Fresh from the shadow-drenched corridors of Alien: Romulus, Spike Fearn is stepping into even darker territory, joining two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger in the psychological nightmare Phantom Son, as first reported by Deadline.

The film will be helmed by David Yates, the filmmaker behind the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts sagas—this time trading spellcraft for something far more sinister. The screenplay—penned by Ian Scott McCullough (The Mosquito Coast)—sets the stage for a tense, paranoia-laced descent into fractured identities and emotional horrors.

Phantom Son follows Ronnie, a young runaway barely holding himself together, who’s taken in by Audrey (Zellweger), a woman hollowed out by the disappearance of her own son twenty years earlier.

As days turn murky and reality begins to warp, Audrey grows convinced that Ronnie is the stolen child she lost, and a twisted cat-and-mouse spiral begins—one where obsession gnaws at truth, and the line between delusion and deception rots away.

Developed under Zellweger and Carmella Casinelli’s Big Picture Co., the film is assembling its cast now, with production set to begin in early 2026. Expect a slow-burn descent drenched in dread.

Spike Fearn can currently be seen in James L. Brooks’ Ella McCay, now haunting theaters.