Movie news · Brynne Weaver
Butcher & Blackbird movie: cast, filming and release date
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Brynne Weaver’s Butcher & Blackbird is getting a film, and it looks like cameras are already rolling. Here’s what’s confirmed, what’s only reported, and what nobody’s announced yet.
Is there a Butcher & Blackbird movie?
Yes. Variety reported in June 2024 that Chris McKay, the director behind The Lego Batman Movie and The Tomorrow War, will direct an adaptation for Lyrical Media and Ryder Picture Company. Brynne Weaver is an executive producer. (Variety, 27 Jun 2024)
Who wrote the script?
Laura Kosann wrote the screenplay, with revisions by Ava Tramer and Ari Berkowitz, according to Lyrical Media’s project page. Weaver shared a photo of the finished script in June 2025. (TV Insider)
Who is in the cast?
No cast has been officially announced. A current SAG-AFTRA casting call for the film asks for a stand-in for Thomas Doherty and a stand-in for “lead Emma Laird”, with submissions due 30 October 2026. That’s a pretty loud hint about the leads, but neither the studio nor Weaver has confirmed it, so treat it as reported, not confirmed. (Casting Networks listing)
Is it filming?
The same casting call says the film is shooting in upstate New York, with stand-ins needed near Newburgh. Nobody has given an official start or wrap date.
When is the release date?
There isn’t one yet. No release date, and no distributor announced either.
What is the book about?
Sloane and Rowan are serial killers who hunt other serial killers. They meet over a body, start competing, and the rivalry turns into something neither of them saw coming. It is book 1 of The Ruinous Love Trilogy, first published in 2023. On our scales it’s Spice 4 and Dark 4, and it’s as funny as it is gory. Spice and warnings for Butcher & Blackbird.
What to read before the film
- Butcher & Blackbird (2023), Sloane and Rowan
- Leather & Lark (2024), Lachlan and Lark
- Scythe & Sparrow (2025), Fionn and Rose
- The full order is in our Ruinous Love reading order, and every Weaver book is on her author page.
Trigger warnings
The book’s warnings include sexual assault, breath play and gore, plus a great deal of murder. The full list is on the Butcher & Blackbird warnings page.