Do you like medieval films? Do you love zombie movies? You're in for a treat: Rapture, a new project combining these two genres, will be on sale at the Cannes Film Market between May 13 and 21. Monks, a sexy cast, and the undead are on the program. We'll tell you more below!
Rapture, the medieval zombie film that will please horror fans
From the iconoclastic The Dead Don't Die (Jim Jarmush, 2019) to the terrifying 28 Days Later (Danny Boyle, 2002), including the acclaimed series The Last of Us, whose second season is currently airing on HBO, zombies are all the rage. Their popularity isn't about to drop, as a new project has just been announced, a cross between The Name of the Rose, in which a Franciscan monk investigates obscure crimes, and Kingdom, a Netflix series with zombies set in medieval Korea. Our colleagues at Deadline reveal the name of this film, Rapture, and tell us a little more about the context:
Set in medieval England in 1348, the story focuses on Lansley Abbey, an isolated monastery in Yorkshire, where ten monks live, bound by a strict life of devotion and routine. Their fragile peace is interrupted by the arrival of a messenger: a man with alarming news from the outside world, who quickly shows symptoms of a mysterious illness. A virulent epidemic spreads across the land: what begins as a hemorrhagic fever soon transforms its victims into "revenants," undead, restless beings. As the contagion closes in, Lansley Abbey becomes a battleground. Desperate outsiders beg for refuge while the infected threaten to breach the walls. The monks are torn by a moral dilemma, between those who believe they must care for the sick and those who want to protect centuries of knowledge guarded by the monastery. Death is unleashed, as is the monks' capacity for acts of extraordinary altruism or ruthless betrayal, forcing them to confront the ultimate question: what does it mean to be human?
A project with an enticing cast
first artwork for "rapture" (starring kit connor and will poulter) pic.twitter.com/lJqKmjpJ5k
— kit connor updates (@kconnorupdate) May 8, 2025
This synopsis probably brings to mind parts of Sam Raimi's Evil Dead III: Army of Darkness, in which Ash (Bruce Campbell) returns to 1300 to fight the undead with a chainsaw attached to his arm. Rapture will likely have a more "realistic" feel, and it will be carried by a five-star cast, including 32-year-old British actor Will Poulter. MCU fans know him from Guardians of the Galaxy 3, where he played Adam Warlock. But that's not all, since he also starred in Maze Runner in 2014 and Midsommar in 2019. Facing the zombies of Rapture, he will be joined by Kit Connor, seen in Rocketman and Ready Player One, as well as the Spaniard Manu Ríos, who viewers of the Netflix series Elite will know well. 30 years, involve rather fresh and energetic monks, unlike their traditional appearance in the films - we are thinking in particular of the "monks" of Game of Thrones, the maesters, of which Aemon and the Sparrow are decrepit examples. You will tell us that to face zombies, it is better to have the strength of age with you!
At the helm, we find Jordan Tannahill, Canadian writer and playwright, for whom this will be his first film. Filming will begin this year in Hungary. As for the CEO of HanWay Films (the film's distributor), Gabrielle Stewart, she teases a separate project:
We were all blown away by Jordan's vision for Rapture. It's rare to have such an atmospheric and terrifying zombie horror film set in such an authentic historical world, with complex characters grappling with the biggest moral dilemmas. It's no wonder he's already attracted a stellar cast with Will, Kit, and Manu, with more to come, backed by top-tier producers.
A project we'll be sure to tell you more about on Hitek!
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