IOWA, USA — Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, if they had to, would've shot "A Quiet Place" in Iowa. And on a farm, no less.
But instead, the 2018 film starring John Krasinski and Emily Blunt was picked up by Paramount Pictures en route to topping $340 million at the box office globally.
"There was always a version of that script that we wrote thinking, worst case scenario, if nobody wants this, we can go back to Iowa and produce this for a very small budget. We know exactly the farm that we're going to shoot on in West Branch, Iowa, we know the crew that we can bring in. And you just kind of manifest those opportunities into being," Beck told Local 5 in an interview.
The duo, who grew up in the Quad Cities and attended the University of Iowa, are now firmly back in the spotlight with "Heretic," a horror-thriller distributed by A24 starring Hugh Grant.
Grant stars alongside Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, with the latter two portraying Mormon missionaries who make a fateful visit to one Mr. Reed.
"Growing up in Iowa, you're kind of told the one big thing you're not supposed to talk about at the dinner table is religion because it's a very divisive topic. And so we wanted to make basically a movie that is about the most divisive topic in world history," Beck added.
But Hugh Grant? The "Love Actually," "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Notting Hill" Hugh Grant? In an A24 thriller?
For Beck and Woods, the casting could not have been more deliberate.
"Hugh Grant is somebody that has had a relationship with an audience in the world of romantic comedies, most notably. But this performance he turns it, weaponizes that relationship that he's built with audiences worldwide," Beck said. "He's at once incredibly witty, incredibly charming, very intellectual and yet he goes to very, very dark places in this role."
The anticipation may be warranted following the film's September debut at the Toronto International Film Festival. It also boasts a 95% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes as of Friday, Nov. 1.
And with their opening of The Last Picture House in Davenport, "Heretic" proves to be another experience Beck and Woods hope you see in a movie theater.
"It's so fun to watch your community come out and watch these films together," Woods said. "It's a thing we hope just kind of keeps growing and growing. There's nothing better than going to the movies."
"Heretic" hits movie theaters on Nov. 8. Beck and Woods are hosting a special screening at The Last Picture House in Davenport on Saturday, Nov. 2.