Universal's supernatural thriller 'Night Swim' takes plunge with Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon

Blumhouse, Atomic Monster, and Universal Pictures will follow up the critical and financial success of M3GAN with a new genre project entitled Night Swim from writer-director Bryce McGuire. The film — which is described as a supernatural thriller centered around a backyard swimming pool — officially added Wyatt Russell (Overlord) and Kerry Condon (Better Call Saul) to its cast today.

Scheduled for a wide release on Jan. 19, 2024, the movie is based on a 2014 short film (watch it below) directed by McGuire and Rod Blackhurst. James Wan and Jason Blum are attached as producers to the feature-length adaptation, with Judson Scott and Ryan Turek on (the diving) board as executive producers. Principal photography is set to kick off soon.

"Huge congrats to my homie and ride or die Bryce McGuire," Blackhurst — who directed and executive produced John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise for Peacock — wrote on Instagram. "Many moons ago, we made a short film in Michelle Branch’s backyard in Los Angeles and then wrote a feature film treatment that’s now becoming a major motion picture. Here’s to us! Come on in, the water is fine."

RELATED: Could M3GAN kick Annabelle's ass? James Wan & Jason Blum sound off on hypothetical smackdown

"The concept was very simple: one character, one location, and practically no dialogue. However, any time water is involved, the execution gets a little more complex," the short's cinematographer, Colton Davie, wrote on their website. "Underwater camera operator Boyd Hobbs helped us capture beautiful underwater images, and above the surface a Jimmy Jib, operated by Andy Jagerson, allowed us to quickly move and position the camera in places that would have been very difficult or impossible otherwise."

In early 2019, Amblin Partners acquired the screen rights to McGuire's screenplay for the female-led thriller, The White Room (described as a combination of Don't Breathe and Hereditary), which landed on the 2018 Blood List. Blackhurst has been tapped to direct White Room and is currently in partnership with Atomic Monster, developing yet another thriller called Die By Night.

Now playing in theaters everywhere, M3GAN defied early box office projections with an impressive weekend haul of $30.2 million in domestic ticket sales. Along with Jordan Peele's Nope (now streaming on Peacock), it is the only science fiction horror release since 2017 to land a $30 million+ debut. As Mr. Blum declared on Twitter: "MOVIES ARE BACK!!!!"

M3GAN currently holds a near-perfect score of 94 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

Want to check out more horror in the meantime? Halloween Ends, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Day of the Dead, Ginger Snaps, Sinister, Train to Busan, They/Them, You Should Have Left, and more are currently available on Peacock.