In The Black Phone, Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
Starring four-time Oscar nominee Ethan Hawke in the most terrifying role of his career and introducing Mason Thames in his first ever film role alongside Madeleine McGraw, The Black Phone is produced, directed, and co-written by Scott Derrickson, the writer-director of Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose and Marvel Studios' Doctor Strange.
While Thames is a relative newcomer, McGraw has already appeared in a number of big movies, playing a young Hope Van Dyne in Ant-Man and The Wasp and Bonnie in Toy Story 4. When we spoke to the duo about The Black Phone, we wondered if Madeleine would have any interest in potentially returning to either one of those historic franchises.
"Oh, yeah, totally! Pixar and Marvel are such a big part of my life. I still rewatch all of the movies," the actor responds in the video above. "That’s why I feel this movie, The Black Phone, is so much fun because it’s so different. Out of all the stuff I’ve done before, it was different. They’ve all been such amazing experiences."
Of course, we had to ask Mason if he would like to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and he's understandably keen. "Definitely! Most definitely. I would love that," he tells us. "I grew up loving superheroes, so if I ever got that opportunity, I would definitely love to take it."
We're sure these two young talents have a very bright future, especially given their work in Derrickson's latest horror movie. Whether that will include major comic book franchises remains to be seen, though it would be surprising if they weren't given the opportunity somewhere in the near future (McGraw could easily play a young Hope again). Time will tell.
For now, we can't recommend checking them out in The Black Phone strongly enough! Check out our interview with Derrickson here, and check back tomorrow for our full chat with Madeleine and Mason.
The Black Phone is now available on Digital, Blu-Ray and DVD from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.