Lionsgate Acquires Alma Har’el’s ‘Wet’ With Connor Storrie and Rebecca Ferguson

Lionsgate has acquired North American and U.K. distribution rights to Wet, the original feature from writer-director Alma Har’el, with production slated to begin in the Dominican Republic in 2027.

The deal plants the studio behind a densely stacked international ensemble: Connor Storrie, Rebecca Ferguson, Odessa A’zion, Javier Bardem, Rosalía and Lukas Haas.

Caribbean Shoot Logistics: Why the Dominican Republic Start Date Matters

Har’el is orchestrating a location-driven production rather than a soundstage build, taking the film to the Dominican Republic for a 2027 start. That choice signals humid, practical environments over controlled studio artifice.

The filmmaker, whose Honey Boy and Lady in the Lake established her as a performer-first director, co-wrote the screenplay with Christian Stangeby. Har’el’s staging has consistently favored tactile, character-dense frames.

An offshore shoot of this scale carries real crew logistics (equipment shipping, local permitting and weather windows) that compress the production calendar. Those physical demands will shape the film’s visual identity long before any marketing begins.

Lionsgate executives Scott O’Brien and MaryGrace Stephenson are overseeing the project, with Jordan Backhus handling creative for Fifth Season. The oversight structure suggests a tightly managed shoot rather than a sprawling one.

Ensemble Architecture: Ferguson and Bardem Anchor a Cross-Market Cast

Ferguson, fresh off Dune and Silo, brings franchise-scale recognition to an original property. Bardem adds awards-caliber weight, while Storrie arrives with Heated Rivalry momentum and A’zion with Marty Supreme.

Rosalía’s attachment widens the film’s cultural reach well beyond traditional cinephile audiences, and Haas, tied to Spider-Noir, rounds out a cast built for multiple demographics.

That balance of prestige and pop-culture currency gives Lionsgate a marketable ensemble without leaning on established IP. The film sits apart from the war-release cycle tracked across our contemporary theatrical slate, occupying a different commercial lane entirely.

Fifth Season and 193 Backing: Inside the Studio Bet on Original Material

Fifth Season and 193, a Legendary Company, are producing alongside Har’el, Christopher Leggett and Riva Marker for Linden Entertainment. Christopher Slager and Graham Taylor executive produce for Fifth Season, with Patrick Wachsberger and Ashley Stern for 193.

That producer lineup, spanning financing muscle and boutique development, reflects a calculated swing on an auteur-driven original. Lionsgate is buying distribution rights, not financing the entire build.

Earlier trade framing placed the project in the tonal territory of Succession and Triangle of Sadness, a comparison that positions it as sharp, ensemble-driven adult drama rather than genre spectacle.

With no release date locked, the 2027 shoot gives Lionsgate a long runway to slot the film into a favorable corridor once footage exists. The acquisition is monitored across our trade entertainment desk as the studio builds out its original-film slate.

The economics hinge on execution: a Dominican shoot’s burn rate and a six-name cast demand disciplined budgeting, and Lionsgate’s North American and U.K. rights give it two high-value territories to recoup against. The film’s theatrical fate will be decided by how efficiently Har’el converts location scale and star wattage into a marketable, must-see event.