Malignant and M3GAN writer lines up next horror movie project

Akela Cooper, the writer behind genre titles such as The Nun 2, M3GAN, and Malignant has lined up her next horror movie project; an adaptation of a short story we know nothing about... yet.

According to MSN, Cooper is currently drafting the screenplay for a feature-length version of Colin Bannon's Don't Look. At this stage, it's unclear what the plot will be given that the story is unpublished, but the publication states that Glass Onion: A Knives Out Story's Janelle Monáe is in talks to star and produce, alongside Ground Control's Scott Glassgold.

Monáe's production company Wondaland signed a first-look deal with Universal Pictures way back in November 2018, and this will presumably be the first official title released through that collaboration. The singer-turned-actor is no stranger to darker roles, having led the 2020 Westworld-esque horror-mystery Antebellum.

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Also starring Jena Malone, Kiersey Clemons, and Gabourey Sidibe, the film sees Monáe play a woman living a curious, and devastating, dual reality: a slave in the 19th Century and a wealthy sociology author in the modern day. As the lines between each "world" blur, Eden – or Veronica – must find a way to overcome her oppressors, escape the plantation, and discover who she really is.

Janelle Monae as Eden in Antebellum — (Image credit: Lionsgate)

Criticized for its lack of social commentary and the way it sensationalizes the suffering of Black women, it currently holds a 31% rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.

Glassgold and Cooper recently teamed up on upcoming feature It's Over, Sony Pictures' adaptation of a short story by Jack Follman. Blending horror and humor, which seems to be Cooper's well-loved go-to of late, it is said to detail the painful breakup of a long-time couple.

Elsewhere, Universal is also developing another of Bannon's tales, Long Lost. Described as a cross between What Lies Beneath and Rosemary's Baby, the outing is set to tell the story "of a recently married woman whose life is upended when her husband's long-lost wife shockingly returns after she was believed to be dead, sparking fears that she's hatching a sinister plan to reclaim what was once hers."

While we wait for more news on Don't Look, check out our picks of the most exciting upcoming horror movies heading our way.

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things TV and film across our Total Film and SFX sections. Elsewhere, my words have been published by the likes of Digital Spy, SciFiNow, PinkNews, FANDOM, Radio Times, and Total Film magazine.