Adam Wingard has found the bad guy.
UFC light heavyweight champion Alex “Poitan” Pereira will make his acting debut opposite Adria Arjona in Wingard’s action thriller “Onslaught,” produced by A24, Lyrical Media and Ryder Picture Company. We’re negotiating.
The film reunites the Godzilla x Kong: New Empire filmmaker with frequent collaborator Simon Barrett. The two created the cult hits You’re Next and The Guest and are writing this new feature together.
Many of Onslaught’s details are kept in an underground laboratory, but sources describe the film as a gonzo action-horror thriller. This range is said to be close to Wingard’s earlier films, which were all original works before he made the big-budget blockbusters Godzilla vs. Kong and Godzilla x Kong.
According to sources, Arjona will play a mother who relies on specific skills to protect her loved ones after encountering a threat that has escaped from a secret military base.
Pereira plays the character The Butcher, and brings an array of skills to the role, including an anaconda choke and a roundhouse kick.
Aaron Ryder and Andrew Sweat will produce Onslaught alongside A24 under their Ryder Picture Company banner. Lyrical Media’s Alexander Black also serves as a producer. Wingard and manager Jeremy Platt will also produce alongside Barrett through their new shingle, Breakaway Civilization.
Lyrical and A24 will co-fund the project, with A24 handling worldwide release. Lyrical’s John Rosenberg and Natalie Sellers will serve as executive producers for A24.
Pereira is a former kickboxer and Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the light heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is one of the few fighters to be a champion in two different weight classes.
