Max Minghella To Direct 'Shell', A Horror Satire Set In The Health And Beauty Industry

Actor Max Minghella, who you may recognize from his work in The Social Network or The Handmaid's Tale, made his feature directorial debut in 2018 with a pop-music fueled drama called Teen Spirit. Now he's heading to HBO Max to direct his second feature, a horror satire called Shell. Get the details below.

Deadline reports that Max Minghella, the talented actor/director and son of filmmaker Anthony Minghella (The Talented Mr. Ripley, The English Patient, Cold Mountain), is attached to direct Shell, "a satirical horror tale with sci-fi elements, set in the health and beauty industry." Those are all the plot details we have at the moment, but based solely on that, I'm reminded of Dear White People creator Justin Simien's Bad Hair, a horror satire that's also specifically linked to ideas of beauty. I really enjoyed that film at Sundance this year, and Hulu subscribers will be able to watch it there when it premieres this October.

Jack Stanley wrote Shell's screenplay. He doesn't have any produced credits yet, but he was once tapped to write the script for a Chronicle sequel that never materialized. He's also had two scripts land on The Black List (an annual list of Hollywood's favorite unproduced screenplays) in the past several years. In 2013, there was Sweetheart, which should not be confused with director J.D. Dillard's survival thriller. This one was about a young hitwoman trying to escape the business, but finding herself in danger after a high school reunion and a one night stand. Then in 2014, he made the list again with Possession: A Love Story, which sounds like it could still make one hell of a movie: "In a seemingly perfect marriage, a man discovers that he is actually wedded to a demon inhabiting another woman's body."

In any case, if this up-and-coming director ends up helming a few more projects for this streaming service, we might have to start calling Max Minghella "HBO Max," huh? Right? Anyone?