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2 weeks ago
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EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based sales and production genre specialist WTFilms has boarded a revival of New Zealand 2006 cult classic horror-comedy Black Sheep, about a flock of sheep transformed into bloodthirsty predators by genetic engineering.
The sequel, entitled Sheep 2, reunites key members of the team involved in the original film, which was New Zealand’s most successful horror movie ever.
Original writer–director Jonathan King will direct the sequel, from a story he wrote with Matthew Grainger and Rosie Howells.
Lead actor Nathan Meister returns to the role of Henry Oldfield, the sheep-phobic son of a farmer who discovers his twisted older brother has been carrying out dangerous genetic experiences on his livestock, which transform them from docile vegetarians to ruthless, carnivorous killers.
Black Sheep 2 will follow a young scientist who is convinced that a dangerous new pathogen threatens the population and tracks it back to her hometown – which is located in the shadow of the remote sheep station where the macabre events of the original Black Sheep unfolded.
Meister will be joined by former Black Sheep cast members and new faces.
Richard Taylor’s award-winning special effects company Wētā Workshop (Avatar: The Way Of Water, The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, M3gan, Pearl), which brought the killer sheep to life in the original, is also joining the sequel.
The movie is produced by King and Grainger, alongside James Partridge and Samantha Braun of Terror-Fi Films, with executive producers Richard Fletcher of Libertine Pictures, Philippa Campbell, and Ari Harrison and Jasmin McSweeney from Umbrella Entertainment.
Black Sheep 2 is set to start production in New Zealand in March/April 2025. WTFilms plans to officially launch worldwide sales on the movie in 2025, but expects early interest and discussions with buyers at the AFM due to the success of the first film.
The original film premiered to rave reviews in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006 and went on to gain cult status after its releases in Australia and New Zealand, the UK (Icon), and the US (IFC and Dimension).
Umbrella Entertainment will distribute Black Sheep 2 in Australia and New Zealand and is also planning a re-release with a new 4K restoration of the original film.
WTFilms is a sales and production company was created in 2012 by Gregory Chambet and Dimitri Stephanides.
The label has become known for its expertise in genre, repping recent successes that have included French arachnophobe sensation Infested (2023), and the just released Shudder sci-fi anthology horror V/H/S/Beyond (2024). On the production side, the company has a first look deal with StudioCanal for which they produced the Xavier Gens actioner Mayhem! (2023).
