Pre-production is underway on Gareth Tunley‘s debut directorial feature film, which, naturally features TVO connections to whet your appetite.

The Ghoul – described as a “dark, twisty, psychological thriller” is written and directed by Tunley, who needs no introduction for our regular readers, especially those who attended The Velvet Onion Live in 2012.

For the rest of you, however, he’s a gifted character comedian and veteran of Ealing Live who is equally adept behind the camera, with acting roles in the likes of The Wrong Door, Down Terrace and Kill List, and directing credits on Crackanory, The Mainstage and The Cave Children to name but a few productions.

He was also more recently responsible for the behind the scenes features around A Field In England, which can be viewed online, and can often be seen cropping up on the London comedy scene. All of which makes us very excited that he’s crafting his first feature film, especially considering last year’s stunning short film, The Baron.

Made with regular collaborator Tom Meeten, The Baron was a sensational re-imagining of an old live favourite, given a chilling yet hilarious twist, and The Ghoul sees Tunley & Meeten reunite, with Tom in the lead role.

The project is also set to feature another familiar face – the reigning Fairy Godmother of TVO, Alice Lowe, and camera tests, costume hunting and location scouting are well underway, with shooting due to start very soon.

For now, the project is shrouded in secrecy, and that’s as much as we’re allowed to tell you, but we’ll aim to bring you more news as soon as we’re able, so stay peeled. Until then, keep an eye on it’s official Twitter feed, and you can catch The Baron, co-starring Steve Oram, Stephen Evans and Barunka O’Shaughnessy, and with music by Waen Shepherd, below.