Netflix has officially announced the cast for "The Boy in the Iron Box," the highly anticipated horror film produced by acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.

The streaming giant has tapped Rupert Friend, Kevin Durand, and Jaeden Martell to lead the feature adaptation of the six-part horror novella series co-authored by del Toro and Chuck Hogan.

Friend will portray Liev, the leader of a group of mercenaries, while Durand takes on the role of one of the soldiers, and Martell will play the titular character. The casting comes as production is set to begin in October 2025, with filming scheduled to take place in Toronto, Ontario, through mid-January 2026.

David Prior, who previously directed "The Empty Man" and collaborated with del Toro on an episode of Netflix's "Cabinet of Curiosities," will helm the project from his own screenplay. Del Toro serves as producer alongside his longtime partner J. Miles Dale through his Necropia Entertainment company.

The story follows a plane carrying a team of mercenaries that crash-lands on a remote snowy summit. Seeking refuge from wolves in an abandoned stone fortress, the group discovers a concealed pit containing a box wrapped in chains. What they uncover unleashes a wave of horrors that transforms their fight for survival.

Originally published through Amazon Original Stories for Kindle last year, "The Boy in the Iron Box" represents another collaboration between del Toro and Hogan, who previously worked together on "The Strain" trilogy that was adapted into a successful FX series. The six novellas in the series include titles such as "Falling Down," "The Pit and the Box," "The Hunted," "Risen," "Siege," and "Encounter."

This casting announcement comes during an exceptionally busy period for del Toro. His Netflix adaptation of "Frankenstein," starring Oscar Isaac and Jacob Elordi, is scheduled for limited theatrical release on October 17 before streaming on November 7. Additionally, Beyond Fest is organizing a 12-film retrospective of his work starting in late September, and he will serve as guest artistic director at AFI Fest in October.

The project marks Netflix's continued partnership with del Toro, following successful collaborations including the Oscar-winning "Pinocchio," "Tales of Arcadia" franchise, and "Cabinet of Curiosities." With its combination of del Toro's distinctive horror sensibilities and an experienced cast, "The Boy in the Iron Box" is positioned as a major addition to Netflix's growing horror catalog when it arrives in late 2026 or 2027.

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Guillermo del toro, Star, Movie, Film