Paramount casts trio for Possession: Madeline Brewer, Emory Cohen and Nicholas Alexander Chavez

Paramount’s planned remake of the 1981 thriller Possession has added several high-profile names to its cast, signaling a more star-driven reboot of the unsettling original. The new ensemble now includes Madeline Brewer, Emory Cohen and Nicholas Alexander Chavez, alongside previously announced leads Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner, with Paul Dano and Diego Calva also attached.

Parker Finn, the filmmaker behind the modern horror hit Smile, will direct from his own screenplay and serve as a producer. His production banner, Bad Feeling, is partnering with Roy Lee’s Vertigo and other producers on the project, and actor-producer Robert Pattinson is listed among the producing team.

The 1981 film that inspired this remake follows a woman whose increasingly erratic and disturbing behavior begins after she asks her husband for a divorce—what starts as marital breakdown and suspicion morphs into something far darker. The remake aims to translate that psychological dread for contemporary audiences under Finn’s horror sensibilities.

Key cast and recent credits

• Madeline Brewer — best known for The Handmaid’s Tale; recently appeared in Lionsgate’s Anniversary and Netflix’s You (season 5).
• Emory Cohen — featured in A24’s Marty Supreme alongside Timothée Chalamet.
• Nicholas Alexander Chavez — garnered attention as Lyle Menendez in Ryan Murphy’s Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story and reunited with Murphy in Grotesquerie.
• Margaret Qualley and Callum Turner — previously announced as part of the principal cast.
• Paul Dano and Diego Calva — additional notable additions to the ensemble.

Producers on the project include Finn and Jonathan Fass (Bad Feeling), Roy Lee and Andrew Childs (Vertigo), with Marc Bienstock serving as executive producer. That lineup pairs a director known for character-driven horror with production companies experienced in genre remakes and large-format cinema.

Why this matters now: The announcement brings together a mix of television and film actors who have recent visibility with streaming audiences, while putting a contemporary horror director at the helm of a well-regarded cult property. For viewers, the remake represents both an update of a provocative psychological story and a test of how modern filmmakers adapt disturbing material for mainstream platforms.

Behind the scenes and representation

Brewer is represented by CAA, Entertainment 360 and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham. Cohen’s representation includes Range Media, Verve and Jackoway Austen. Chavez is repped by CAA, Untitled, and Felker, McGinnis & Ryan. No production schedule or release date has been announced yet.

The project will be watched closely by fans of psychological horror and by industry observers tracking how legacy titles are reshaped for today’s streaming and theatrical markets. With Finn’s creative voice and a high-profile producing roster, this Possession remake is positioned as one of the more notable horror reboots currently in development.