Letitia Wright is set to headline In Her Shadow, a supernatural horror project that will be introduced to international buyers by Bankside ahead of the AFM. The British actress, known for her work in Black Panther, Small Axe and Black Mirror, will also serve as an executive producer through her 3:16 Productions banner.
The film comes from writer-director Rowan Athale, whose credits include the series Gangs of London. Producers on the project include Tea Shop Films, the outfit behind Obsession. The production is currently in pre-production.
A Dark Family Premise
According to the synopsis, Wright will play Annie Cutter, a celebrated author whose life is upended by a late-night call from the police. The call brings news that her estranged sister has recently died — and that the sister had kept her young daughter confined alone in a dark basement for five years.
Annie chooses to adopt the girl. But as she settles into the new arrangement, she begins to suspect that her sister may have had a reason to fear the child. The synopsis raises the possibility that the basement was not merely a place of cruelty, but a measure taken for the safety of the sister herself and of others around her.
The setup places the story at the intersection of family grief and supernatural dread, with Annie’s decision to take in her niece opening onto questions about what the child may be — and what her sister was trying to contain.
Wright’s Expanding Role Behind the Camera
Wright’s executive producer credit adds to a growing portfolio for the BAFTA winner and Emmy nominee. Her 3:16 Productions is backing the film alongside Tea Shop Films, linking the project to a producer with recent genre credentials in Obsession.
Athale writes and directs, marking a move into supernatural horror for a filmmaker whose recent work has included the crime-driven world of Gangs of London. The combination of Athale’s television background and Wright’s profile gives the project a distinctive mix of genre ambition and star power.
Sales Launch and Market Timing
Bankside is handling world sales and will launch the project to buyers before the American Film Market. The timing places In Her Shadow among the titles vying for attention in a crowded pre-market sales environment, where packages with recognizable talent and clear genre hooks are often positioned early.
With Wright attached both on screen and as an executive producer, the film arrives with a lead whose career spans blockbuster franchise work and acclaimed television. The horror genre has become a reliable draw for international buyers, and the project’s central premise — a family bound by a dark secret and a child at the center of it — offers a straightforward hook for the market.
Further casting and a production timeline have not been announced. The project remains in pre-production, with Bankside set to present it to buyers ahead of the AFM.
