Temple Hill and Good Boy Team Up for Drone Horror Film Follow Mode; Protagonist Prepares for Cannes Market

Temple Hill and Protagonist Collaborate on Drone-Focused Horror Film ‘Follow Mode’

Temple Hill, known for producing hits like Smile and Twilight, is teaming up again with UK sales firm Protagonist for Ben Leonberg’s upcoming horror feature, Follow Mode. This innovative film aims to capture the live-stream generation by utilizing drones in its entirely aerial shooting.

Leonberg, riding the success of his breakout film Good Boy, which claimed the title of IFC’s second-largest theatrical opening weekend—just behind Temple Hill’s Clown in a Cornfield—is set to direct the project.

Protagonist will kick off international sales for Follow Mode at the upcoming Cannes market. Both Temple Hill and Verve Ventures will represent domestic rights, and the screenplay is co-written by Leonberg and Alex Cannon, who also collaborated on Good Boy.

The film’s premise presents a chilling scenario: "Consumer-grade drones now come with a ‘hands-free’ setting that automatically directs the camera to follow you—whether you are surfing, snowboarding, or, ominously, stalking your next victim. After a group of teens unintentionally grounds a drone, they discover it contains home movies of a murderer’s horrific crimes. They must rush to expose the killer before they themselves become his next targets.”

Producers on the film include Marty Bowen, Wyck Godfrey, John Fischer, Hal Sadoff, and Ben Levine for Temple Hill, with Dave Bishop, James Pugh, and George Hamilton executive producing from Protagonist Pictures.

This collaboration marks the sixth project between Temple Hill and Protagonist, following films like Clown in a Cornfield and Monitor, which was recently acquired by Searchlight for a wide theatrical release in 2027. The first chapter of the horror trilogy The Rule of Three premiered at Cannes last year, and Protagonist will also present the SXSW title Seekers of Infinite Love at Cannes.

Good Boy, a canine-themed horror film produced on a micro-budget, garnered $8.8 million worldwide after screening at SXSW and Film at Lincoln Center.

Dave Bishop, CEO of Protagonist Pictures, highlighted Temple Hill’s knack for engaging horror stories, stating, “Follow Mode is the kind of bold, high-concept horror that stops you in your tracks—propulsive, original, and viscerally thrilling from its first frame to its last.” He praised Leonberg for pushing boundaries and mastering tension through innovative techniques, promising that the film will provide a strikingly cinematic experience.

Leonberg expressed excitement about the project’s fresh approach, emphasizing the anxiety that the rise of hands-free drone technology brings to everyday life. “Anyone with a drone can become a peeping tom, a stalker, or worse. That anxiety drives Follow Mode. We’re thrilled to partner with Temple Hill, whose expertise in the horror genre perfectly aligns with this unsettling reinterpretation of found footage.”

Temple Hill remarked on their eagerness to work with Leonberg, stating, “We were blown away by Ben’s first film Good Boy and its original approach to perspective in the horror space. Follow Mode represents the next evolution of the found footage movie, playing on the terrifying reality that anyone could be watched by commercially available technology.”