Despite the fact that she already has a lot of projects in the works, Sarah Paulson appears to be able to juggle even more with the news that she has been cast as the lead in Searchlight Pictures’ horror film, Dust. Claire Foy (The Crown) was originally cast in the part in June 2020 but had to drop out owing to schedule difficulties. Paulson will take her place. “Young mother who is plagued by the past as she confronts a dangerous ghost and takes unusual steps to safeguard her family,” is how Paulson’s character is depicted in the Hulu original horror thriller film. Paulson’s character, who has yet to be given a name, is in an even worse situation since she is caught in a dangerous dust storm that has descended on Oklahoma in the 1930s.
In addition to starring in Dust, Paulson will also act as an executive producer for Searchlight Pictures. Martha Marcy May Marlene and Martha Marcy May Marlene have both been critically praised in Searchlight films. For their latest film, Searchlight execs David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield said in a joint statement that “Sarah is an incredible artist and we are happy to be working with her again,” referring to Paulson. AHS, a Ryan Murphy anthology horror series, has given Paulson multiple opportunities to show her horror talent, and she has done so in all but one of the show’s ten seasons on FX, where she has played a variety of characters.
Murphy’s success with AHS led to Paulson’s role as Marcia Clark, the main prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson murder case, in the first season of FX’s American Crime Story (ACS). Paulson received an Emmy and a Golden Globe Award for her depiction of Clark. It was “the finest experience I’ve ever had from an acting aspect period,” she said when she returned for the third season of Impeachment: American Crime Story in a different role. His latest work includes the film adaptations of Clybourne Park and Untamed, based on the memoirs of Glennon Doyle, which he has also written.
Besides AHS and ACS, Paulson is the executive producer of Ratched, a psychological thriller that has been running since 2012. With Will Joines and Karrie Crouse on board to helm, Dust’s production will begin in late August. Crouse will offer the script for the film. A producer team led by Alix Madigan and Lucas Joaquin is in place, with Searchlight Pictures bringing in Chan Phung, Zahra Phillips, and Daejione Jones to oversee the film. Hulu has announced that the horror film Dust will be available to stream, but no release date has been established.