Billie Piper and Woody Norman Join Cursed Drawing Horror ‘Sketchbook’

UK stars Woody Norman (The Last Voyage of the Demeter, Cobweb) and Billie Piper (Wednesday, Doctor Who) will topline Jamie Jones’s supernatural horror Sketchbook, reports ScreenDaily ahead of this month’s AFM, where WestEnd Films has boarded sales.

The film will follow a 14-year-old (Norman) struggling to find his place back home with his mother (Piper) after years in foster care. When a group of teenage misfits introduces him to a cursed sketchbook that makes anything drawn inside it come true, he finally finds a way to get everything he wants – friendship, attention and a chance to belong. But as the drawings grow darker and more dangerous, he discovers something inside the book is using him.

“With Sketchbook, I want to create horror that feels immediate, grounded and impossible to escape,” said Jones. “The book starts as something exciting and irresistible, but also serves as a metaphor for bullying – the fantasy of turning the tables on your tormentor.

“As curiosity becomes obsession, the desire for revenge unleashes terrifying consequences. For me, realism starts with performance. As I did on Obey, I’ll work closely with young actors to create authentic relationships and group dynamics, grounding the horror in relationships and behaviour that feel completely real.”

The film is produced by Jay Taylor for The Crow UK outfit Electric Shadow alongside Oscar-nominated Whiplash producer David Lancaster for the US’s Rumble Films and Wales-based producer Adam Knopf, a co-producer on Stuffed.

Production is set to begin in Wales in early 2027.