Irish Matilda star joins cast of new horror film from Scream director

The 13-year-old will star as Dracula's daughter in the upcoming film.

Irish actor and Matilda: The Musical sensation Alisha Weir is set to star in Universal’s upcoming untitled monster movie. The flick will be directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett of Radio Silence, the filmmaking collective behind the recent Scream films. Melissa Barrera, who starred as Sam Carpenter in Scream (2022) and Scream VI (2023), will also star. Plot details are being kept under wraps, however the project was once titled Dracula’s Daughter and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, centered on a group of kidnappers who abduct a band of young people, one of whom ends up being the titular character. Woe then betides the kidnappers. The Dubliner will play the kidnappee who proves to be more than she appears, with Barrera playing one of the kidnappers. Irish screenwriter Stephen Shields, who wrote the excellent horror The Hole in the Ground alongside Evil Dead Rise director Lee Cronin, will write the script. Universal said that the upcoming movie will have a similar vibe to The Invisible Man and the Nicolas Cage comedy-horror Renfield, noting that it will be “a unique take on legendary monster lore and will represent a fresh, new direction for how to celebrate these classic characters.” The 13-year-old rose to fame when she starred in Netflix musical Matilda at just 11, alongside Emma Thompson, Andrea Riseborough and Lashana Lynch. The movie was a critical success and was nominated for a BAFTA for outstanding British film. Weir is also lined up to feature in upcoming comedy flick Wicked Little Letters alongside Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, where she plays her Irish counterpart's daughter.