Two-time Oscar winner Renée Zellweger will forever be known as rom-com royalty, from the Bridget Jones films to Jerry Maguire. However, she hasn’t been afraid to wade into the waters of horror. Her roots in the genre stem all the way back to her first leading role in Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation, though arguably her most interesting spooky role would come 14 years later with the release of the star-studded supernatural thriller, Case 39. Directed by Christian Alvart, it paired Zellweger with a Bradley Cooper fresh off of The Hangover for a story centered on a seemingly sweet kid named Lilith (Jodelle Ferland) who proves to be much more than she lets on. Though it was widely panned by critics to the tune of a 22% Rotten Tomatoes score, Paramount+ subscribers will soon be able to let the twisted tale into their homes starting on August 1. Case 39 casts Zellweger as an experienced social worker named Emily Jenkins, who has seen just about everything in her career. At least, that’s what she believes until meeting Lilith, a model child she was sent to investigate once her grades started to slip. Suspecting parental abuse, she finds a horrific scene of the couple trying to roast their daughter alive in the oven. Emily decides to let the young girl stay with her while a foster family is arranged, but it doesn’t take long for Lilith’s evil side to manifest in her home. The sinister forces surrounding the child begin to affect her other cases and colleagues, manifesting their greatest fears and making her realize that, perhaps, her parents weren’t wrong about their daughter’s demonic nature. Although some of the casting choices were unconventional, Alvart had a strong team to work with beyond Zellweger and Cooper. Ferland entered Case 39 as the youngest Emmy nominee in history after gaining recognition for the television film Mermaid. She’d go on to build an impressive resume, including roles in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Cabin in the Woods, and the 2006 Silent Hill. The film also stars John Wick veteran Ian McShane.
Renée Zellweger Is About to Make a Big Return to Television

In 2025, Zellweger went right back to her rom-com forte with Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy earlier this year. The fourth installment in the series was another success for the actress, with strong reviews and a respectable haul of $139.6 million at the box office. However, her next big role will be back on the small screen. She’s one of the latest prominent guest stars to check into the Arconia for Season 5 of Only Murders in the Building, joining the main podcasting trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez alongside fellow newcomers Bobby Cannavale, Renée Zellweger, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Keegan-Michael Key, Beanie Feldstein, Dianne Wiest, and Jermaine Fowler. The murder-mystery comedy is slated to return to Hulu on September 9. Case 39 arrives on Paramount+ on August 1. Stay tuned here at Collider for more on all the biggest films heading to streaming throughout the year.

Case 39

Release Date

August 13, 2009

Runtime

109 minutes

Director

Christian Alvart

Writers

Ray Wright