Director Ana Lily Amirpour, best known for her cult horror film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, is set to write and direct a film adaptation of Joe Hill’s darkly comedic horror comic, Basketful of Heads.
The project, announced by Bluestone Entertainment, has also secured Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face, Orange Is the New Black) for the lead role. Lyonne will also produce under her Animal Pictures banner, alongside a production team that includes Akiva Goldsman and Greg Lessans from Weed Road, as well as Shiva Nassab, who brought the project to Bluestone and will oversee development.
Originally published in 2017 as part of DC’s Hill House imprint, Basketful of Heads follows June Branch, a woman who discovers that every bad guy she decapitates leaves behind a still-talking head. As she fights for survival, she amasses a literal and metaphorical chorus of voices, creating a surreal, darkly funny, and blood-soaked journey.
The film will be financed by Bluestone Entertainment, with Dannah Shinder executive producing for Animal Pictures and Max Ferguson overseeing production. Richard, Brooke, and Annie Saperstein will also produce for Bluestone, alongside Beau Turpin as executive producer.
Lyonne expressed excitement about the project, saying:
“I’m thrilled to work with the ingenious auteur Ana Lily Amirpour on such beloved IP and so grateful that Akiva and Bluestone brought it to us at Animal to develop. This one’s gonna be a knockout!”
Amirpour echoed the enthusiasm, teasing the film’s dark, surreal, and violent tone:
“I’m very excited to team up with the wickedly funny and brilliant Natasha Lyonne to adapt this comic into a film. We’re going to bring to life a new type of antihero who gets pulled into a bizarre adventure that unleashes something inside her and turns her life inside out. It’s gonna be darkly funny, surreal, and bloody as hell.”
The film joins a growing list of Joe Hill adaptations, including The Black Phone, Netflix’s Locke & Key, AMC’s NOS4A2, In the Tall Grass, and Horns. Meanwhile, Hill’s fifth novel, King Sorrow, is set for release on October 21.
With Amirpour’s signature visual style, Lyonne’s offbeat comedic timing, and Hill’s knack for twisted horror, Basketful of Heads is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated genre films on the horizon.
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