EXCLUSIVE: Smile producers Temple Hill Entertainment is partnering with Protagonist Pictures on The Rule of Three, which is being set up as the first installment in a new horror trilogy adapted from thriller author Sam Ripley’s novel of the same name.
Protagonist Pictures is launching sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Market with Thomasin McKenzie (JoJo Rabbit) and Katie Douglas (Clown in a Cornfield) aboard to star. James Roday Rodriguez (Gravy) directs, adapted from a screenplay by Todd Harthan (ABC’s High Potential) and Rodriguez.
The synopsis reads: “Beware, Beware, The Rule of Three, It’s coming for you, like it came for me… Are Amy (Douglas) and her family plagued by a deadly curse? Every three years, death strikes under mysterious circumstances, horrifically killing family members. It’s almost three years to the day since Amy’s parents’ death, and Amy realises the curse must strike her next. With the help of her best friend Lizzy (McKenzie), the two friends try to cheat Amy’s death and find a way to reverse the curse. But is Amy’s fate already sealed? Bad things always happen in threes, so they say…”
Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey and Isaac Klausner will produce for Twilight and Smile outfit Temple Hill, with Hal Sadoff and George Berman executive-producing. Dave Bishop, James Pugh and George Hamilton serve as executive producers for Protagonist, in collaboration with Rodriguez and Harthan’s new shingle, Taft Tennis.
The Rule of Three marks Temple Hill and Protagonist Pictures’ fourth collaboration, which began with Clown in a Cornfield, scheduled for a wide U.S. theatrical release on May 9. The companies also joined forces on the horror Monitor, currently in production, and Simon Curtis’ Encore.
“The Rule of Three is the kind of gripping horror that gets under your skin and stays there,” said Bishop. “It’s a bold, elevated horror with an unsettling psychological edge that taps into something universal – and terrifying…a truly wild ride. With Temple Hill’s expertise in the genre paired with a chillingly sharp concept, this is a must see for horror fans and audiences worldwide.”
Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen added: “We were immediately hooked by James’ vision for a fresh and terrifying curse movie revolving around the notorious lore behind the number 3. Centred on a ride-or-die friendship between two young women, set against the nostalgic backdrop of the 90’s, and underpinned by James’ trademark wit, we know that audiences will find The Rule of Three scary and hilarious in equal measure. And with this being the first in the franchise, there are many jaw-dropping twists and turns to come.”
“This is any director’s dream — supportive and mustached producers, an incredible cast and material that defies the ways we try to define ‘genre’ filmmaking. Come for the terror, stay for the storytelling,” said Rodriguez.
McKenzie’s upcoming projects include Bleecker Street’s comedy Fackham Hall from comedian Jimmy Carr, and Anna Lee from Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet, writers and director of the Oscar winner, The Brutalist.
Douglas will next lead the horror feature Clown in a Cornfield, which made its debut at SXSW 2025 and will release in theaters in the US on May 9, 2025. Previous credits include Lifetime’s The Girl Who Escaped: The Kara Robinson Story, Lifetime’s Believe Me: The Abduction of Lisa McVey and Vertical’s The Walk.
McKenzie is repped by UTA, Untitled Entertainment, Gail Cowan Management and Johnson Shapiro; and Douglas is repped by Play Management, and Skrzyniarz & Mallean. Roday Rodriguez is repped by CAA, Principal Entertainment and Peikoff Mahan Law Office; Harthan is repped by UTA, Circle Management+Production, and Barnes, Morris. Sam Ripley is repped by CAA on behalf of James Wills at Watson, Little.