They say that horror and comedy share far more storytelling DNA than one might assume, as both seemingly different genres are heavily predicated on set-ups and pay-offs that (ideally) mess with your expectations in ways that are either hilarious or frightening — or both! Not to brag or anything, but actor Joe Lo Truglio apparently agrees with me (and everyone else who has ever made that exact same observation).

Deadline reports that the Brooklyn Nine-Nine star will be making his feature film directing debut with a horror movie called Outpost.

In terms of plot, the film is compellingly described as a “nightmare on a mountain, about a woman fighting demons – and the demons are winning.” Production begins shortly on July 11 and will see Lo Truglio pulling double-duty on writing and directing. It stars an ensemble cast led by Beth Dover (Orange Is The New Black) along with Dylan Baker, Becky Ann Baker, Dallas Roberts, Ta’Rea Campbell, and Ato Essandoh.

Actor, writer, director, producer, and (most importantly) diehard horror fan Lo Truglio added:

“It seemed like the perfect time to pivot and do something I’ve wanted to do since I was thirteen: make a scary movie. And to do it with friends, new and old – that’s the dream. We’re lucky.”

Making The Jump

Good for him, if you ask us! Lo Truglio successfully carved out a space for himself as a comedic force with appearances in Wet Hot American Summer (and its two subsequent Netflix miniseries), Superbad, Pineapple Express, and of course the long-running series Brooklyn Nine-Nine as NYPD detective Charles Boyle, which is set to conclude with one final season later this summer. If his trajectory from comedy to horror feels familiar, that’s because he’s apparently following in the footsteps of similarly comedy-focused actors who then decided to dip their toes into the horror scene.

Jordan Peele, most notably, went from his breakout role in Mad TV and the comedy sketch series Key and Peele to blowing the world’s collective mind with the horror-comedy Get Out and the even more existentially terrifying Us in 2019. Peele is also the producing force behind Nia DaCosta’s Candyman Even more recently, the man colloquially referred to as “Jim from The Office“, John Krasinski, exploded back into the world of filmmaking with 2018’s smash hit A Quiet Place and this year’s even more ambitious (though perhaps somewhat less effective) follow-up A Quiet Place: Part II.

Currently in pre-production, Outpost has yet to settle on a release date but we’ll be sure to bring you the details as they come in.

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