Rosamund Pike stars and produces “Feed,” a body horror film from “Russian Doll” co-creator and “Star Wars: The Acolyte” creator Leslye Headland.
The film follows a desperate mother who discovers an obscure collagen substance that promises to transform her tween gymnast daughter into a champion. Fame hits fast, but as her daughter goes viral, she goes through a scary change. “Feed” was inspired by the 2022 Finnish horror film, “Hatching.” Daniella Isaacs (“People Who Knew Me”) wrote the script.
Headland made her debut in 2012 with an adaptation of her play, “Bachelorette”. In 2015, she wrote and directed “Sleeping With Other People”. Both made their debut at the Sundance Film Festival.
Pike was nominated for an Oscar for “Gone Girl”. Her other credits include “Saltburn,” “An Education,” and the James Bond film, “Die Another Day.” She won an Olivier Award for “Inter Alia,” a role she is reprising this fall on Broadway.
“I’ve long wanted to make a film that plays wryly with our obsession with social media and self-improvement, our desire for fame without admirable skill and, let’s put it out there, the monstrosity of modern motherhood,” Pike said in a statement. “‘Feed’ deals with all of these things. It follows Momfluencer, Erin, bending over her daughter’s control of the digital space. Erin believes that success here will protect her daughter from the horrors of our fake world… won’t it? ‘Feed’ explores desire. The dark desire of online communities; the desire of a social media landscape that monetizes youth and beauty; the daughter’s desire for success, the girl’s desire for beauty and the girl’s hunger for fame, self-empowerment and dominance in her relationship with her single mother.
Headland said: “Daniella’s script is daring, disturbing and very human, and Rosamund is one of the boldest actresses working today. I couldn’t have asked for better partners to take on the darker corners of this story and I feel very lucky to be making this film with two women whose work I admire so much.”
Veterans is handling international sales rights, with CAA Media Finance handling US sales. Negotiations begin next week at the American Film Market.
Pike will produce through her Primitive Streak banner, along with Shelley Browning for Magnolia Entertainment, Steven Schneider for Spooky Pictures, Ara Keshishian and Petr Jakl for ZQ Entertainment, and Sam Ritzenberg for Agile Films. ZQ Entertainment financed the development of the script.
Pike is repped by CAA, United Agents and Magnolia Entertainment; CAA and Sugar23 have repped Peninsula; Isaacs is represented by Curtis Brown Group.