Last Updated on March 11, 2025 by Angel Melanson
Ahead of its SXSW premiere later this month, RLJE Films has acquired North American distribution rights to alien abduction thriller Descendent for a theatrical release later this year.
Descendent is the feature debut from director Peter Cilella, and stars Ross Marquand (The Walking Dead, Invincible) and Sarah Bolger (Mayans M.C.). Among the film's producers are filmmaking duo Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead (Moon Knight, Spring, Something in the Dirt).
An official synopsis reads as follows:
Set in present-day Los Angeles, DESCENDENT follows Sean Bruner, a school security guard who is haunted by childhood trauma while preparing for the birth of his first child with his wife, Andrea. After a beam of light appears in the sky during a late-night shift, Sean wakes up in the hospital with an inexplicable talent for vivid, unsettling drawings of extraterrestrials and desert landscapes. As his visions blur the line between dreams and reality, Sean’s grip on sanity unravels. With time running out, he must confront his fears to escape his family’s tragic legacy.
Here's what Cilella has to say of the acquisition in an official statement:
“This film was a labor of love, and I could not be more thrilled to partner with RLJE Films to bring DESCENDENT to SXSW and beyond […] It truly takes a village to bring a project like this to life, and I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make it possible.”
Chief Acquisitions Officer of RLJE Films Mark Ward compares Descendent to another disturbing alien movie:
“We look forward to releasing DESCENDENT alongside Peter Cilella, who delivers a gripping fusion of suspense and sci-fi, offering audiences a deeply personal story wrapped in cosmic fears that harkens to FIRE IN THE SKY. With its haunting atmosphere, the film taps into primal fears of parenthood, destiny, and forces beyond our control,”
Producing alongside Benson and Moorhead are David Lawson Jr. and Caleb Ward, with executive producers Arianne Fraser, Delphine Perrier and Henry Winterstern for Highland Film Group, and Mark Ward.
Check out the first poster for Descendent plus another still below, and look out for more updates as we get them.
