On July 14, 2014, it was announced that Bell was set to direct a supernatural thriller, The Boy, which Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucchesi would produce through Lakeshore Entertainment, along with Matt Berenson, Jim Wedaa, and Roy Lee, through Vertigo Entertainment. The script was written by Stacey Menear. On January 23, 2015, Lauren Cohan signed on to star for the lead role in the film. On March 11, 2015, more cast was announced, which included Jim Norton, Diana Hardcastle, Ben Robson, Rupert Evans, and James Russell.