The First Purge director Gerard McMurray has boarded Goons, a new horror feature set amid the eerie backdrop of Louisiana’s cane fields and plantations. Power‘s Michael Rainey Jr. and The Exorcism and Swarm‘s Chloe Bailey will star in the movie, which has begun filming in New Orleans and surrounding areas.

Tommy Oliver is producing via his Confluential Films company, which will make the project under its new genre label, New Fear Unlocked Productions, which is dedicated to “bold, elevated, culturally specific horror films from creators of colour”. “I can’t wait for audiences to see what Gerard and I are cooking up with the kick-ass squad we’ve assembled. I also couldn’t be more excited to kick off New Fear Unlocked with this film from such a talented director,” said Oliver.

McMurray directs from a script he co-wrote with Hodge K. Johnson. “I’m beyond excited to direct a film in the horror genre,” says McMurray. “Goons is a love letter to my hometown of New Orleans, and a deeply personal story for me. Producing this film along with Confluential/New Fear Unlocked shows the power of Black storytellers with a collaborative spirit.”

McMurray is known for having directed Burning Sands, The First Purge, and an episode of The Twilight Zone.