EXCLUSIVE: Upgrade will commence talks in Cannes next week on Iain Softley’s Ireland-set dark comedy thriller Killing Kelly starring Jason Isaacs and Thomasin McKenzie.
Production is scheduled to begin this autumn in Dublin, with Fisher Stevens’ Highly Flammable newly on board the creative team alongside producers Zak Kilberg, Michael Garland of Grand Pictures, and Sarah Curtis and Softley for Forthcoming Films. Screen Ireland is supporting the project and J. Todd Harris’s Branded Pictures is co-financing.
Killing Kelly centres on Murphy, a shy young taxidermist who toils endlessly for his abusive boss, the titular Kelly played by Isaacs. Provoked by yet another cruelty, the youngster unintentionally kills Kelly and uses his skills to wear the dead man’s skin, living a double life that is as ridiculous as it is terrifying.
Murphy’s only hope is to seek the help of his newfound love, the defiant and unconventional Miss Poe played by McKenzie.
Isaacs, riding high on the successes of box office hit The Salt Path and Season 3 of The White Lotus, will assume a double role playing both Kelly and Murphy dressed in Kelly’s skin. McKenzie’s credits include Last Night In Soho and JoJo Rabbit.
Johnny Ferguson adapted the screenplay from the short story Two In One by the legendary Irish author, playwright, and satirist Flann O’Brien.
“Killing Kelly is a bold, extraordinarily original film that manages to be simultaneously funny, brutal, and narratively gripping, but threaded through the film is a seductive and enchanting love story,” said Softley, whose credits include Inkheart and The Skeleton Key. “With the addition of Upgrade, Highly Flammable and this incredible cast, we are bringing a surreal Irish story to the screen with a modern, cinematic edge.”
Upgrade holds worldwide rights. Co-founder Jonathan Kier added, “We are thrilled to bring Killing Kelly to Cannes. Between Iain Softley’s visionary direction, the creative muscle of Highly Flammable, and a powerhouse cast led by Jason Isaacs, this is a standout package for the May market.”
