Jeff Nichols’ Gothic Horror ‘King Snake’ Starring Margaret Qualley Acquired by Neon

Neon has acquired the US rights to King Snake, writer-director Jeff Nichols‘ (Mud, Take Shelter) Southern gothic supernatural horror film, Variety has learned.

Margaret Qualley (The Substance) and Drew Starkey (Hellraiser 2022) star as a young couple who inherit a farm in rural Arkansas and must conquer the demons, both physical and metaphysical, that haunt its legacy.

Michael Shannon, who has appeared in all six of Nichols’ previous features, also stars.

Nichols and his Tri-State Pictures partners Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Sarah Green are producing in association with Range Media Partners. FilmNation’s Stacey Snider & Glen Basner serve as executive producers.

“My films have embraced genre in the past, but I hope to push this approach further with King Snake to create something terrifying and beautiful,” Nichols previously commented.

King Snake kicked off principal photography in Arkansas last month. Neon will give the film a nationwide theatrical release.