Director James Ward Byrkit, Producer Kate Andrews Prepping Follow-Up To 2013 Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Coherence’

Matt Grobar
·2 min read

EXCLUSIVE: Director James Ward Byrkit and producer Kate Andrews (It’s What’s Inside) are developing a feature follow-up to Coherence, the sci-fi thriller co-written, directed and executive produced by Byrkit, which has garnered a cult following since its release to critical acclaim in 2013.

Plot details are being kept under lock and key — including whether the new film will be a prequel, sequel, or a different story entirely. Byrkit will be at the helm as director and will also pen the script with his co-story writing partner Alex Manugian from the original film. Andrews will produce under her Boldly Go Productions following the sale of her first film It’s What’s Inside to Netflix for a festival high $17 million at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, on which we were first to report.

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Stephen Belden will exec produce the new film under his Death Wish Entertainment banner.

Starring Emily Baldoni, Maury Sterling, Nicholas Brendon and more, Coherence watches as eight friends at a dinner party experience a disturbing chain of reality-bending events when a comet passes by, unraveling hidden truths and testing their grasp on reality. Marking Byrkit’s directorial debut, the film premiered at Fantastic Fest before going on to distribution through Oscilloscope Laboratories. Despite its famously small budget, it’s gone on to be mentioned in numerous Top 10 lists as one of the greatest mind-bending sci-fi thrillers of the 21st century and has garnered a cult-like following amongst science fiction fans and independent filmmakers alike.

In a statement to Deadline on the genesis of the follow-up, Byrkit explained, “I’ve been inundated with pitches for sequels and offers for remakes ever since the film came out but nothing ever inspired us until Kate Andrews sent me an email with two words that unlocked the box. So either Kate’s a genius or she’s from a parallel reality where Alex and I already wrote this and she’s pitching us our own movie.”

In addition to Coherence, Byrkit is known for co-writing the story for the Academy Award-winning animated film Rango and his current sci-fi television anthology Shatter Belt. He is represented by The Gotham Group and The Nord Group. Manugian is repped by The Gotham Group and Myman Greenspan; Andrews by Death Wish Entertainment.

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