EXCLUSIVE: Dark Star Pictures has acquired North American distribution rights to The Wilderness, a thriller written and directed by Spencer King (Nickels) and produced by Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) and Amy Berg (Deliver Us From Evil).
The film stars Hunter Doohan (Wednesday), who also serves as a producer, with Lamar Johnson (The Last of Us), Sam Jaeger (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Aaron Holliday (Cocaine Bear). Rounding out the cast are Matt Gomez-Hidaka (Eddington), Liana Liberato (Scream), Sean Avery (Oppenheimer), Vinessa Shaw (Hocus Pocus), and James Le Gros (Drugstore Cowboy).
The film’s synopsis reads: A group of troubled teenage boys are kidnapped from their homes and taken deep into the unforgiving Utah desert, where they are forced into a brutal and secretive Wilderness Therapy program. With no contact with the outside world, their only way home is to earn the approval of the enigmatic program director, whose motives are far from therapeutic. As the line between rehabilitation and manipulation blurs, the boys must decide whether to survive the program or escape it.
“I feel fortunate to have worked with an incredible team on The Wilderness and to have the support of Dark Star Pictures in sharing this story,” King said in a statement. “I hope it resonates with those who need it most.”
The deal was negotiated by Dark Star’s president, Michael Repsch, Jake Levy of Levy Law, alongside Dylan Kelley of WME Sales. Dark Star has said it is planning a wide theatrical release for October 2025.
