There may not be a hotter name in the film industry at the moment than Maika Monroe. The 22-year-old actress broke through with unlikely horror hit It Follows (a very, very good movie) earlier this year, giving a tortured, bedazzling performance that inspired many to annoint her as the heir apparent to the Scream Queen throne. She isn’t going away anytime soon either, scoring the lead role in the upcoming Independence Day: Resurgence and starring alongside Chlöe Grace Moretz in The 5th Wave.
So it goes without saying that Oklahoma natives Casey Twenter and Jeff Robison, co-writers of last year’s locally shot and William H. Macy-directed Rudderless, scored big time with the casting of Monroe for their next project. Titled The Scent of Rain & Lightning and based on Nancy Pickard’s book of the same name, the film follows a young woman (Monroe) who learns of her parents’ killer’s release from jail, “forcing her to revisit old wounds, realizing the destructive power of hate and the true cost of family secrets,” according to a synopsis.
“Nancy wrote a very special book and I shiver when I think of what Maika Monroe will bring to the role of our heroine,” Twenter said. “I could not be more excited by the cast we’re assembling.”
Speaking of, Monroe isn’t the only coup of the group. Also cast were Maggie Grace (the Taken series, TV’s Lost) and Brad Carter (TV’s True Detective, the soon-to-be-released Black Mass). Up-and-comer Blake Robbins (The Sublime and Beautiful) is set to direct, and filming is slated to begin in Oklahoma this fall.
For a glimpse of what Monroe brings to the table, watch the It Follows trailer below. And if you haven’t seen the movie yet, you should probably take care of that.
