Yvette Kendall’s Southern Gothic Horror ‘NORTH’ Is In Development, With Director Search Underway
The acclaimed screenwriter and author blends historical trauma and supernatural horror in a gripping new feature, with a director search currently underway.
What happened to the countless Black people who went missing during the First Great Migration? Are they now part of the ghost-like phantoms haunting the South, or are they trapped within interstitial spaces just outside the North? Acclaimed screenwriter and author Yvette Kendall’s upcoming thriller ‘NORTH’ bridges historical tension with supernatural horror to explore this history in a gripping story centered on the legacy of The Great Migration.
When Winston Gale, a Georgia-based journalist, and his fiancée travel from Atlanta to Chicago to recreate the journey of the First Great Migration and uncover the mysterious disappearance of Black travelers, they encounter far more than they bargained for. Veering off familiar highways and into unfamiliar territory in the deep, rural South leads to a supernatural encounter with the past—a past that still breathes in the shadows of America’s underbrush.
‘NORTH’ is currently in development, with the process of attaching talent underway ahead of casting and pre-production. Kendall has expressed interest in Ryan Coogler, Jordan Peele, and Hiro Murai potentially directing the feature. The project is one of several emerging from a $6 million multi-project deal with The Sessions Studios to develop feature films and television series based on her original horror and sci-fi IP. Pre-production is scheduled to begin in 2026.
Yvette Kendall: The Creative Force Behind a Growing Sci-Fi and Horror Universe
Yvette Kendall is a visionary, multi-genre creative from the South Side of Chicago whose work spans film, television, literature, horrorgraphs, and music. She rose to prominence in 2018 with the release of her debut sci-fi novel, ‘The GOD Maps,’ and has since made a name for herself in the sci-fi horror genre.
The success of ‘The GOD Maps’ translated to television when Kendall secured a series option deal with ‘Lovecraft Country’ executive producer David Knoller. The project is now being redeveloped under The Sessions Studios banner alongside her forthcoming feature work.
‘NORTH,’ originally adapted from a screenplay and teleplay of the same name, was later transformed into a critically acclaimed novel published in 2023 by Stravard Lux Publishing & Distribution Co. The story begins with a campaign slogan that motivates journalist Winston Gale to write an infamous exposé in 2015. When he is subsequently fired from his job, he impulsively travels from Atlanta to Chicago with his fiancée in search of answers about the Black people who disappeared during the First Great Migration. What he encounters is far more than he imagined. Now, the story is being developed for the big screen, and sci-fi and horror fans are excited for its release.
Kendall’s notable works include ‘A Zombie For Mommy!’ (2020), ‘Horrorgraphs and Other Short Creepy Stories’ (2021), ‘A Werewolf For Mommy! (2022), ‘IMAGINATION: My Dreams Painted with A.I.’ (2022), ‘Delilah Gives Sci-fi A Try!’ (2022), and ‘Eagan Becomes a Vegan’ (2022), all published through Stravard Lux Publishing & Distribution Co.
Her forthcoming projects include Volumes II and III of ‘The GOD Maps’ series and a new work titled ‘The Revelation Activation.’
As if Kendall’s dossier weren’t stunning enough, the screenwriter and author is also the creator of a new sci-fi subgenre, Biblical Futurism, which has attracted a growing audience to its imaginative and thought-provoking stories.
–Dominique Young // @heyyydommm