Amanda Warren and Evan Jonigkeit Lead 'Door,' a Sci-Fi Horror Debut From the Filmmakers Behind Festival Hit 'The Manual'
Amanda Warren and Evan Jonigkeit will star in Door, an indie sci-fi horror film now shooting in Portland, Oregon, according to Deadline (Deadline).
The film marks the feature directorial debut of Sara Magness and Wil Magness, who also wrote the screenplay. Its premise: a family's world shatters after a father unknowingly opens a door that leads to realities shaped by the subconscious of whoever steps through. The cast also includes Akira Jackson, River Blossom, Johnny Sibilly, and Henry Ian Cusick.
Sara and Wil Magness described Door as a story about family, loss, identity and the destructive impulse that comes from being unable to let go. They drew on traumatic moments from their own lives and their fascination with how extreme trauma can turn people into versions of themselves they barely recognize.
The Magness duo arrive at their first feature with a strong short-film track record. Their breakout sci-fi short The Manual played 30 international festivals, earning 18 nominations and 14 awards, including Best Short Film and Best Director. Gunpowder + Sky's streaming platform Dust acquired the film, where it has drawn more than 800,000 views. Their follow-up short, Angel Hair, is currently making the festival rounds.
Warren is best known for television roles on The Leftovers, Dickinson, and The Night Agent. She recently starred alongside Boyd Holbrook, Kenneth Branagh, and Hiam Abbass in the war drama Atonement, which premiered in the Cannes Directors' Fortnight — a curated sidebar running parallel to the main Cannes festival. Her upcoming work includes two Netflix projects: the Jamie Foxx drama Fight for '84 and the series Myron Bolitar.
Jonigkeit, an Emmy nominee, has appeared in The Hunting Wives, Archive 81, and Sweetbitter. His film credits range from studio horror — he starred opposite Rebecca Hall in Searchlight's The Night House — to indie fare like Together Together and Bone Tomahawk.
Sara and Wil Magness are producing Door with Stacy Lorts under their Why Because Films banner, with Courtney Tait co-producing. Casting is by Jessica Munks and Simon Max Hill. Warren is repped by Buchwald, Alchemy Entertainment, and Ginsburg Daniels Kallis; Jonigkeit by Paradigm, Mosaic, and Schreck Rose Dapello.
What gives the project its indie-machinery appeal is the pathway behind it: a directing pair who built a name on the festival circuit and a streaming acquisition, now stepping up to a feature with a cast drawn from prestige television and festival-premiered film. No distributor, release date, or sales agent has been announced, which is standard for an indie at the production stage — those deals typically come together closer to completion, often at a market like Cannes, Toronto, or the AFM (the American Film Market, where sales agents and buyers trade finished and in-progress titles).
