Emma Laird and Thomas Doherty will play rival serial killers in Prime Video’s Butcher & Blackbird
Prime Video’s movie about competing serial killers has locked in its leads — and they’re plucked from 28 Years Later and Gossip Girl.
Amazon MGM Studios has just dropped the news on X (the site your mum still calls Twitter) that their upcoming Prime Video film about rival serial killers is moving ahead with some very recognisable leads. If you've got room for yet another moody-duo-murder-thriller in your life, this one might have you covered.
Emma Laird and Thomas Doherty will play the two leads in Prime Video's adaptation of Brynne Weaver's bestseller Butcher & Blackbird.
The leads: who’s who?
First up: Emma Laird. You probably know her as Jimmima from the 28 Years Later films or possibly as Shannon in Mint. Laird seems to like mixing it up: she's also been in Fackham Hall, War, Falling, Satisfaction, Mayor of Kingstown, and The Brutalist. Her calendar looks jam-packed at the minute – she's got Neuromancer, Blood on Snow, Elden Ring, and The Housekeeper all working their way through post-production limbo.
Starring opposite her is Thomas Doherty – yes, the bloke from Gossip Girl (he played Max Wolfe). He also showed up in The Lodge (as Sean Matthews), The Invitation, Descendants 2 and 3 (Disney loves a sequel), High Strung Free Dance, Legacies, Catherine the Great, High Fidelity, Tell Me Lies, and Paradise. His next trick? Family Secrets, also headed for release once the usual post-production faff is sorted.
- Laird plays Sloane Blackbird Sutherland (the Blackbird, aka Orb Weaver)
- Doherty takes on Rowan 'The Boston Butcher' Kane
- Neither of them are the type you want as next-door neighbours
Serial killer romance: what’s the gist?
Butcher & Blackbird is adapted from Brynne Weaver's first novel in her Ruinous Love trilogy. It's a dark romance, sure – the central gimmick being two serial killers gunning for... other serial killers. Call it Dexter meets a slightly unhinged dating app. Like any classic rivals, the pair keep trying to outdo each other, but – shocker – their twisted competition gradually turns into something less stabby, more soppy. The big question: can you manage a proper relationship when you both prefer a sharp knife and a body count?
Butcher & Blackbird is based on the first instalment of Weaver's bestselling trilogy, Ruinous Love.
Behind the scenes: who’s steering this thing?
The whole project is helmed by Chris McKay – you might have caught his work on The Tomorrow War (not exactly small potatoes). The script’s coming from Laura Kosann, with a polish from Ari Berkowitz and Ava Tramer. Weaver herself is roped in as executive producer, joined by McKay, Arlen Konopaki, Jon Rosenberg, and Jonathan Faust. So plenty of cooks in this kitchen.
Don't expect it on your streaming menu just yet – the film's only just out of the gate, so there’s no official release date. For now, it's solidly in the pre-production stage.