Bring bug spray: Samara Weaving and Nicholas Braun battle killer wasps in new thriller movie

If you thought wasps were just a mild annoyance at your summer picnic, brace yourself – there’s an entire film on the way with them as the main threat. Hivemind has started filming, starring Samara Weaving and Nicholas Braun, and yes, the bad guys here are very much of the winged, stinging variety.

Wasp Outbreak: The Plot

The film is being called an environmental thriller, and it’s directed by Ciarán Foy for Amazon MGM Studios. The setting: one of those quaint small towns, now being terrorised by a swarm of killer wasps. The story apparently revolves around the local community’s attempt to do, well, anything to not end up as wasp food while also avoiding what’s being teased as a potential global disaster. So, picture the small-town survival vibes of Tremors, but swap the giant worms for something you can’t outrun.

Badlands producer Scott Strauss summed up why they nabbed the rights to this project before it hit the open market: "Hivemind is such a compelling script. I expect our timeline to be similar. I appreciate Peter and his team for recognizing and putting faith in Badlands alternative to studio development."

Peter Gaffney wrote the screenplay and is also producing alongside Adam Rodin and Brad Luff. It’s a full-on producer party, with Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee and Diarmaid McGrath on board for Thunder Roads, plus Scott Strauss repping Badlands, as well as Macdara Kelleher and John Keville for Wild Atlantic Pictures.

Casting and Where They’re Filming

Filming is already underway in Dublin. In the lead, there’s Samara Weaving – who’s everywhere right now – and Nicholas Braun, fresh from Succession. If you’re expecting a full synopsis or character names, you’ll have to wait: they’re playing it close to the chest for now.

Hivemind is currently being shot in Dublin and will stream on Prime Video after its cinematic release.

No actual release date yet, so set your calendar reminders for 'eventually'.

Samara Weaving: Currently Ubiquitous

Speaking of Weaving, she’s in the middle of a run. Not only is she starring in this wasp incident, she’s just been announced at D23 as the MCU’s new Emma Frost (or White Queen) for the upcoming X-Men reboot, hitting cinemas in 2028 with Jake Schreier directing. That’s a pretty decent side hustle.

• She’s just come off Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (out March 2025), reprising her role as Grace MacCaullay. That film scored 75% on Rotten Tomatoes with critics who seem to enjoy watching her get into trouble.
• If horror-comedy isn’t enough, she’s also leading Carolina Caroline (crime-romance, out 2025), which currently boasts a 90% critical rating on the Tomatometer.

All things considered, having killer wasps as your next obstacle feels remarkably on-brand at this point.