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Troy Kotsur Stars in Johannes Roberts’ Horror Feature ‘Primate,’ Produced by Walter Hamada
EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures has given the green light to Johannes Roberts’ horror film Primate, with Academy Award winner Troy Kotsur ( CODA) set to lead the cast. Roberts will direct the feature, which he co-wrote with Ernest Riera, and Walter Hamada will produce.
Plot details for the upcoming film are still under wraps.
The project is the first under Hamada’s exclusive first-look deal with Paramount that started on January 1, 2023. Hamada is known for being “the architect of Paramount’s mainstream horror genre pod,” with a mission to release several low- to mid-budget films each year, both in theaters and on streaming platforms.
Walter Hamada, the former DC Films boss, has a track record of immense success in the film industry. He steered DC to produce its highest-grossing movie, Aquaman, which raked in $1.1 billion worldwide. Hamada was also the driving force behind The Conjuring franchise, the highest-grossing horror series ever, with more than $2 billion in global box office takings. His other notable projects include 2017’s It and Matt Reeves’ The Batman .
Hamada’s 18hz production company, along with Bradley Pilz and John Hodges, will be producing the film. Upcoming ventures for Paramount and Hamada include developing Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, a live-action film adaptation based on the popular graphic novel of the same name.
Johannes Roberts has an impressive directorial portfolio. He recently directed Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City for Sony Pictures and Constantin, based on the Capcom game franchise. Coming up next, he is set to direct Border Patrol at Screen Gems, with Atomic Monster producing, and Flight at Paramount, produced by Weed Road and James Harris. Roberts is also known for directing 47 Meters Down, a major indie hit in 2017, as well as its sequel 47 Meters Down: Uncaged and Strangers: Prey At Night . He directed a segment of V/H/S/99, which premiered at TIFF.
Troy Kotsur, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Frank in the 2021 film CODA, will play the lead role in Primate. His portrayal of a deaf fisherman father in CODA made him the first deaf male actor and only the second deaf actor overall to win an Oscar—following Marlee Matlin for Children of a Lesser God (1986). Kotsur also swept numerous other awards for his performance, including the BAFTA, Critics’ Choice, Gotham, Independent Spirit, and Screen Actors Guild awards, along with a Golden Globe nomination.
Kotsur’s other recent film credits include Wild Prairie Rose (2016), No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie (2013), which he also directed, Universal Signs (2008), and The Number 23 (2007). His television work includes HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and the Disney+ series The Mandalorian, where he created the Tusken sign language, which was also used in the spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett.
Troy Kotsur is set to appear in Season 3 of the Apple+ series Foundation and is currently in production on Netflix’s limited series Black Rabbit.
Source: Particle News
