Jenna Ortega and Rose Byrne’s Warner Bros. Movie Officially Casts Iconic Horror Legend Justin Long

Long joins the cast

Nasty is written by Isabella Jarosz and directed by Mary Bronstein. Ortega plays a gymnast hoping to earn a place on the Olympic team, while Byrne portrays her manipulative coach.

Long will play the coach’s brother and co-coach. Though he first appears more approachable than Byrne’s character, the story will reveal his darker side. Production is expected to start in New Orleans in November.

Long has worked across genres, including in Live Free or Die Hard and Apple commercials alongside John Hodgman. Horror has also been a prominent part of his career, including roles in Barbarian and Weapons.

Horror experience across the cast

Ortega has appeared in horror films including X, Scream, Scream VI, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, and Insidious: Chapter 2. She also stars in Wednesday, Netflix’s Addams Family reimagining. Byrne has a smaller horror filmography than Ortega and Long, but appeared in four of the six Insidious movies. She also had a major role in 28 Weeks Later. The three actors’ genre backgrounds bring substantial horror experience to Nasty, even though the film is not being presented as a horror movie.

A possible unsettling tone

Bronstein’s previous film, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, was a psychological dramedy starring Byrne as a stressed mother going through a difficult period. Some critics compared its harrowing, unflinching approach to horror.

That comparison has prompted speculation that Nasty could use a similar tone. The film’s genre has not been identified as horror. If Nasty draws similar critical attention, Byrne could potentially receive a second Oscar nomination, while Ortega could earn her first.