Dublin horror director Cronin forms new production company

Dublin horror director Lee Cronin has formed a new production company called Doppelgängers.

The company will consist of Cronin and his partners from Wild Atlantic Pictures John Keville and Macdara Kelleher, whose previous credits include Cocaine Bear and The Green Knight.

Cronin first came to attention with his 2019 horror film The Hole In The Ground, which led to him being tapped to direct an entry in the legendary Evil Dead franchise.

Last year, Cronin’s film Evil Dead Rise made nearly $150 million at the global box office, with Cronin writing and directing the gorefest.

As a result, the Skerries man has signed a first-look deal with New Line Cinema, which is nicknamed “The House That Freddy Built” after it produced the Nightmare On Elm Street franchise in the 1980s and shot the studio into the Hollywood limelight.

The deal means that New Line Cinema will have first dibs on whatever Cronin makes next.

Cronin and his team are currently in development on the upcoming film Thaw.

The Hollywood Reporter logline for Thaw reads “set years after the polar ice caps have melted and sea levels have risen, the story of Thaw centres on a group of survivors at sea searching for a new home. Their prayers are answered with the discovery of an inhabitable town, that is, until they encounter a new nightmare living just below the water’s surface.”

Discussing why he formed Doppelgängers, Cronin said it was “born out of an ever-evolving relationship with John Keville and Macdara Kelleher, both of whom have been incredible partners and creative collaborators.”

“Aligned in our hunger and ambition to create striking stories for wide audiences, we decided to seize the opportunity to formalise our partnership with this new venture,” said Cronin.

“Following a wonderful journey working on Evil Dead Rise, the brilliant team at New Line Cinema have offered us the perfect home for the movies we want to bring to life on the big screen.  We couldn’t be more thrilled to continue building our relationship with them.”

Keville and Kelleher added, “Lee Cronin is one of the most exciting auteur filmmakers working in the genre space with a proven box office track record. Lee is an inventive creator who always strives to engage audiences with his character driven stories.

“We are thrilled to be building Doppelgängers around his vision and are excited to forge relationships with the most ambitious writers and directors.  Collectively, we want Doppelgängers to become a destination for the very best storytellers.”