Jeff Nichols Announces His Next Film, "King Snake," Featuring Margaret Qualley, Michael Shannon, and Drew Starkey.

      In the few years since the premiere of The Bikeriders, we've been curious about what Jeff Nichols would take on next. Last year, it was announced that he was set to tackle the ambitious adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s final novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris, but now another project appears to be coming to fruition first.

      Deadline reports that Margaret Qualley, Drew Starkey from Queer, and Nichols’ frequent collaborator Michael Shannon will feature in the Southern gothic horror film King Snake. Tri-State Pictures, along with Nichols, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, and Sarah Green, will produce the film alongside Range Media Partners. FilmNation is financing the project and will handle sales at the American Film Market.

      The story centers on a young couple, portrayed by Qualley and Starkey, who inherit a farm in rural Arkansas and must confront both physical and metaphysical demons tied to its legacy. The film is set to depict a clash between good and evil, presenting a terrifying narrative where real-life challenges intersect with otherworldly creatures and legends.

      “Jeff is a unique filmmaker, and King Snake will captivate and fascinate audiences globally with a refreshing vision of the supernatural forces that lurk just beyond our everyday awareness,” stated Basner.

      Caleb Hammond remarked in his Telluride review of The Bikeriders, “Utilizing photographer Danny Lyon’s renowned imagery from The Bikeriders as a foundation, Jeff Nichols’ latest feature envisions a fictionalized Chicago motorcycle club, the Vandals. While motorcycle club culture is a notably American phenomenon, Nichols casts two British actors in the lead roles, with mixed results: Jodie Comer as Kathy narrates the film with a distinctly Midwestern accent that is both flashy and divisive, ensuring ongoing discussion during awards season; Tom Hardy plays Johnny, a truck driver inspired to form a motorcycle club after watching Marlon Brando’s The Wild One. This low-stakes impetus for starting the club works effectively early on, but like in Goodfellas, it eventually leads to a downfall. Without Thelma Schoonmaker’s editing expertise, The Bikeriders’ rise-and-fall storyline ultimately feels too conventional.”