Madeleine Arthur and Dianne Doan have joined the cast of Doula, a new psychological thriller written and directed by Goldie Jones. Production on the film is set to begin on October 1, bringing the project into production with its two lead performers attached to anchor the story.
Inspired by strange true events, the film follows a doula, played by Doan, who arrives at an isolated mountain cabin to help with a difficult delivery. She soon finds herself trapped alongside her pregnant client, played by Arthur, in a sadistic, reality-bending game where escape may come at a terrible price.
The specific real events that inspired the story have not yet been revealed, though the premise suggests that both women will be put through a harrowing ordeal rather than one simply serving as a threat to the other. The setup places the doula and her client together in an isolated environment, with the psychological and physical danger surrounding both characters.
Doula arrives amid a small but notable wave of horror films built around pregnancy and childbirth, following titles such as Huesera: The Bone Woman and False Positive, as well as the underlying anxieties around motherhood explored in Lucky Hank. By centering the story on the doula herself rather than focusing only on the expectant mother, the film takes a less-explored angle within the subgenre.
The approach also positions the caregiver as being just as trapped by the ordeal as her client. Rather than presenting the doula simply as an outsider who enters an already dangerous situation, the story places her directly inside the same reality-bending game as the pregnant woman she has arrived to assist. The relationship between the two characters is therefore central to the film’s premise.
Madeleine Arthur is a Canadian and American actress born in Vancouver, British Columbia. She is best known to horror fans for playing Lavinia Gardner in 2019’s Color Out of Space, alongside Nicolas Cage. The film, a well-regarded adaptation of the H.P. Lovecraft story, was largely overshadowed at the time by its release just weeks before global pandemic lockdowns began.
Arthur is also known for playing Nicolette “Nikki” Genêt on Netflix’s Snowpiercer and for her role in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before film series. Her other credits include the suspense thriller limited series Wayward. With Doula, Arthur takes on another psychologically demanding role, this time as a pregnant woman caught in an increasingly dangerous and reality-bending situation.
Dianne Doan is a Canadian actress of Vietnamese and Chinese descent, born in Abbotsford, British Columbia. She is widely recognized for playing Mai Ling, sister to the title character, across the run of Cinemax’s martial arts series Warrior, based on an original concept by Bruce Lee.
Before moving into acting, Doan trained as a dancer, performing at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver and working as a backup dancer for Michael Bublé. Her other credits include recurring roles on Vikings, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Magnum P.I., and the Disney Descendants franchise, where she played Lonnie, the daughter of Mulan and Li Shang.
For Doula, Doan takes on the role of the caregiver at the center of the story. Her character arrives at the isolated mountain cabin to assist with a difficult delivery but becomes trapped alongside Arthur’s pregnant client. The two performers will therefore carry much of the film’s central tension as the situation develops into a disturbing game with potentially serious consequences.
Doula marks the feature directorial debut for Goldie Jones, who has previously directed the short films Rage and I’m Sorry, I Tried, I Love You. With Doula, Jones moves into feature-length psychological horror, building on the tension-driven storytelling she explored in her earlier short work.
The project gives Jones an opportunity to expand that approach into a feature built around a contained setting, two central characters and an increasingly unsettling premise. The film’s isolated mountain cabin and reality-bending setup provide the foundation for the psychological thriller, while the undisclosed true events behind the story add another layer of mystery to the project.
The film is produced by James J. Yi, known for Gook, alongside Alice Teufack, Judd Tilyard, known for Silent Night, and Verity Fiction. Andrea Chung, known for The Card Counter, is serving as executive producer through Carvel Rock Pictures, alongside Kristine Estorninos.
The production team brings together filmmakers and producers with experience across independent cinema, thriller and genre projects. With Jones making her feature directorial debut, the film also represents a new stage in her work following her earlier short films.
With Madeleine Arthur and Dianne Doan now attached and filming set to begin in October, Doula marks a notable feature debut for Jones and gives both actresses a substantial two-hander to anchor. The film’s premise places the two characters together in an isolated location and makes their relationship central to the unfolding psychological ordeal.
No release date has been announced yet, and further details are expected to emerge as production gets underway. For now, Doula enters production with its two leads attached, Goldie Jones making her feature directorial debut and a story inspired by strange true events that remain undisclosed.
The combination of pregnancy horror, an isolated setting and a reality-bending psychological game gives Doula a distinct premise, while the film’s focus on both the doula and her pregnant client expands the story beyond a conventional threat-centered setup.
