Fantastic Pavilion places Tony Armer’s Key of Bones film within the Cannes genre conversation, connecting Key West pirate mythology with a market-facing showcase for international genre cinema.
Key of Bones: Curse of the Ghost Pirate brings a distinctly commercial genre proposition to the market: a supernatural horror-action-comedy built around Key West’s haunted mythology, pirate lore and contemporary island energy. Set in Florida, the film follows a local waitress, a ghost tour guide and an unlucky tourist who uncover a cursed pirate coin linked to the infamous Anne Bonny. As the curse spreads, ghostly forces rise across the island, forcing the characters into a race to prevent Key West from being overrun by the dead. The project’s positioning is direct and market-friendly, summed up by its tagline: “Ghosts, Pirates, Drag Queens.”
Written and directed by Tony Armer, the film is 90 minutes long, features a Dolby 5.1 sound mix, a 2:00.1 aspect ratio, and a June 2026 completion date. In his director’s statement, Armer presents the film as a fast, entertaining horror-comedy combining thrills, humor, adventure and supernatural chaos. Key West is central to the project’s identity: its history of shipwrecks, smugglers and haunted locations provides the setting for a story that connects maritime mythology with a modern genre framework.
Armer brings more than two decades of industry experience to the project. His background includes serving as Film Commissioner for Dallas and St. Petersburg Clearwater, co-founding Film USA and the Sunscreen Film Festival, producing films distributed by Lionsgate and Amazon, and directing award-winning documentaries. The film’s cinematographer is Brandon D. Hyde, while the production team includes Mark Rankin, Dr. Robert Nucci, Chuck Ardezzone, Cameron Brumbelow, Anthony Pernicka, Glenn Sugden, Laurie Crego, Dr. Robert Catana, Mark Pulaski, Steven Demmler and Bill Francis.
The cast is led by Melissa Chick as Anne Bonny, Gina Vitori as Mary and Jeremy King as Christie. Chick’s character anchors the pirate mythology at the center of the story, while Vitori and King bring experience across film, television, thriller, action and comedy work. King’s credits include Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Scare Package and Apple TV’s Bad Monkey, reinforcing the film’s connection to both genre and adventure audiences.
At Cannes, the film’s inclusion in the Fantastic Pavilion’s 2026 Fantastic Galas placed it within a curated genre showcase held May 12–18 at the Olympia Cinema, alongside international titles spanning horror, thriller and dystopian storytelling. Listed by the Fantastic Pavilion as a U.S. selection directed by Tony Armer, Key of Bones screened on May 16 as part of the program, giving industry delegates a market-facing introduction to a commercially accessible genre project built around recognizable pirate mythology, a distinctive Florida setting and a tone designed for broad genre audiences.
