Maika Monroe will replace Margaret Qualley in Victorian Psycho

Margaret Qualley was originally set to star in the psychological horror-thriller Victorian Psycho, but she dropped out of the project earlier this year, just before production was slated to begin. Deadline reports that a replacement has now been found. Maika Monroe (Longlegs) has stepped up to star in Victorian Psycho.

Victorian Psycho takes place in 1858, with Monroe playing Winifred Notty, a young, eccentric governess who “arrives at the remote gothic manor known as Ensor House. Her responsibilities include teaching the children table manners and educating them about their family’s history, all whilst hiding her psychopathic tendencies. As Winifred assimilates into life at Ensor House, staff members begin to inexplicably disappear, and the owners of the estate begin to wonder if there is something amiss about their new governess.” Zachary Wigon (Sanctuary) will direct from a script by Virginia Feito, which is based on her novel of the same name. Production is expected to kick off this August.

“Maika’s intense screen presence has resonated with me over and over again throughout her history of complex performances,” said Wigon in a statement. “I’m absolutely thrilled for her to bring her unique style of psychological portraiture to the fascinatingly bizarre Winifred Notty.“

Qualley isn’t the only departure the production has faced. A24 was originally onboard to handle domestic, but the company dropped out soon after Qualley. The production is currently speaking with other domestic buyers. The film has already been pre-sold to multiple international markets, so finding a new partner shouldn’t take long.

Monroe was last seen starring alongside Nicolas Cage in Longlegs. She has several high-profile projects on her slate, including starring in a remake of The Hand That Rocks the Cradle alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Raúl Castillo. She’s also preparing to return for They Follow, a sequel to It Follows, the horror flick that helped put Monroe on the map over ten years ago. She has teased that the sequel will be “bigger, darker, and more f*cked up” than its predecessor. Not much is known about the new film, only that it will take place ten years after the events of the original.

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