Urban Horror Thriller ‘Skag & Bone’ Sets Cast

Woody Norman (“C’mon C’mon”), Malachi Kirby (“Small Axe”), Tuppence Middleton (“Downton Abbey”), Conrad Khan (“Sunny Dancer”) and Kola Bokinni (“Ted Lasso”) are set to star in the British urban horror thriller “Skag & Bone.” The film, which is described as “Top Boy” meets “Talk to Me,” “blends the propulsive energy of a youth-infused crime thriller with supernatural horror,” the producers told Variety.

UTA Independent Film Group has boarded the project to package the film and arrange financing. The agency will also represent North American rights.

Conor Boru will direct from a screenplay he co-wrote with longtime collaborator Ed Hartland. The film marks their second feature together, following Boru’s directorial debut, horror comedy “When the Screaming Starts,” which premiered at FrightFest.

Julien Loeffler and James Kermack will produce through their production company Featuristic Films.

Norman will lead the film as Younger, a 16-year-old rehoused with his mother, Maria (played by Middleton), on the notorious Stonemore Estate. After a debilitating stroke leaves Maria unable to work, Younger is forced to become both provider and protector. While attempting to navigate the estate’s unforgiving world alongside his cousin Caleb (played by Khan), Younger is drawn into the orbit of local drug lord Anton (played by Bokinni). Anton offers him protection, money and a possible escape from Stonemore, while an enigmatic local preacher (played by Kirby), presents him with a very different path.

But as a violent gang war tightens its grip on the estate, residents begin disappearing without a trace. An entity known as the Skag & Bone Man is stalking the tower blocks, feeding on the fear, desperation and buried secrets of those who live there. Trapped between the encroaching criminal forces and a supernatural evil no one else will confront, Younger must fight to save his mother and survive the estate long enough to escape it.

Norman received BAFTA and Critics Choice Award nominations for his breakout performance opposite Joaquin Phoenix in Mike Mills’ A24 drama “C’mon C’mon.” His subsequent credits include Netflix’s “The Electric State,” horror feature “Cobweb” and Paul Greengrass’ next film “The Uprising,” where Norman stars alongside Andrew Garfield.

Kirby won the BAFTA Television Award for best supporting actor for his performance as Darcus Howe in Steve McQueen’s “Small Axe: Mangrove.” He currently stars opposite Stephen Graham in Steven Knight’s period drama “A Thousand Blows” for Disney+, and previously led the miniseries “Roots.”

Middleton starred as Lucy Smith in the “Downton Abbey” film franchise and as Riley Blue in Netflix’s “Sense8.” Her credits also include David Fincher’s “Mank,” the Wachowskis’ “Jupiter Ascending,” Netflix limited series “The Defeated” and recent period dramas “The Forsytes” and “Death by Lightning.”

Khan earned BAFTA and British Independent Film Award nominations for his breakout role in Henry Blake’s “County Lines.” His credits also include the final season of “Peaky Blinders,” in which he played Duke Shelby, and BBC crime drama “Baptiste.”

Bokinni is best known for playing AFC Richmond captain Isaac McAdoo in the Emmy-winning Apple TV+ comedy “Ted Lasso.” His additional credits include Netflix’s “Black Mirror,” BBC drama “The Split” and Sky’s “Top Boy.”

Featuristic Films’ recent credits include underwater survival thriller “Breathe Deep,” starring Ingrid Torelli (“Late Night With the Devil”), Michiel Huisman (“The Haunting of Hill House”) and Avani Gregg (“Spider Island”), and crime drama “Salvable,” starring Shia LaBeouf (“Fury”), Toby Kebbell (“RocknRolla”) and James Cosmo (“Braveheart”).

“Conor and Ed have created a world that feels culturally specific, emotionally authentic and internationally accessible,” Loeffler and Kermack said. “‘Skag & Bone’ brings a distinctive new supernatural mythology to the genre and with it announces a bold new voice emerging from within Conor Boru. The caliber of the cast reflects the strength of the screenplay and Conor’s vision, and we are delighted to have UTA joining us as we move towards production.”

“‘Skag & Bone’ is a deeply human coming-of-age story trapped inside a relentless urban nightmare,” Boru said. “At its heart is a boy being forced to grow up too quickly in a world that has abandoned him. Woody possesses the rare combination of vulnerability, intelligence and strength that Younger demands, while Malachi, Conrad, Kola and Tuppence bring extraordinary weight and complexity to the forces shaping his life. It is a dream ensemble, and UTA’s involvement gives us the opportunity to realize this world with the ambition and scale it deserves.”