# Play Dead (upcoming film)
**Play Dead** is an upcoming survival thriller feature film directed by [Jaume Collet-Serra](https://www.edgepedia.org/jaume-collet-serra), written by Peter Stanley-Ward and Natalie Conway, and starring [Noah Jupe](https://www.edgepedia.org/noah-jupe) and [Matthias Schweighöfer](https://www.edgepedia.org/matthias-schweighofer). As of April 28, 2026 the film is in post-production, having shot in Melbourne, Australia in May 2025.[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) • [2](https://www.screendaily.com/news/jaume-collett-serras-play-dead-starring-noah-jupe-matthias-schweigh%C3%B6fer-heads-to-efm/5213372.article) It is a World War II survival story, and it is distinct from several other films of similar or identical titles, including a 2022 horror film starring Bailee Madison and the 2026 crime thriller *Just Play Dead* with Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Green.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director | Jaume Collet-Serra, whose earlier films include *House of Wax* (2005), *Unknown*, and *Non-Stop*[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) • [3](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1919877-carry-on-director-jaume-collet-sera-play-dead-movie) |
| Writers | Peter Stanley-Ward and Natalie Conway[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) |
| Stars | Noah Jupe (*Hamnet*) and Matthias Schweighöfer (*Army of the Dead*)[2](https://www.screendaily.com/news/jaume-collett-serras-play-dead-starring-noah-jupe-matthias-schweigh%C3%B6fer-heads-to-efm/5213372.article) |
| Status | In post-production as of April 28, 2026; principal photography finished[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) |
| Shooting | May 2025, Melbourne, Australia, with additional filming in South Gippsland, Victoria[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) • [4](https://www.sgst.com.au/content/files/2025/10/2225---June-3-2025.pdf) |
| Premise | A World War II survival thriller described as *Don't Breathe* meets *1917*, in which the protagonist must use their wits to escape a deadly situation[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) • [4](https://www.sgst.com.au/content/files/2025/10/2225---June-3-2025.pdf) |
| Production companies | Five attached, including Boulderlight Pictures, Nocturnal Studios, and Ghost House Pictures[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) |
## Production
The film was scheduled to start shooting in Melbourne, Australia in May 2025, and the Production List entry published by the Film & Television Industry Alliance records it as having finished principal photography and entered post-production by April 28, 2026.[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) Reporting from South Gippsland, Victoria, in June 2025 described Collet-Serra filming the World War II survival thriller in the region as part of a $24 million investment in the local film industry, alongside other projects shooting in the state that year.[4](https://www.sgst.com.au/content/files/2025/10/2225---June-3-2025.pdf)
**Financing and sales.** The film is the first feature under the Nocturnal banner; WME Independent kicked off worldwide sales at the European Film Market in February 2026, announcing Jupe and Schweighöfer as leads.[2](https://www.screendaily.com/news/jaume-collett-serras-play-dead-starring-noah-jupe-matthias-schweigh%C3%B6fer-heads-to-efm/5213372.article) Noah Jupe was reported as shooting the film opposite Patrick Gibson.[5](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/576454e629687fb39bd1f977/t/690101363792b9248bc094cf/1761673526566/THECARPENTERSSONfinalnotes.pdf)
For Collet-Serra, the project followed *[The Woman in the Yard](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-woman-in-the-yard)*, which was releasing in United States theaters on March 28, 2025, and *Carry-On*.[3](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1919877-carry-on-director-jaume-collet-sera-play-dead-movie)
## Premise
The Production List summary describes the film as a survival thriller compared to *Don't Breathe* ([Fede Álvarez](https://www.edgepedia.org/fede-alvarez)'s 2016 home-invasion horror) and *1917* ([Sam Mendes](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-mendes)'s 2019 continuous-shot war film), following a harrowing journey of survival in which the protagonist must use their wits to escape a deadly situation; specific plot details remain under wraps.[1](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead) • [3](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1919877-carry-on-director-jaume-collet-sera-play-dead-movie) Australian government reporting identifies it as a World War II survival thriller.[4](https://www.sgst.com.au/content/files/2025/10/2225---June-3-2025.pdf)
## Other films titled Play Dead
Several released films share the title, and coverage of the upcoming film is frequently mixed with them:
- ***Play Dead* (2022/2023)**, directed by Patrick Lussier, starring [Bailee Madison](https://www.edgepedia.org/bailee-madison) and [Jerry O'Connell](https://www.edgepedia.org/jerry-oconnell), in which criminology student Chloe fakes her own death to break into a morgue and steal evidence linking her brother to a crime.[6](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/play-dead-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda5ntq3) • [7](https://iconfilmdistribution.co.uk/our-films/play-dead)
- ***Play Dead* (2026)**, a low-budget horror film directed by Carlos Goitia, starring Paula Brasca as a woman who wakes injured in a basement of corpses and pretends to be dead while a ritual unfolds above; it runs 1 hour 12 minutes and was produced by Black Mandala.[8](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/play-dead/umc.cmc.2fyb270wap9mk4wkujzgpi4kp) • [9](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/play-dead/)
- ***[Just Play Dead](https://www.edgepedia.org/just-play-dead)* (2026)**, a crime thriller directed by Martin Campbell starring Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Green, and María Pedraza, in which a criminal mastermind plans to fake his death for a $30 million insurance payout while his wife plots to kill him for real; it runs 97 minutes and was released theatrically on August 28, 2026 by Vertical.[10](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/just-play-dead-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmtiwndg2) • [11](https://highlandfilmgroup.com/articles/samuel-l-jackson-eva-green-thriller-just-play-dead-scores-key-distribution-deals-out-of-cannes) • [12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/just_play_dead)
## References
1. [Play Dead, Production List, Film & Television Industry Alliance (last updated April 28, 2026)](https://www.productionlist.com/production/play-dead)
2. [Jaume Collet-Serra's 'Play Dead' starring Noah Jupe, Matthias Schweighöfer heads to EFM, Screen Daily (February 4, 2026)](https://www.screendaily.com/news/jaume-collett-serras-play-dead-starring-noah-jupe-matthias-schweigh%C3%B6fer-heads-to-efm/5213372.article)
3. [Carry-On Director Jaume Collet-Serra Finds Next Project in Thriller Movie Play Dead, ComingSoon.net](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/1919877-carry-on-director-jaume-collet-sera-play-dead-movie)
4. [South Gippsland Shire Council, Council Agenda June 3, 2025](https://www.sgst.com.au/content/files/2025/10/2225---June-3-2025.pdf)
5. [The Carpenter's Son production notes, cast section](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/576454e629687fb39bd1f977/t/690101363792b9248bc094cf/1761673526566/THECARPENTERSSONfinalnotes.pdf)
6. [Play Dead, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/play-dead-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmda5ntq3)
7. [Play Dead, Icon Film Distribution](https://iconfilmdistribution.co.uk/our-films/play-dead)
8. [Play Dead, Apple TV](https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/play-dead/umc.cmc.2fyb270wap9mk4wkujzgpi4kp)
9. [Play Dead Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/play-dead/)
10. [Just Play Dead, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/just-play-dead-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmtiwndg2)
11. [Samuel L. Jackson, Eva Green Thriller 'Just Play Dead' Scores Key Distribution Deals Out of Cannes, Highland Film Group/Variety (May 18, 2026)](https://highlandfilmgroup.com/articles/samuel-l-jackson-eva-green-thriller-just-play-dead-scores-key-distribution-deals-out-of-cannes)
12. [Just Play Dead, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/just_play_dead)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Crime, thriller, and mystery films (individual works) › 2025–2026 films › Psychological and erotic thrillers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license