Kitamura's DOWNRANGE on Its Way to Thrill in 2018

Kitamura Ryuhei cemented his place in the genre hall of fame with Versus back at the turn of the century. Since then he's found himself in and out of favor with fans as he made the likes of Aragami, Agumi, Godzilla: Final Wars, The Midnight Meat Train (my personal high of that year), and others.

Soon he'll be returning to delight his fans with Downrange. Scripted by Joey O'Bryan (Fulltime Killer, Motorway, and more, and a personal friend, too), the film is based on a story by O'Bryan and Kitamura. Per the official statement:

"In the film, six college students are carpooling cross-country when one of their tires blows out on a desolate stretch of country road. Getting out to fix the flat, they quickly discover that this was no accident. The tire was shot out. With their vehicle incapacitated, the group is pinned down and mercilessly attacked by an unseen assailant as they desperately attempt to find a way to escape."

Kitamura says: "While I've created single location films in the past, Downrange marks a new style of storytelling for me, wherein sustained, breathless terror in a singular location is what drives the entire plot. We've crafted a film in which is fueled by relentless dread, and are very excited to share it with horror and suspense fans around the world."

Newcomer Kelly Connaire, Stephanie Pearson (Insidious: Chapter 2), Rod Hernandez-Farella, Anthony Kirlew, Alexa Yeames (The CW's The Originals), and Jason Tobias (ABC Television's Notorious) star. As noted, the film is scheduled for release in early 2018, via Eleven Arts.