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EXCLUSIVE: A Higher Standard and Nickel City Pictures are re-teaming for psychological horror The Ladder, the latest feature from Adam Mason and Simon Boyes, best known for their 2020 pandemic-themed movie Songbird. Mason, whose other credits include They Come Knocking, will direct the film, which is targeting a Q1 2026 start date in Ireland. Casting has yet to be unveiled. The horror follows Emma and her husband Clay, who move into a converted church in Ireland where they discover a secret hatch in the basement with a ladder headed straight down. Desperate to prove what’s down there, Emma throws herself into danger, as she becomes obsessed with finding out where the ladder goes. “The market is in desperate need of compelling stories that stand out, and Mason and Boyes have done it again. The Ladder is tense and gripping, based on a legend that is scary enough alone and there’s no better person to bring it to life than Mason,” said Higher Standard’s Greenstein says. Nickel City Pictures’ Mark Fasano and A Higher Standard’s Greenstein will produce with Matthew Goldberg executive producing and Emily Hromin co-producing for Nickel City. Rebecca Raichek will oversee development for A Higher Standard. This marks the sixth collaboration between the companies with other titles including Runner with Owen Wilson and Playdate with Kevin James (The King of Queens) and Alan Ritchson (The King of Queens). “Audiences are responding to horror films more than ever, but they’ve also gotten more sophisticated and more demanding in what they expect from a horror film. The script has to be intelligent, with compelling characters, shocking and terrifying all at the same time and Adam and Simon have hit it out of the park with The Ladder,” said Nickel City’s Fasano. A Higher Standard is handling worldwide sales. Mason and Boyes are repped by Geoff Shaevitz at Entertainment 360.
