Finally today, some great news. Production on the film ‘Past Life’ is set to begin March 2023 in the UK.  

‘Past Life’ will be directed by Simeon Halligan (White Settlers, Habit) and will star Emile Hirsh who perhaps is best known for his role as Chris McCandless in the 2007 Sean Penn directed film ‘Into The Wild’ and William Friedkin’s Killer Joe. Definitely one of those actors who picks their choices and who always deliver a great performance on screen. I’m very excited for ‘Past Life’ 

  
In ‘Past Life’ Emile Hirsch will star Jason Frey, an investigative reporter who reluctantly agrees to attend a hypnotism event with his pregnant wife Claira. Under hypnosis, Jason witnesses a murder through the eyes of a killer. Haunted by what he has seen, Jason uses past live regression techniques to investigate a series of unsolved murders from the eighties, while unwittingly reawakening a psychopath’s killer tendencies.

Royal College of Art graduate, and director of Grimmfest, Manchester’s International Festival of Fantastic Film, Simeon Halligan brings his design credentials and his deep knowledge of genre cinema to bear on the project. Dean Lines and Ray Bogdanovitch (Hounded, The Banishing) wrote the screenplay with additional material from Simeon.

Past Life will be produced by Rachel Richardson-Jones of Grimmfest films (HABIT), Pierre Romain and Susan Michels of SWE (SON OF THE SOUTH) and Michael Laundon of M2 Productions (ENDLESS). Executive producers include Michael Bassick (HACKSAW RIDGE) for M2, Sarada McDermott (BRIDGERTON), Angus Finney (THE MOTHER) and Glenn Kendrick Ackermann, Jason Piette and Ewan Dunbar of Disrupting Influence who will be presenting the project at AFM. “We are absolutely thrilled to be working with Emile, on PAST LIFE a superb actor who has proved his versatility and breadth in an array of movies. His depth as a performer will bring nuance to Jason’s complex character. We can’t think of a better actor to play the role in this brilliantly conceived thriller”, said Glenn Kendrick Ackermann of Disrupting Influence.

Director Simeon Halligan said, “PAST LIFE is an exciting psychological thriller that combines the rush of eighties thrillers like DePalma’s BLOW OUT or Argento’s TENEBRAE, with the conceptual complexity of movies like Nolan’s MEMENTO or Anderson’s THE MACHINIST, I can’t wait to share this twisty turny mind bender with audiences”.

“Simeon is the perfect director to bring PAST LIFE to the screen. This movie sits squarely in his ballpark and reflects his love and passion for dark psychological thrillers. With a background in art direction and a deep knowledge of genre cinema, we know he will bring an amazing visual style to bear on the film”, added producer Michael Laundon.