HBO Max has acquired Shell, a spec script by Jack Stanley that comes with Max Minghella (Teen Spirit) attached to direct. Logline for the is the script is under wraps but sources said it is a satirical horror tale with sci-fi elements, set in the health and beauty industry.

Pic will be produced by Automatik’s Fred Berger (La La Land and Teen Spirit), and Alicia Van Couvering, and Minghella through his Blank Tape production banner. Jamie Bell and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones are executive producers. The film is for HBO Max under the WarnerMax label.

Stanley just did a rewrite of Lou for Netflix and Bad Robot, which stars Allison Janney. Production on that project was shut down because of the pandemic but will get going again when restrictions are lifted. Stanley also landed two scripts on The Black List: Sweetheart and Possession: A Love Story.

Minghella made his directorial debut on Teen Spirit, and as an actor his work includes co-starring in The Handmaid’s Tale, The Social Network and Spiral.