside Whitaker Lader via their production company Dead Duck Films which has a first-look TV deal with MRC TV and Civic Center Media. Keough also produces with Gina Gammell via their production company Felix Culpa, following their directorial debut last year with War Pony, which won the Camera D’Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales, with WME Independent and UTA co-repping the film for North America.
“We’ve been dreaming up this project for years, and are thrilled to now bring it to life with our actual dream team,” said Armento and Jaki Bradley. “Nick, Melissa, Riley, and Lana are some of the most exciting talents around, and their passion for this film — shared by our incredible producing — has us even more eager to make this nightmare a reality.”
Added Hoult and Lader: “We were immediately drawn to this project that we think will be equally appealing to reality TV junkies and those who think it is a scourge on humanity. Jaki & Kevin’s script & vision promise a wild and deliciously dark film that will make audiences cringe, laugh, and question their own complicity.”
HanWay Films CEO Gabrielle Stewart described The One as an “original, dynamic and scary exploration of the horror that lies deep inside the intimacy of one of the world’s most popular TV formats.”
Barrera is represented by WME, Sugar23, attorneys Tara Kole and Danny Passman, and Imprint PR. Keough is represented by CAA, Hansen Jacobson Teller, and The Lede Company. Condor is represented by CAA, Goodman Genow Schenkman, and Persona PR. Hoult is represented by UTA, 42, Felker Toczek, and Relevant PR. Bradley & Armento are represented by WME, Kaplan / Perrone, and Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz.
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