I Wasn’t Expecting The Funny Reason They Will Kill You’s Director Was Inspired To Make The Brutal Film

The 2026 movie schedule has already ushered in the releases of some seriously twisted, off-beat flicks, like Night Patrol, The Bride! and Ready or Not 2: Here I Come. Joining those titles will be They Will Kill You, which comes from the mind of Russian filmmaker Kirill Sokolov. Trailers for the film tease what should be a seriously bloody good time for those who love suspense and gore. So, given the brutal nature of the movie, I was surprised to hear the more lighthearted and humorous reason Sokolov was inspired to tell this story.

As teased, They Will Kill You centers on Asia Reaves, an ex-convict who takes a job as a housekeeper at a ritzy high-rise in New York. The job seems straightforward enough, until Asia learns the place is actually a satanic temple run by a cult, and she’s their latest human sacrifice. When Sokolov spoke to SFX Magazine on CinemaBlend about what sparked the idea for the film (which he co-wrote with Alex Litvak), I was expecting a dark backstory. What we got instead, though, was a cheeky anecdote involving the director and his spouse:

Creative inspiration can certainly come in a myriad of ways, and I wouldn’t have expected an inside joke between Sokolovan and his wife to have inspired such a wild movie. Of course, to be clear, the No Looking Back helmer confirmed to SFX that there was no actual cult in the building, though he did humorously recall a wild moment that seemed out-of-the ordinary at first glance:

That may have been a joke for Sokolov and his wife, but that’s the exact feeling the weapon-wielding Asia will be feeling throughout the upcoming horror movie. Leading the film is Zazie Beetz, and Sokolov referred to her as a dream cast due to her roles in blockbusters like Bullet Train and Deadpool 2. (I’d still like to see her return as Domino as well.) Action-oriented chops aside, though, Beetz can mix comedy and drama, and much of that shines through in her work on Atlanta, Easy and more. She’s also joined by a strong cast that consist of the likes of Patricia Arquette, Tom Felton, Myha'la and Heather Graham.

Behind the camera, there are also some strong creative forces at work, as husband-and-wife team Andy and Barbara Muschietti serve as producers. Andy, of course, has helmed his fair share of spectacles, with 2023’s The Flash being the latest, and he’s also set to direct another DC film, The Brave and the Bold. Of course, both he and Barbara have also produced scarier fare like Andy’s It films (and they’re currently cooking up ideas for Welcome to Derry Season 2).

So, based on all of that, it’s evident that Kirill Sokolov has assembled a strong group of collaborators for what should be a truly wild flick. And, as fans watch all the brutal kills, they should certainly keep in mind that they owe all of this to a simple and funny joke between spouses. Check out how the bloody story plays out when They Will Kill You opens in theaters on March 27.