Freya Allan to Star in Joachim Rønning's Horror Film 'System'

Freya Allan, the actress behind Ciri in Netflix's "The Witcher," will lead "System," a horror film written, directed and produced by Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Rønning, Variety reports exclusively.

Production is already underway. The film is shooting on location in the old, abandoned underground stations and tunnels beneath London, a setting that grounds the project in one of the city's most atmospheric subterranean landscapes. Plot details remain under wraps.

Allan will be joined by Denzel Baidoo ("Last Swim") and Felix Edwards ("MobLand") in supporting roles.

Who is making the film?

Rønning will write, direct and produce for The Saga Company. He penned the screenplay with his brother, Andreas Rønning. The director broke out with the 2012 Oscar-nominated adventure "Kon-Tiki" and went on to helm major franchise titles including "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales" and the recent "Tron: Ares."

The producer roster is heavy with genre pedigree:

• Roy Lee ("Weapons," "It," "The Ring") and Steven Schneider ("Paranormal Activity," "Insidious," "Pet Sematary") produce for Spooky Pictures.
• Stewart le Maréchal and Anna Mohr-Pietsch produce for MetFilm.
• Ben Ross, CEO of Image Nation Studios ("Watcher," "Company"), Spooky Pictures' Rami Yasin ("Hokum") and Andreas Rønning serve as executive producers.

UTA Independent Film Group arranged the financing and is handling the film's sale.

What does the Spooky Pictures partnership bring?

The film emerges from an established Spooky Pictures–Image Nation Studios partnership devoted to genre projects. Under that deal, the companies have already produced:

• "Late Night with the Devil"
• Charlie Polinger's "The Plague"
• "Hokum," starring Adam Scott
• Casey Affleck's "Company"
• Guy Nattiv's "The Liberation"

That track record signals where "System" sits in the market: elevated horror with studio-backed financing and an international sales apparatus already in place.

What does this change for Allan?

The role marks a pivot into horror for an actress whose profile has risen sharply across franchise television and film. Allan is best known as Ciri in "The Witcher," a Netflix global hit that earned her two Saturn Award nominations. She will return for the fifth and final season, expected to release in late 2027.

She recently wrapped Nick Hamm's "Black Palace" for Tempo Productions. She also led Wes Ball's "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," the fourth installment in the Planet of the Apes reboot series, a performance that landed her on Variety's Power of Young Hollywood Impact Report in 2024.

Allan is represented by CAA, United Agents, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein. Rønning is represented by UTA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.

With shooting already underway in London's disused tunnels, "System" now enters the market as a sale title backed by proven horror producers, a franchise director and a rising lead — a combination that should draw buyers ahead of its eventual release.