You Can Thank Rebecca Hall For Resurrection, Literally
The Black List often highlights some of the best screenplays that haven't been produced yet, and oftentimes, a screenplay's inclusion on this prestigious list will eventually allow them to make it into production. Movies like "Juno" and "Slumdog Millionaire" were included in this database, so obviously, there's a good chance that the scripts in it are incredible.
Case in point, Andrew Semans' script for "Resurrection," which was included on The Black List in 2019. However, unlike other success stories, there was a time when no movement was being made to adapt the screenplay into a feature film. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Semans theorized that there were a number of different elements at play regarding how long it took to get the film made.
"It's an unusual movie, and I did not have a long track record as a writer-director," said Semans. Although he had a successful career as a producer, Semans had only written and directed one feature film, 2012's "Nancy, Please," at that point.
Fast forward a few years, however, and "Resurrection" has finally been realized in all its strange glory. So, what exactly was the turning point for its production? Well, it was the casting of Rebecca Hall as the film's main protagonist.
'She's such an extraordinary performer'
Hall had expressed interest in the script after finishing her directorial debut, the incredible period drama "Passing." In a separate interview with ScreenRant, she felt the need to pursue the script in order to challenge herself further.
"I think certainly, at this point in my life when this film came along, I had just finished directing. I felt so fulfilled," Hall said, "I really felt that it sort of had to be, if I was going to do some acting it felt, in that moment, that it had to be like an Olympic triathlon of acting. It had to be like the full, extreme sports version for me to be satisfied with it."
This need for a creatively and emotionally fulfilling role resulted in work on the movie finally moving forward. In his EW interview, Semans expressed gratitude for helping to get the project off the ground, resulting in one of the buzziest horror films of the year.
"I think people just saw it as a real gamble, something that could be great but also could be a disaster. It really wasn't until Rebecca came onboard that we started to get some real traction. People could start to see how this would really work with Rebecca in the lead role, because she's such an extraordinary performer."
"Resurrection" is now playing in theaters and will be released on video-on-demand on August 5. It will head to streaming via Shudder later this year.