Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Phoebe Dynevor Horror ‘Pendulum’ Gets US Deal

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical you might have acquired North American distribution rights to the horror movie Pendulumthe directorial debut of Mark Heyman, the BAFTA-nominated author of black swan.

Produced by Darren Aronofsky (The Whale) for Protozoa, Motel Mojave’s Jacob Jaffke (x trilogy), and C2’s Dave Caplan (Longlegs), the movie stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Looper), Phoebe Dynevor (honest play), Norman Reedus (Ballerina), and two-time Oscar nominee Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook).

Vertical is setting Pendulum for a large launch on January 1, 2027. Below is a first-look on the film.

In Heyman’s script, “married couple Patrick (Gordon-Levitt) and Abigail (Dynevor) journey to a new-age retreat in New Mexico, drawn by the opportunity of therapeutic after a traumatic occasion. Patrick is keen to do something to assist his spouse, however turns into distrustful of the retreat’s enigmatic chief (Weaver) at the same time as Abigail falls underneath her spell. As paranoia builds, the couple should decide if the group’s religious practices supply real therapeutic – or masks a terrifying reality that threatens to devour them each.”

The deal was negotiated by Jarowey and SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi on behalf of Vertical and by UTA Independent Film Group, CAA Media Finance, and WME Independent on behalf of the filmmakers. Black Bear is representing worldwide gross sales.

“Pendulum is a deeply personal film, inspired by real, and really scary, experiences. It’s truly a dream come true to see it released in theaters with a partner like Vertical,” shared writer-director Heyman.

“Featuring incredible lead performances by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Phoebe Dynevor, Pendulum is an impressive, terrifying debut from acclaimed screenwriter Mark Heyman,” added Vertical companion Peter Jarowey. “We are proud to be partnering with producers Darren, Jacob, and Dave, and are looking forward to ringing in 2027 by scaring the hell out of audiences.”

The movie was produced by Aronofsky for Protozoa, Jaffke (pga) & Élan Klein Jaffke (pga) for Motel Mojave, Will Greenfield (pga), Heyman, and Caplan for C2, who totally financed the movie, and govt produced by Luke Daniels, Kurt Fethke, David Gendron, Lucas Hoffmann, Ali Jazayeri, Stefan Klink, Daniel McGilvray, Vaagn Sarkissian, Viviana Zarragoitia, Andy Price, Sara Price, Michael Sklut, and Liz Destro.

Additional below-the-line expertise contains director of pictures Sharone Meir (Monkey Man, Whiplash), editor Catrin Hedström (Candyman), manufacturing designer Katie Hickman (Love Lies Bleeding), and Emmy Award nominated costume designer Angelina Vitto (Atropia), with casting by Emmy Award nominees Bret Howe (The Menu) and Mary Vernieu (Song Sung Blue) and music by Ben Lovett (The Night House).

Pendulum