Michelle Hurd is set to star in the upcoming psychological thriller Bloodwood, joining Garret Dillahunt and Henry Ian Cusick in the lead ensemble.
The film marks the feature directorial debut of Robert Menzies, who also wrote the screenplay based on his own novel. Essential Film Group is handling worldwide sales.
Bloodwood follows Jake (Dillahunt), a man haunted by his past who travels deep into the Amazon jungle to track down Vargas (Cusick), a trafficker responsible for the death of his wife. What begins as a revenge mission slowly unravels into a hallucinatory descent through the jungle. Along the way, he encounters Ryan (Hurd), a guarded wildlife veterinarian with her own buried trauma. As reality begins to fracture, Jake is forced to confront not only his target, but the emotional and psychological consequences of his journey.
The story leans into a psychological and spiritual unraveling, described by Menzies as a modern take on Heart of Darkness, blending revenge thriller elements with themes of memory, perception, and moral reckoning.
Rounding out the cast are Johnny Sanchez, Hada Vanessa Hutchinson, and Joseph Jaquinto.
The project is notably supported by the Ayahuasca Foundation and Camino Verde, and was developed with guidance informed by Shipibo traditions of the Amazon rainforest, with an emphasis on cultural respect and authenticity.
Menzies, who has previously helped produce the directorial debuts of filmmakers including Osgood Perkins (Longlegs) and Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming), says Bloodwood continues his interest in bold, character-driven genre storytelling.
Production credits include Menzies (Fatman, House at the End of the Street), Anjul Nigam, Jordan Gianneschi, Jacob Rice for J2 Productions, Carmelo Chimera, and Lisanne Marks Canty. Executive producers include James Norrie, Syed Ali Saeed, Sanchez, Brian Landever, and Jaquinto.