Lewis Pullman joins erotic thriller Bulls

Erotic thrillers are trying to crawl back into the mainstream — but the version that actually gets made now usually needs a sharp hook, a saleable cast, and a market launch behind it. That is basically what Bulls is. The new package puts Dylan O’Brien, Lewis Pullman, and Kaia Gerber together in a dangerous love-triangle story, with James Morosini writing and directing as the film heads into the Cannes market. The bigger reason this got attention today is simple: it looks like a deliberate bet on the return of the mid-budget adult thriller, not just another casting note. ### What is Bulls, exactly? Bulls is an erotic thriller centered on a disillusioned man who goes to a hedonistic island resort and gets pulled into a dangerous triangle. Deadline and Screen both frame the movie as a commercial package being taken to buyers around Cannes, which tells you this is less “tiny indie announced on Instagram” and more “let’s see how the market prices this.” ### Why is Lewis Pullman the angle? Because Pullman is in the middle of a visibility jump. He is coming off Thunderbolts* in the trade writeups, which makes him the cast member with the clearest recent studio-movie momentum, while O’Brien brings recognizability and Gerber brings both acting buzz and celebrity attention. Put differently — this isn’t random assembly. It is a cast built to travel in headlines and sales conversations. ### What’s the Kaia Gerber wrinkle? Turns out the movie has an extra layer of tabloid electricity because Gerber and Pullman are a real-life couple. Trade aggregation around the announcement notes that they play a married couple in the film, which gives Bulls an easy publicity hook even before anyone sees a frame. That does not guarantee the movie works, obviously, but it absolutely helps the package stand out in a crowded Cannes lineup. ### Why James Morosini? Morosini is not the obvious old-hand thriller director here — and that seems intentional. He broke out with I Love My Dad, the darkly uncomfortable comedy-drama he wrote, directed, and starred in, and his recent acting profile has risen too. So Bulls reads like a filmmaker using that credibility to pivot into something glossier and more overtly commercial without giving up the psychologically messy material. ### Who is backing it? QC Entertainment is financing and producing, with Roth/Kirschenbaum Films also producing. That matters because QC is not a random logo — it has real prestige history through films like Get Out, and Deadline’s item also ties the package to producers from Anyone But You and Get Out. On the sales side, CAA Media Finance, WME Independent, and QC Entertainment are handling U.S. representation. ### Why launch this at Cannes? Because Cannes is where a movie like this gets stress-tested. Buyers can look at the cast, the genre, the budget zone, and the commercial comps all at once. If Bulls sparks strong sales interest there, that is a sign the industry thinks adult thrillers still have room beyond streaming filler and prestige horror. If it doesn’t, the genre’s “comeback” story looks thinner. ### What does this say about the market? Studios and financiers have spent years leaning on franchise IP, horror, and broad comedy while the classic sexy grown-up thriller mostly disappeared. Bulls matters because it tries to reopen that lane with younger stars instead of legacy names. Think of it like testing whether the old Basic Instinct-style appetite can be rebuilt for a post-streaming audience — just with Gen Z and millennial faces. ### Bottom line? This is still just a package, not a finished movie. But it is a very legible one — hot cast, provocative genre, proven financier, Cannes launch. If Bulls sells well, it will look like more than casting news. It will look like a signal.