SESSION 9’s Brad Anderson Is Directing A New Survival Thriller

Brad Anderson, the filmmaker behind the terrifying horror flick Session 9 and the psychological thriller The Machinist, has signed on to direct a new survival thriller from screenwriter Anthony Jaswinski – who wrote the screenplay for the excellent Blake Lively vs. sharks movie The Shallows.

Deadline reports on the new collaboration, titled Existence, which was inspired by the real story of a research vessel that was shipwrecked in the Indian Ocean back in 1981: 

Upon exploring the terrain, the surviving crew encounters multiple terrors not only from the forces of nature but also from a sect of people who have existed in a primal state for about 60,000 years. Widely considered to be the last remaining Pre-Neolithic society on Earth, the North Sentinelese tribesmen have successfully saved themselves from extinction by exercising their right to resist all integration with the outside world – avoiding the catastrophic violence and disease that such contact has historically brought to other indigenous people.

Sounds like it could be a little similar to the first season of AMC's The Terror – not that I'm complaining. Anderson has typically delivered his best work in the horror and psychological thriller genres, and having a script from the guy that gave us a giant flaming shark jumping over Blake Lively is just an added bonus.

Anderson's last film was 2018's Beirut, and he's also directed several episodes for a few great TV shows, like The Sinner and Fringe. Although he seems to have a few potential projects lined up, I'm hoping Existence takes top priority.