Joe Manganiello Joins Zombie Thriller 'Mountain Man' Launching Sales At Cannes

Joe Manganiello Caitlin Walkins

EXCLUSIVE: Joe Manganiello has come aboard to produce and star in Mountain Man, a zombie thriller set to enter production later this year, which will launch sales via Film Bridge International at Cannes.

An adaptation of the popular book series of the same name from Keith C. Blackmore, Mountain Man tells the story of Gus, a lonely post-apocalyptic survivor facing isolation and the ever-present specter of a zombie attack, who struggles with alcohol abuse and suicidal thoughts until he discovers another survivor, a captivating woman who poses another threat altogether.

John Lee (A24’s False Positive) will direct from a script by Matt Deller, with Nick and Joe Manganiello’s 3:59 producing alongside Danny Chan (Barbarian).

“John is a brilliant creative mind. We’ve been looking for the right thing to do together since we filmed Pee Wee’s Big Holiday and it’s finally here,” 3:59’s Joe and Nick Manganiello told Deadline. “Very excited to get to work on such weird, wild project with him.”

“We are very excited to be introducing Mountain Man, a known piece of intellectual property in the genre space, and a great team behind it,” added Film Bridge International’s Ellen Wander and Jordan Dykstra. “This is exactly the kind of material our customers are asking for in the marketplace.”

Perhaps best known for roles in HBO’s True Blood and the Magic Mike films, Manganiello was most recently seen starring opposite Uma Thurman and Samuel L. Jackson in Shout! Studios’ comedic thriller The Kill Room. He’ll next be seen starring opposite Vince Vaughn in Stephen Chbosky’s comedy Nonnas, on which we were first to report.

In addition to Pee-Wee’s Big Holiday for Netflix, Lee is known for helming the A24/Hulu horror pic False Positive co-written by and starring Ilana Glazer. Additionally, he’s helmed episodes of the upcoming Interior Chinatown, Flatbush Demeanors, Search Party, Broad City and other series.

Manganiello is represented by CAA, Anonymous Content and Myman Greenspan Fox; Lee by UTA and Mosaic; and Deller by Epicenter Literary Management.