Sam Raimi's Quibi Horror Anthology Series Adds Christina Ricci, Rachel Brosnahan, And More To Cast
I'm still not entirely sold on Quibi, the upcoming streaming service that will specialize in short-form entertainment. But my interest has been piqued by some new casting news. Christina Ricci, Rachel Brosnahan and more are joining the cast of 50 States of Fright, an upcoming Quibi horror anthology series from producer Sam Raimi.
We're long overdue for Christina Ricci to start appearing in more high-profile projects (bring on the Riccissance, I say!), and perhaps this will be the start of that. Ricci is joining the 50 States of Fright cast, along with Rachel Brosnahan, Travis Fimmel, Jacob Batalon, Ming-Na Wen, Taissa Farmiga, Asa Butterfield, John Marshall Jones, and Ron Livingston.
50 States of Fright will focus on urban legends centered in specific states. Raimi is producing along with Gunpowder & Sky. "The driving force for us as a studio is to foster the careers of emerging talent by marrying them with proven innovators," said Gunpowder & Sky CEO Van Toffler (via THR). "With 50 States of Fright we sought out a diverse group of breakthrough performers and fearless horror visionaries and partnered them with Sam Raimi to oversee the creative process. This winning formula ensures we'll get a shitload of scares."
The first season features legends set in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon and Washington. Here's a breakdown of the episodes (again via THR):
"Golden Arm": Brosnahan, Fimmel and John Marshall Jones (Grand Hotel, Bosch) star in the tale based on a famous urban legend from Michigan. Sam Raimi and brother Ivan Raimi, natives of the state, are writing, with Sam Raimi directing.
"Red Rum": Ricci and Batalon (Spider-Man: Far From Home) star in a telling of Colorado's scariest story from writers Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber (Cam); Goldhaber directs."America's Largest Ball of Twine": Wen (Agents of SHIELD) stars in an installment based on a myth from Kansas. Yoko Okumura (Kimi Kabuki, Fed Up) directs and Mae Catt (Transformers: Cyberverse) writes."Almost There": Farmiga (American Horror Story) and Livingston (A Million Little Things) star in the Iowa-set story, written and directed by Hawkeye State natives Scott Beck and Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place)."Grey Cloud Island": Butterfield (Sex Education) stars in a chilling tale from Minnesota, written and directed by Adam Schindler and Brian Netto (Delivery: The Beast Within)."13 Steps to Hell": The story, set in Washington, is written by Sarah Conradt-Kroehler and directed by Lee Cronin (The Hole in the Ground)."Dogwood – Azalea": It's set in Missouri, and written and directed by Missouri native Cate Devaney (Doctor Strange)."Santeria": This Florida story is written by Greg Hale (Mindhunter, The Avengers), Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project) and Alejandro Brugués (Juan of the Dead), with Brugués to direct."Scared Stiff": It's set in Oregon and written and directed by Ryan Spindell (Two Sentence Horror Stories).
Quibi (which stands for "quick bites") is the brainchild of Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, and will focus on shows that run for 10 minutes, or sometimes less. The idea is that the Quibi content will be tailor-made for you to watch on your phone in short intervals. Like I said, I'm still not sold on this idea, but I like the talent lined-up for 50 States of Fright, so I might just have to check it out. Quibi is expected to launch in April 2020.