Jonah Hauer-King broke out starring as Eric in the 2023 live-action remake of the Disney Renaissance classic The Little Mermaid, alongside fellow rising star Halle Bailey as Ariel. Since then, Hauer-King has gained further ground in the industry with his guest appearance in a few episodes of Doctor Who and his leading role in 2025’s I Know What You Did Last Summer.

The former Disney star is also set to appear in the strong Rotten Tomatoes movie A House of Dynamite, directed by Oscar-winner Kathryn Bigelow, a possible awards season contender this year. But following this, Hauer-King is stepping into a complex lead role in a new genre-driven movie, starring alongside The Buccaneers’ Kristine Froseth.

First Look Revealed Of Jonah Hauer-King & Kristine Froseth In The Face Of Horror

Jonah Hauer-King is set to star in Anna Biller’s Horror movie The Face of Horror, a retelling of a famous Japanese ghost story about a young woman who seeks revenge against her former husband, who betrayed her for a wealthier bride. Taking place against a medieval backdrop, Kristine Froseth will play the heroine Eleanor and Hauer-King the evil knight Edward Carnifex.

Biller is an up-and-coming director who will produce the film alongside Mike Goodridge and James Bowsher, whose production company Good Chaos also has The Ballad of a Small Player coming out this year. Ellie Bamber will play Eleanor’s sister Beatrice, while Leo Suter will play Beatrice’s love interest and Edward’s squire Richard.

There is also Bella Heathcote as the woman Eleanor is jilted for, and Ben Radcliffe as Roger, a tailor and another victim of Edward’s scheme. For now, The Hollywood Reporter has revealed a first-look image at the movie’s two leads, showing Hauer-King as Edward learning over a devastated Eleanor. Check out this image below:

Co-producer Goodridge says of the upcoming film and its director:

The Love Witch [2016] established Anna as a singular voice in genre cinema — a cult classic that resonated with cinephiles and horror fans worldwide, which has had a long life on multiple platforms. She has followed this up with a bigger, bolder, even more ferociously entertaining film designed for the big screen: laced with sly humour, unapologetically bloody, and rendered in her signature technicolour style. A medieval nightmare with bite — this is the kind of fresh storytelling that current audiences demand.

Our Take On Jonah Hauer-King In The Face Of Horror

Retellings of medievalist fairy tale-like narratives are easier said than done, as such movies often veer into all style and no substance. In recent history, The Green Knight did this concept excellently with its very atmospheric and symbolic story, with some horror-adjacent undertones. The Love Witch notably holds a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes from its smaller audience, demonstrating Biller’s brimming potential in the genre.

Hauer-King and Froseth sound like a great lead pair to invest in, bringing different talents to the table, with The Face of Horror being somewhat similar to things they have done before, but ultimately a new challenge. Jonah Hauer-King, at least, seems to want to take his horror acting skills to the next level, following up a major remake with a potential sleeper hit.