Mara Taquin, Viard Karin

Source: Sarah Salazar / Marcel Hartmann

Mara Taquin, Viard Karin

EXCLUSIVE: WTFilms has taken on sales for French body horror Species starring Karin Viard alongside a cast of rising French actors Mara Taquin, Kim Higelin, Sami Outalbali, Stefan Crepon and Sonia Faidi.

The debut feature from Marion Le Corroller is about a young medical student working at an ER who witnesses a new virus spreading among young patients, a mysterious mutation among the new generation that starts affecting her as well.

It is produced by Carole Lambert’s Windy City Productions and has just kicked off production in the Paris region and the Loire Valley. Co-producers are Alain Attal’s Tresor Films and Anga Productions with Canal+, Paramount+ and France Televisions also on board. Le Coroller penned the script for the €5m film with Thomas Pujol.

Wild Bunch will distribute the film in France and WTFilms is handling international sales to all territories.

“We are very excited to start talking about this pulsating body horror project in Cannes. We totally see Marion Le Corroller walking in the footsteps of Coralie Fargeat and Julia Ducournau,” said WTFilms co-founders Gregory Chambet and Dimitri Stephanides. 

The film’s special makeup effects designer is Pierre-Olivier Persin, who won an Oscar for Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance.