Blumhouse's Imaginary Casts Jurassic World's DeWanda Wise

It's a common experience for young kids to have imaginary friends, but as explored in the upcoming new horror film from Blumhouse Productions Imaginary, there might be a lot more to fear with such connections as we might think. The studio has confirmed that DeWanda Wise (Jurassic World Dominion) stars in the new film, which wrapped production prior to the actors' strike, and comes from director Jeff Wadlow, who wrote the film with Greg Erb and Jason Oremland. Imaginary is currently set to hit theaters on March 8, 2024, and a first look at the film has yet to be officially released, though its trailer has been screening ahead of Five Nights at Freddy's in theaters.

Blumhouse Productions described the Imaginary, "From the genre-defining masterminds behind Five Nights at Freddy's and M3GAN, comes an original horror that taps into the innocence of imaginary friends -- and begs the question: Are they really figments of childhood imagination or is something more terrifying lying just beneath?

"When Jessica (DeWanda Wise) moves back into her childhood home with her family, her youngest stepdaughter Alice develops an eerie attachment to a stuffed bear named Chauncey she finds in the basement.  Alice starts playing games with Chauncey that begin playful and become increasingly sinister. As Alice's behavior becomes more and more concerning, Jessica intervenes only to realize Chauncey is much more than the stuffed toy bear she believed him to be."

On casting Wise in the lead role, Wadlow explained, "DeWanda has been more than a star on this movie – she has been a full creative partner. So much of horror grows out of our most basic fears from childhood, and DeWanda taps into all of that. You know that old saying that the audience's imagination is scarier than any movie? We're going to put that to the test."

Wadlow is no stranger to delivering horror projects for Blumhouse, having previously helmed Truth or Dare in 2018 and Fantasy Island in 2020. He also helmed Are You Afraid of the Dark?: Curse of the Shadows, a four-episode reboot of the beloved '90s anthology series for younger audiences. One of the more exciting projects he was involved with was being one of the writers of Bloodshot, the long-gestating Valiant Comics adaptation starring Vin Diesel. Sadly, the film landed in theaters the week before the coronavirus pandemic caused movie theaters to close around the world, making it one of the many projects seemingly lost to time due to its complicated release.

Imaginary is currently set to hit theaters on March 8, 2024, and a first look at the film has yet to be released.

Are you looking forward to the movie? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!