Sony’s Screen Gems has acquired Mime, a supernatural horror film starring John David Washington and directed by Nikyatu Jusu. The acquisition follows a competitive bidding war that reportedly included Amazon MGM Studios and Searchlight Pictures, according to Deadline reporting cited by JoBlo / Arrow in the Head. JoBlo described the acquisition as a major new horror package for Screen Gems.
The project is set in a New York City apartment complex during a heat wave-induced blackout. Deadline reports that the narrative unfolds against the backdrop of a sweltering city plunged into darkness, establishing a contained environment for the supernatural thriller. The blackout and apartment-complex setting are the principal story details reported so far. No fuller plot synopsis has been announced beyond that location and blackout premise.
Stephen Herman wrote the screenplay based on his own original idea. The production schedule is reportedly targeting a start date in the spring. That production target is the only schedule currently reported, and no specific release window has been announced for Mime.
John David Washington is attached to star and will also serve as a producer. He joins Matt Tolmach, Camilla Grove, and Scott Derrickson in the producing credits. Derrickson is producing through his Crooked Highway banner, which holds a first-look deal with Screen Gems as part of the reported package.
For director Nikyatu Jusu, Mime represents her next high-profile genre project following her feature debut, Nanny. That film made horror history by becoming the first horror film to win the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It was later acquired by Blumhouse and Amazon for a reported $7 million before premiering on Prime Video.
JoBlo characterized Jusu as one of horror’s busiest filmmakers on paper since the success of Nanny. In 2022, it was announced she would direct Suicide by Sunlight for Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions. That feature expansion centers on Black vampires whose melanin protects them from sunlight. However, there have been no significant production updates since its initial announcement.
Also in 2022, MGM revealed that Jusu would direct a new sequel to George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead, with Christine Romero producing. That project later stalled over rights complications surrounding the public domain status of the original film.
No further casting announcements have been made beyond Washington’s attachment. Details regarding the runtime, budget, or specific creative tone of Mime remain unconfirmed outside of the blackout setting and supernatural genre classification provided by Deadline.