THE APEX TIMES
Rowan Blanchard to Star in Millicent Hailes’ School-Shooting Themed Dark Comedy ‘The Drill,’ Production Set to Begin in Texas
The Hulu and franchise alum will play the lead in The Drill, a new dark comedy directed by Millicent Hailes and written by Keatyn Lee, with filming scheduled to start next week in Texas.
Rowan Blanchard is set to star in The Drill, a dark comedy from director Millicent Hailes that takes place during an active shooter lockdown and traps a high school drill team inside their gym, according to an exclusive announcement from Deadline.
Blanchard, known for starring in Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale related series The Testaments, will portray the film’s lead character in The Drill, which is being developed as a feature. Hailes, who previously directed Perfect, will direct the project, and Keatyn Lee is credited as the writer, the report said.
Deadline reported that filming for The Drill is scheduled to begin in Texas next week. The project’s production start date, as outlined in the announcement, places the movie on a near-term timeline, with crews expected to begin shooting in the state where the story is framed around a school lockdown scenario.
The Drill’s premise centers on a high school drill team as an active shooter lockdown unfolds, trapping the group inside their gym. The report characterizes the project as a dark comedy, with the central setup built around the contrast between a routine school extracurricular drill atmosphere and the emergency confinement created by an active shooter event.
The announcement describes the project as a collaboration between Blanchard and Hailes, with the story crafted by Lee. No casting beyond Blanchard is identified in the Deadline report, and no distributor, production company details, release date, or rating information were included in the information published Tuesday.
As the film moves from development into production, the project’s treatment of a school shooting scenario is likely to be closely watched by audiences and industry observers, particularly given the heightened scrutiny filmmakers face when depicting real-world mass violence and school safety concerns.
For now, the next confirmed step is the start of principal photography in Texas next week, per the Deadline report. Additional casting and production details are expected to follow as the shoot date approaches and filming locations and schedules are finalized.
Why It Matters
- The Drill’s near-term Texas production timeline means the project will enter the planning and execution phase quickly, with location and safety protocols likely to be a key operational focus.
- Given the subject matter involving an active shooter lockdown at a school, the project may face heightened public attention regarding how mass violence in education settings is represented on screen.
- Casting a recognizable streaming-series star can shape the film’s early visibility within Hollywood and among genre audiences as it moves toward financing, marketing, and distribution.
- The film’s use of a dark-comedy framework around a school safety scenario highlights the ongoing industry debate about tone and audience reception for sensitive real-world events.
- As additional casting and release details are confirmed, the project’s market positioning and content rating path may become clearer.
Key Facts
- Rowan Blanchard signed on to star in The Drill, a dark comedy titled from the active shooter lockdown premise.
- Millicent Hailes is set to direct the film, with Keatyn Lee credited as the writer.
- Deadline reported that filming is scheduled to begin in Texas next week.
- The story is described as centering on what happens when an active shooter lockdown traps a high school drill team inside their gym.
- Blanchard is associated with Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale spin-off or sequel series The Testaments, per the report.
- Deadline presented the casting announcement as an exclusive and did not list additional cast, distributor, or release date details in the provided report.