Voltage Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Ben Jagger’s (Gravitas Venture’s Corbin Nash, The Paddy Lincoln Gang) highly anticipated new horror, Room 203, it was announced today by Voltage Pictures’ President and COO Jonathan Deckter.Voltage will introduce the film to buyers at the upcoming Marché du film June 21-25, 2021.
Adapted from Nanami Kamon’s Japanese novel published by Kobunsha and currently in post-production, the English-language J-Horror follows two female roommates who are tormented by the vengeful spirits dwelling in their gothic-style, rented apartment, which contains an ornate centerpiece.
The cult genre, also known as Japanese Horror, is identified by its suspenseful, folk-religious themes and focus on psychological horror, and its English-language remakes have gone on to become global box office phenomenons: The Ring starring Naomi Watts took over $250m worldwide, and The Grudge starring Sarah Michelle Gellar took over $187m worldwide.
The screenplay is by John Poliquin (Shudder’s Spiral), Jagger and Nick Richey (Low Low). The cast features rising talent Francesca Xuereb (Murmur, Forever & Always), Viktoria Vinyarska (“The Real Drakoolvas”, Highway to Havasu) and Eric Wiegand (Hulu’s Outsiders, “Boys Will Be Bastards”).
Room 203 is produced by Ammo Entertainment’s Annmarie Sairrino and Ammo Inc.’s Moeko Suzuki, alongside Kat McPhee, Ben Anderson and Eric Gibson. Voltage’s Babacar Diene is executive producer.
“English adapations of the J-horror genre have produced some of the most iconic and successful horror films of the past 20 years, and Room 203 absolutely delivers on the well-crafted thrills of its predecessors,” said Deckter. “We’re thrilled that our friends at Ammo have entrusted us in sharing this tense and taught horror with our international buyers, who know first hand the box-office power of an elevated horror of this quality.”
ABOUT AMMO, Inc.
Launched in Tokyo, Ammo, Inc. is an entertainment production company which develops, finances and produces feature films and content across all platforms for the global marketplace.
AMMO, Inc. primarily focuses on developing strategic partnerships between Hollywood and Japanese companies to acquire, develop and produce commercially driven intellectual properties including Japanese manga and anime. Most recently, finishing production on two English-language feature films, ROOT LETTER and ROOM 203.
AMMO, Inc. is helmed by IP acquisition specialist Moeko Suzuki who is named as CEO.
Ammo Entertainment
Ammo Entertainment, run by Annmarie Sairrino, is an independent production company based in Burbank, CA that has acquired the film library and intellectual property procured from Akatsuki Entertainment, in which Sairrino served as President and Board Member for the last four years. In partnership with AMMO, Inc. (Japan, run by Moeko Suzuki), there is a shared goal to continue to adapt and produce these specific niche films based on Japanese IP and Japanese-inspired stories. Aside from this notable library, moving forward, Sairrino will also independently continue to produce low budget thriller and horror titles and other commercially viable content for both film and tv, with a great focus on up-and-coming talent. Created in September 2020 and recently wrapped production on two feature films, ROOT LETTER, based off the popular Japanese game by Kadokawa Games, directed by Sonja O’Hara (Amazon’s Doomsday), starring Danny Ramirez (The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Top Gun: Maverick), Keana Marie (Dash & Lily), and Lydia Hearst (The Haunting of Sharon Tate, Z Nation) and ROOM 203, based off the Kobunsha Publishing novel by Nanami Kamon directed by Ben Jagger (Corbin Nash, The Paddy Lincoln Gang).
ABOUT VOLTAGE PICTURES
Voltage Pictures, established in 2005, is a privately held, film and television production, financing and sales entity. Voltage has won six Academy Awards including Best Picture for The Hurt Locker, and three Academy Awards for Dallas Buyers Club.
Voltage represented worldwide rights on After, based on the internationally best-selling series of books by Anna Todd, that debuted number one at the box office in 17 international territories including Germany and Italy when released in April 2019, grossing over $70m worldwide. The highly anticipated sequel, After We Collided, opened in September 2020 and grossed nearly $50m worldwide. The third and fourth films in the franchise, After We Fell and After Ever Happy, are currently in post-production after wrapping principal photography in December 2020.
Voltage also produced the blockbuster comedy I Feel Pretty starring Amy Schumer, Michelle Williams, Emily Ratajkowski, and Naomi Campbell, which generated nearly $100m in worldwide box office. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile starring Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelario, Jim Parsons, and John Malkovich premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival to great acclaim.