Australian actress Jacki Weaver continues to build on the momentum generated by her Oscar-nominated turn as a Mafia family’s matriarch in the riveting drama Animal Kingdom. And yet, she has yet to really capitalize on a breakout feature role, instead lending her support to string ensembles. Perhaps the horror movie Haunt will put her on mainstream America’s map.
QED International is producing the film from an Andrew Barrer script, according to THR. Weaver would play the former resident of a house that people believe to be haunted. Her character will have a dark past that is marred by tragedy. But it will be important to the family currently residing in the home, namely an introverted son (played by Harrison Gilbertson) who is entering a sexually active relationship with his next-door neighbor (played by Liana Liberato).
There’s no mention of a director in the THR story, though the trade says that production on the horror story will begin in November in Utah. It is the fourth film QED is producing, including Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Ten and the Zac Efron vehicle Are We Officially Dating?.
Weaver, meanwhile, will continue her big run in 2012. She has a supporting part in David O. Russell’s Silver Linings Playbook as Bradley Cooper’s nervous mother, and while she isn’t getting the same attention as Robert De Niro (who plays her husband), she’s every bit essential to the strength of the comedy’s ensemble. Next year, she’ll appear in another family-themed horror film, Stoker, as well as Jason Reitman’s Labor Day. So Kingdom might not have kicked open the doors to Meryl Streep-level parts for Weaver, but she has certainly parlayed it into interesting gigs with winning directors. Good for her.
