In partnership with Warner Brothers, BlerDCon 2026 treated an enthusiastic audience to an 18-minute sneak peek of the upcoming horror film They Will Kill You.

They Will Kill You stars Zazie Beetz (Deadpool 2, Joker) as Asia and features a supporting cast that includes Myha’la (Modern Love, Industry) Patricia Arquette (Medium, True Romance), Heather Graham (Boogie Nights, Austin Powers) and Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter).

Created by Russian writer/director Kirill Sokolov, the film is about a woman who takes a job as a housekeeper at a New York high-rise, only to discover she is the target of a cult. After the screening, Beetz took to the stage to engage with the audience in a question-and-answer session.

According to Beetz, Sokolov was inspired by 1970s and 1980s kung fu style films, as well as Afro Samurai, the Japanese seinen dōjinshi manga series (1998-2002) written and illustrated by manga artist Takashi Okazaki. In 2007, it was developed into an anime miniseries with a sequel released in 2009, both starring Samuel L. Jackson as Afro Samurai.

The 36-year-old director’s previous films include the award-winning Why Don’t You Just Die! and No Looking Back. They Will Kill You is his Hollywood debut.

Kirill wrote the role of Asia specifically for Beetz, who plays the character of Van in the TV series Atlanta (created by Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino). “Kirill is a huge Atlanta fan, which was such a wonderful surprise,” said Beetz. “[Kirill] said, ‘I had this vision where you were the one. You were my number one. I wrote this thing with you in mind.’”

Sokolov was also inspired by the practical effects from the 70s and 80s kung fu style films, which featured intense and violent fight scenes with over-the-top blood and gore.

“What’s really nice about this movie is that most of the gore and stuff, we did a lot of it practically, and so I think you really get that tangible feeling in the movie,” Beetz said.

They Will Kill You will open in theatres on March 27.