With the American Film Market (AFM) back in full swing in Los Angeles, international buyers are buzzing over an eclectic slate of North American titles — from prestige thrillers and franchise prequels to high-concept horror and romantic comedies with an existential twist.
Here are 15 of the hottest projects on the market right now, according to Screen International:
All Day & All Night
Dir. Tommy Wirkola
Cast: Josh Hartnett
Hartnett stars as a reformed bank robber who dives back into crime to pay for his daughter’s Harvard tuition — only to land in the middle of a reality show gone wrong. Produced by XYZ Films and Wirkola (Violent Night), the film marks another high-end entry in XYZ’s genre slate.
Status: Pre-production (2026 start)
Sales: XYZ Films
Bad Bridgets
Dir. Rich Peppiatt
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Emilia Jones**
Following his breakout Kneecap, Peppiatt tackles the Irish famine in a gritty 19th-century tale of two sisters escaping poverty and abuse by emigrating to America. Based on the book Bad Bridget, the project is backed by Coup d’Etat, LuckyChap, and FilmNation.
Status: Spring 2026 shoot (Ireland/Northern Ireland)
Sales: FilmNation Entertainment
The Beast
Dir. Renny Harlin
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Joel Kinnaman**
From the Cliffhanger filmmaker, The Beast traps the U.S. President inside his own armored limo during an attempted coup. Chaos, politics, and horsepower collide.
Status: Screening at AFM
Sales: WME Independent
Buzzkill
Dir. Joe Lynch
Cast: Billy Magnussen, Lulu Wilson**
A Texas town faces off against a monster only visible to the drunk. Mayhem director Joe Lynch returns with a horror-comedy concept tailor-made for midnight audiences.
Sales: The Veterans
The Christophers
Dir. Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Michaela Coel, Ian McKellen, Jessica Gunning, James Corden**
Soderbergh’s latest, which premiered at TIFF, centers on the estranged children of a late artist who hire a forger to finish his work. Neon acquired worldwide rights and screens at AFM following its festival success.
Sales: Neon International
Frequency of Fear
Dir. Danny A. Abeckaser
Cast: Doron Ben-David, Itzik Cohen, Marina Maximilian, Daniella Pick Tarantino**
A ripped-from-the-headlines thriller based on Israel’s 2024 covert operation against Hezbollah. Bleiberg Entertainment reports strong streamer and theatrical interest.
Status: Post-production
Sales: Bleiberg Entertainment
John Rambo
Dir. Jalmari Helander
Cast: Noah Centineo (in talks)**
A prequel to the Stallone legend, this origin story follows young John Rambo’s first taste of war. Produced by Millennium Media, Templeton Media, and the Russo brothers’ AGBO.
Status: Early 2026 shoot (Thailand)
Sales: Lionsgate International
King Snake
Dir. Jeff Nichols
Cast: Margaret Qualley, Drew Starkey, Michael Shannon**
The Bikeriders director goes full Southern Gothic horror as a couple inherits an Arkansas farm haunted by real and personal demons. Produced by FilmNation and Nichols’ Tri-State Pictures.
Sales: FilmNation Entertainment
Phantom Son
Dir. David Yates
Cast: Renée Zellweger**
Harry Potter helmer Yates returns with a psychological thriller about a woman who believes a runaway is her lost son. Co-produced by AGC Studios and Zellweger’s Big Picture Co.
Status: Q1 2026 shoot
Sales: AGC International / CAA Media Finance
Reenactment
Dir. Grant Singer
Cast: Benicio del Toro, Cameron Diaz**
Reptile director Singer reunites with del Toro for a mystery wrapped in Hollywood paranoia. Co-produced by Black Label and 193, the new venture from Patrick Wachsberger and Legendary.
Status: Pre-production (Los Angeles)
Sales: 193
River
Dir. Joshua Giuliano
Cast: Jane Levy, Jessica Rothe, Dane DiLiegro**
A Shudder original about estranged siblings trapped on a river with a killer after their father’s funeral. From Insidious producer Steven Schneider and Nick Antosca (The Act).
Status: Post-production
Sales: Upgrade
Stratagem
Dir. Michael Idov
Cast: Noomi Rapace, Teo Yoo**
A CIA agent seduces a tech genius at a Swiss cybersecurity summit — until the tables turn. Rumble Films’ David Lancaster produces this sleek spy thriller.
Status: Q1 2026 start
Sales: Highland Film Group
That Time We Met
Dir. Nick Lieberman
Cast: Pete Davidson, Ella Purnell**
A mismatched couple learns their unborn child is destined to save humanity. A wild romantic comedy produced by Jackson Pictures, Marc Platt Productions, and Gramercy Park Media.
Sales: WME Independent
Tumor
Dir. Will Bridges
Cast: Sam Rockwell, Maisy Stella**
A private eye with a brain tumor searches for a missing girl in this adaptation of Joshua Hale Fialkov’s noir graphic novel. From Stay Gold Features.
Sales: AGC International
The Young People
Dir. Osgood Perkins
Cast: Lola Tung, Nico Parker, Cush Jumbo, Heather Graham, Johnny Knoxville, Tatiana Maslany**
After Longlegs and The Monkey, Perkins and Neon reunite for another mysterious horror project — shot in Vancouver and already generating serious heat.
Sales: Neon International
Takeaway
AFM 2025’s North American slate blends bold reinvention (John Rambo, The Beast) with auteur-driven storytelling (The Christophers, King Snake) and boundary-pushing genre work (Buzzkill, The Young People).
With production financing accelerating and star packages firming up, it’s shaping up to be a buyer’s market full of big swings, and even bigger deals.
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