Molepeople: Ben Wheatley Replaces Rob Savage as Director

Ben Wheatley, the director of the thriller Normal, will helm Molepeople. He replaces Rob Savage, who departed the project due to scheduling conflicts. LaKeith Stanfield, previously attached to star in the film, is also exiting the production.

Savage continues to work on the picture as an executive producer. He joins Ryan Turek, Tracy Rosenblum, and screenwriter Nathan Elston in that capacity. The script, written by Elston, centers on a man who descends into abandoned tunnels beneath New York City. There, he encounters a twisted society living beneath the streets.

The project was unveiled during the Blumhouse Atomic Monster presentation at New York Comic-Con earlier this month. Jason Blum, J.D. Lifshitz, Raphael Margules, and James Harris serve as the film's producers. Blumhouse Atomic Monster and Paramount Primal are co-financing and co-producing the work. Paramount will manage worldwide distribution, with a theatrical release scheduled for August 27, 2027.

Wheatley brings a background of both independent and studio filmmaking. His latest feature, Normal, stars Bob Odenkirk and was written by John Wick creator Derek Kolstad. The film premiered at the Midnight Madness program at TIFF before its April 2026 release. His earlier work includes Down Terrace, his 2009 debut, and Kill List, which earned six British Independent Film Award nominations.

His career also includes the Tom Hiddleston-starring film High-Rise and the Martin Scorsese executive produced Free Fire. On the studio side, he directed Warner Bros.' Meg 2: The Trench and Netflix's Rebecca. Wheatley is currently represented by WME, Independent Talent Group, and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.