The bad news? The Substance‘s Margaret Qualley has left the cast of upcoming Gothic horror Victorian Psycho. The good news? Maika Monroe (It Follows, Longlegs) will take her spot.
Monroe will star alongside Thomasin McKenzie in the psychological horror thriller from Sanctuary director Zachary Wigon, which is an adaptation of Virginia Feito's (who also adapted the screenplay) novel of the same name.
Monroe steps into the role of an eccentric young governess named Winifred Notty (Qualley) who in 1858 arrives at the remote gothic manor known as Ensor House:
Winifred’s responsibilities include teaching the children table manners and educating them about their family’s history, all whilst hiding her psychopathic tendencies. As Winifred assimilates into life at Ensor House, staff members begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners of the estate begin to wonder if there is something amiss about their new governess.
Qualley isn't the only loss for Victorian Psycho – Deadline reports today that A24 has also left the project, before Monroe came aboard. According to Deadline no reason was given for the departures, and Anton (currently selling at Cannes) has been in talks with other domestic buyers and has already pre-sold the film to multiple international markets.
While we would love to see Qualley follow up The Substance with another horror hit, we can't imagine anyone is disappointed about having scream queen Monroe on board – least of all Wigon:
“Maika’s intense screen presence has resonated with me over and over again throughout her history of complex performances. I’m absolutely thrilled for her to bring her unique style of psychological portraiture to the fascinatingly bizarre Winifred Notty.”
Victorian Psycho also marks a reunion between Monroe and producer Dan Kagan (Longlegs). Sébastien Raybaud (Greenland: Migration) also produces for Anton and Wigon, in association with Anonymous Content. Nick Shumaker, Bard Dorros and Virginia Feito will executive produce.
Look out for more on Victorian Psycho as we get it!
