Luke Macfarlane and Froy Gutierrez have signed on to star in the upcoming zombie film This Is Not a Test.
The horror feature, based on Courtney Summers’s young adult novel of the same name, has been described as “The Breakfast Club meets 28 Weeks Later.”
The book description reads: “It’s the end of the world. Six students have taken cover in Cortege High but shelter is little comfort when the dead outside won’t stop pounding on the doors. One bite is all it takes to kill a person and bring them back as a monstrous version of their former self. To Sloane Price, that doesn’t sound so bad.
“Six months ago, her world collapsed and since then, she’s failed to find a reason to keep going. Now seems like the perfect time to give up. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she’s forced to witness the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live.
“But as the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group’s fate is determined less and less by what’s happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside. When everything is gone, what do you hold on to?”
In addition to MacFarlane and Guitierrez, This Is Not a Test will feature Olivia Holt, who starred in Hulu’s Cruel Summer. However, according to Variety, details on the trio’s roles are being kept under wraps.
Lastly, the film will be produced by Cbyill Lui of Anova Pictures and directed by Adam MacDonald. Principal photography will kick off in Ontario, Canada, later this month.
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In a statement to the aforementioned publication, Summers expressed her excitement over MacDonald and Lui adapting her hit 2012 novel.
“As a longtime horror movie fan, I’ve loved Adam MacDonald’s wildly intense and sharply realised contributions to the genre, and I’m thrilled he’s sharing his talents with This Is Not a Test.,” she said.
“From its stellar script to its exciting cast, his and Cybill’s enthusiasm for the book and their passion for filmmaking has and continues to define every part of this process. I can’t wait to see the story come to life–or should I say day?- and claim its place in the zombie canon.”
In a separate statement, Lui echoed similar sentiments, describing the upcoming film as an “intense ride from beginning to end.”
“We’re dead set on making an intense, emotional, and gripping film set in the 90s as we follow our heroine’s journey and ask ourselves, what do you hold onto when everything is gone?” she added.
As of writing, a release date has not been announced.
Macfarlane is best known for his roles as Scott Wandell in Brothers and Sisters (2006-2011) and Aaron Shepard in the history-making gay romantic comedy Bros (2022).
Gutierrez memorably rose to fame after appearing in the hit MTV series Teen Wolf (2016) before starring in other fan favourites like Cruel Summer and The Strangers: Chapter 1 (2024).
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