Fan-favorite David Dastmalchian and BAFTA-winning actor Georgina Campbell have signed on to headline The Shepherd, an upcoming horror-thriller directed by John Hyams (Sick, Alone). Written by Alexander Gustaveson, the feature is backed by the producing team behind the 2024 sleeper hit Late Night with the Devil, again partnering under the Spooky Pictures – Image Nation banner.

Anton is financing and handling worldwide sales—co-representing North American rights with UTA Independent Film Group and Cinetic—while production is scheduled to begin in fall 2025. Producers include genre stalwarts Steven Schneider and Roy Lee for Spooky Pictures; Ben Cornwell, Jordan Foley, Nick Smith, and Jonathan Rosenthal for Paperclip Ltd.; and Sébastien Raybaud for Anton. Dastmalchian adds executive-producer duties under his Good Fiend Films label, joined by Campbell and executives from Image Nation and Spooky Pictures.

Set against a desolate Nevada night, The Shepherd follows a pregnant woman fleeing an abusive past whose escape is derailed by a stranger concealing a deadly threat in her car. The project joins a rapidly expanding slate from Spooky Pictures and Image Nation, which also includes Charlie Polinger’s The Plague, Randall Okita’s Menace, and Damian Mc Carthy’s Hokum.