Hippo Survival Thriller ‘Hungry’ Heads to AFM With Signature (EXCLUSIVE)
The humble hippopotamus is finally getting its chance to shine on the big screen thanks to an upcoming project being launched at the American Film Market.
Survival thriller “Hungry” — being sold by Signature Entertainment — pits a hungry hippo against a group of tourists, and comes from James Nunn, behind the “One Shot” action thriller franchise. Principal photography has now kicked off in Malta, with Nunn directing from his own screenplay and Signature’s head of U.K. production Ben Jacques (“One More Shot,” “The Hatton Garden Job”) producing. Signature’s CEO Marc Goldberg and head of production & development Sarah Gabriel (“Riff Raff,” “The Estate”) will serve as executive producers.
“Hungry” centers on a group of holidaymakers who must fight for their lives against a rampaging hippo on the loose after becoming lost in the Louisiana swamplands.
Alongside announcing the project, Signature has also secured a number of deals including Acontracorriente in Spain; CDC in Latin America; Phoenicia in the Middle East; Daro in Eastern Europe, Garsu Pasaulio Irasai in the Baltics and Shoval in Israel. Rights have also gone to India (Lionsgate Play), Malaysia and Singapore (Suraya), Thailand (Sahamongkol), Philippines (Pioneer), Tanweer in Turkey, Mongolia (FilmBridge) and CIS (Exponenta).
Key behind-the-scenes talent on the film includes award-winning MUFX designer Dan Martin (“The Banshees of Inisherin,” “Possessor,” “Infinity Pool”) and VFX company Magic Dust VFX (“True Detective: Night Country,” “One Piece”) who have both boarded the project to bring “Hungry’s” hippo to life.
Nunn’s previous feature film credits include the one-take action series “One Shot” (2021) with latest installment “One More Shot” (2024) alongside shark thriller “Shark Bait” (2022).
