Rapture / © Hanway Films
Rapture, a new gay zombie movie set in the 14th Century, will reportedly begin filming this Autumn.
The project – from director Jordan Tannahill – was first announced last year and has a cast including BAFTA winner Will Poulter, Heartstopper‘s Kit Connor and Elite heartthrob Manu Rios.
According to Out, a synopsis for the film reads: “Set in Medieval England in the year 1348, the story alights on Lansley Abbey, a remote stone monastery in Yorkshire, which houses ten monks bound by a life of strict routine and devotion.
“Their fragile peace is disrupted by the arrival of a messenger – a man with haunting news from the outside world who rapidly shows symptoms of a mystery illness. A virulent plague is spreading through the land: Marked initially by a haemorrhagic fever, it turns its victims into ‘revenants’ – restless, undead beings.
“As the contagion closes in, Lansley Abbey becomes a battleground: Desperate outsiders beg for refuge while the infected threaten to overrun its walls. The monks are torn apart by a moral rift between those who believe they must care for the sick and those who want to protect the centuries of knowledge safe-guarded by the monastery.
“As death is fully unleashed, so too is the brothers’ capacity for extraordinary acts of altruism and ruthless betrayal, forcing them to confront the ultimate question: What does it mean to be human?”
Tannahill, known for his play Prince Faggot, said in a recent interview: “It’s queer body horror. I think all three of those actors I mentioned – among some other great performers, some of whom are also queer – are going to give these exciting performances that we haven’t seen from them before.
“I feel like it’s going to be a juicy film – and hopefully, a pretty terrifying one, too.”
Rapture is due to enter production in October, with filming taking place in Wales and Hungary. A tentative release date has yet to be revealed, with late 2027 to early 2028 the most likely window.
