Robert Menzies calls 'Bloodwood' a modern 'Heart of Darkness' — a spiritual reckoning disguised as revenge cinema. The cast brings serious dramatic weight: Dillahunt from 'No Country for Old Men,' Hurd from 'Star Trek: Picard,' and Cusick from 'Lost.' With Ayahuasca Foundation backing and Shipibo cultural consultation, this is prestige thriller territory.
Insiders say the production faced significant challenges filming deep in the Amazon, with tight protocols around ayahuasca ceremonies and indigenous guidance. Sources close to the project reveal Menzies spent years developing this story from his own novel — a passion project that nearly didn't get made before Essential Film Group stepped in.
'Bloodwood' is Robert Menzies' feature directorial debut, announced May 13, 2026. The film launches at Cannes with worldwide sales handled by Essential Film Group. Supporting cast includes Johnny Sanchez, Hada Vanessa Hutchinson, and Joseph Jaquinto.
With 'Longlegs' director Osgood Perkins and 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' helmer Jon Watts both having their debuts produced by Menzies, the question isn't whether he can make a film — it's whether this ayahuasca-drenched descent into madness will be worth the ticket price.
Garret Dillahunt is going deep into the Amazon for blood, and Michelle Hurd and Henry ian Cusick are right there with him. The trio has officially boarded 'Bloodwood,' an upcoming psychological thriller that marks Robert Menzies' feature directorial debut — and if you think that sounds like a straightforward revenge setup, you haven't been paying attention to how ambitious this project actually is. The story follows Dillahunt's Jake, a man fleeing his past who journeys into the Amazon hunting Vargas (Cusick), a trafficker responsible for killing his wife.
But what begins as cold, calculated vengeance quickly spirals into something far more unhinged when Ryan (Hurd) — a guarded wildlife veterinarian harboring her own secrets — joins him upriver. As the jungle warps memory, time, and perception, Jake finds himself trapped in a hallucinatory confrontation with every choice that led him here. Menzies, who wrote the screenplay based on his own novel, described 'Bloodwood' as "a modern 'Heart of Darkness' — a descent driven by a propulsive revenge story but ultimately rooted in spiritual reckoning." He posed the question driving the entire film: "When a man goes into the wilderness hunting a monster, which one is supposed to come back?" That's not exactly subtle subtext, but after producing the directorial debuts of Osgood Perkins (the chilling 'Longlegs') and Jon Watts ('Spider-Man: Homecoming'), Menzies has clearly earned the benefit of the doubt on delivering something with genuine bite.
The production isn't playing fast and loose with its Amazon setting either. 'Bloodwood' is supported by the Ayahuasca Foundation and Camino Verde, developed with guidance from Shipibo traditions of the rainforest — a level of cultural consultation that suggests Menzies isn't interested in turning indigenous mysticism into mere window dressing. Whether that authenticity translates to screen remains to be seen, but it's certainly more than most thriller productions bother with.
Rounding out the cast are Johnny Sanchez, Hada Vanessa Hutchinson, and Joseph Jaquinto. Essential Film Group is handling worldwide sales as 'Bloodwood' prepares for its Cannes launch — a prestigious launching pad that signals serious awards-season ambitions beneath all that jungle gore.
