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Closely following the release of Andrew McCarthy’s documentary / filmed therapy session Brats, which reveals the impact the publication of the article that dubbed some of the young actors of the ’80s “the Brat Pack” had on McCarthy’s life and career (despite the article specifying that McCarthy was not a member of the Brat Pack), comes the news that McCarthy has a role in the sci-fi thriller Orion, which has just wrapped production in New York. Also in the Orion cast are Debby Ryan (Shortcomings), Drew Van Acker (Last Survivors), Karin Ann (The Tattooist of Auschwitz), Natalia Lesz (Krime Story), Daniel Bisla (Ghost Adventures), and Theodora Miranne (The Blacklist: Redemption).

Directed by Jaco Bouwer (Gaia) from a screenplay by first-time writer Anne Vithayathil, the film centers on a heated interrogation between a U.S. Intelligence expert tasked to help an amnesiac astronaut recover his memory in order to determine...

Exclusive: Andrew McCarthy (Brats), Drew Van Acker (Last Survivors) and Debby Ryan (Shortcomings) have wrapped production in New York on Orion, a new sci-fi thriller from director Jaco Bouwer (Gaia).

Written by first-timer Anne Vithayathil, the film centers around a heated interrogation between a U.S. Intelligence expert tasked to help an amnesiac astronaut recover his memory in order to determine “who” or “what” killed the rest of the crew before they crash landed back on Earth.

Producing the film alongside Van Acker, Elle Army (Life Like) and Scott Army, Sunil Perkash, describes the project as “a very unique world building sci fi thriller that relies on incredibly strong performances from all of the cast and the meticulously curated world building by our director, Jaco Bouwer. We could not be more excited to bring our clever twisting and turning film to audiences worldwide soon.”

Pic’s cast also...

Exclusive: Ashley Judd (She Said) has wrapped production in Oregon on Lazareth, a new thriller written and directed by Alec Tibaldi that she stars in for Vertical, Tpc and Sss Entertainment. Others rounding out the cast include Katie Douglas (Ginny & Georgia), Sarah Pidgeon (Tiny Beautiful Things), Asher Angel (Shazam!) and newcomer Edward Balaban.

The film to be distributed in North America by Vertical follows Lee (Judd), who protects her orphaned nieces, Imogen (Douglas) and Maeve (Pidgeon), from a self-destructing world and raises them in isolation until an outsider (Angel) arrives threatening their peaceful existence.

Pic is part of Vertical and Tpc’s new sustainable corporate financing model geared toward long-term growth and a symmetry of art and commerce that the companies debuted with Spencer Squire’s 2022 horror Abandoned. Vertical comes to the project after collaborating with Shaun Sanghani’s Sss Entertainment on such releases as Gone in the Night starring Winona Ryder and Dermot Mulroney,...

There are diverse streaming releases slates and then there is Hulu’s list of new releases for May 2022. There are no big franchises here, no big themes – just a whole bunch of original and library titles for everyone to enjoy.

Hulu’s major original releases in May come in the middle of the month. Candy premieres on May 9 and stars Jessica Biel as your friendly neighborhood axe murderer. If that sounds a bit outlandish, bear in mind that this limited series is based on the real life story of Candy Montgomery and her victim, the tragically named Betty Gore. On May 15, Hulu will play host to Conversations with Friends. This is the latest adaptation of the works of Sally Rooney. After the breakaway success of Normal People, Hulu is undoubtedly hoping for more lightning in a bottle.

On the movie side of things, May will welcome The Valet on May...

Exclusive: Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment have prevailed in a bidding war surrounding the Sundance thriller Emily the Criminal, starring and produced by Aubrey Plaza, claiming North American rights. They’ve slated the film for an exclusive theatrical release this year, with Redbox joining the partnership for home entertainment distribution.

John Patton Ford’s feature directorial debut follows Emily (Plaza), who is saddled with student debt and locked out of the job market due to a minor criminal record. Desperate for income, she takes a shady gig as a “dummy shopper,” buying goods with stolen credit cards supplied by a handsome and charismatic middleman named Youcef (Theo Rossi). Faced with a series of dead-end job interviews, Emily soon finds herself seduced by the quick cash and illicit thrills of black-market capitalism, and increasingly interested in her mentor Youcef. Together, they hatch a plan to bring...

To celebrate the release of Last Survivors, we spoke to the stars of this upcoming survivalist drama.

Directed by Drew Mylrea, Last Survivors revolves around a father and son – Troy and Jake – who, after an apocalyptic event, are off the grid – struggling to survive and fighting any infected intruderthat comes their way. However, when Jake meets Henrietta, another isolated survivor, he is opened up to a new world beyond what his father has taught him.

Stars Drew Van Acker, Alicia Silverstone, and Stephen Moyer speak to us about bringing to life this post-apocalyptic drama and how the film represents the fragility of relationships and the fallacies of our parents.

The Last Survivors is out in Theatres and On Demand February 4, 2022.

The post Last Survivors – Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Moyer & Drew Van Acker on their intimate new thriller appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American and UK rights to Hector Barron’s horror-thriller In the Forest, along with U.S. rights to Alice Blehart’s animated film Little Sorcerer. Both titles are slated for a day-and-date theatrical release, with the former from Disrupting Influence to hit screens on January 28, and the latter from Chinese independent animation studio Gold Valley Films to debut on May 6.

In the Forest watches as Helen (Debbon Ayer) and her daughter Emily (Cristina Spruell) reluctantly accompany Helen’s father Stan (Lyman Ward) on a family camping trip, driving deep into the forest for a real outdoors experience, only to have angry landowner Howard (Don Baldaramos) arrive and force them to leave. When their Rv gets stuck, Helen decides to seek help but discovers a disturbing secret on the man’s property. She must then fight to protect her family and make it out of...

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the comedy Supercool, starring Jake Short (This Is the Year), Miles J. Harvey (The Babysitter) and Damon Wayans Jr., with plans to release it in theaters and on digital and VOD on February 11.

The film from director Teppo Airaksinen (Juice) centers on Neil Tobbler (Short), who has gone through most of his life feeling invisible and fantasizing about his long-time crush, Summer (Madison Davenport). When Neil and his best friend Gilbert (Harvey) find out that Summer is throwing a birthday party, Gilbert pressures Neil to ask her for an invitation. The plan fails, and Neil embarrasses himself in front of the girl of his dreams.

Desperate and humiliated, Neil wishes upon the universe to be someone else—a supercool version of himself—the next day waking up and realizing that the universe has granted him his wish.

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to No Running, a sci-fi thriller marking the feature directorial debut of Delmar Washington, for a multi-platform release this spring.

The film centers on Jaylen Brown (Skylan Brooks), a Black high school student who finds himself under suspicion after his classmate disappears during a party, with prejudice quickly beginning to boil to the surface of his small southern town. While working against the clock to clear his own name, he begins to unravel a massive web of secrets that all point to otherworldly forces at play.

No Running made its world premiere last year as part of the Tribeca Film Festival’s new Juneteenth section, celebrating Black voices and stories. The film scripted by Tucker Morgan also stars Rutina Wesley, Taryn Manning (Orange Is the New Black), Shane West, Clark Backo (Letterkenny) and actor-comedian Bill Engvall...

"It's what you said it was out there... It is Not the chaos that you've always described!" Vertical Ent. has unveiled an official trailer for the post-apocalyptic thriller Last Survivors, the second feature made by up-and-coming filmmaker Drew Mylrea. A father and son, who have been living off grid for 20 years, encounter an outsider who threatens to destroy the utopia they've built. Ordered to kill any humans he encounters when venturing out, Jake defies his father by starting a forbidden relationship with a mysterious woman, Henrietta. The film stars Drew Van Acker, Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Moyer, Mark Famiglietti, and Benjamin Arthur. This has some good style and a handful of excellent shots in the trailer, but it also looks so obvious. The Shyamalan-esque twist is so clear from this trailer. But it still might be worth a watch? Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Drew Mylrea's Last Survivors, direct from...

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has nabbed North American and UK rights to Last Survivors, a dystopian thriller starring Alicia Silverstone, Stephen Moyer, and Drew Van Acker, ahead of its world premiere at London’s FrightFest Film Festival on October 30, with plans for a day-and-date release across both territories in February 2022.

The post-apocalyptic pic centers on Troy (Moyer), who has raised his now grown son, Jake (Van Acker), in a wooded utopia thousands of miles away from the decayed cities. When Troy is severely wounded, Jake is forced to travel to the outside world to find life-saving medicine. While he’s ordered to kill any humans he encounters, Jake defies his father by engaging in a forbidden relationship with a mysterious woman, Henrietta (Silverstone). As Jake continues this dangerous affair, Troy will do anything to get rid of Henrietta and protect the perfect world he created for himself and his son.

The...

UK premieres include Cannes 2021 title ‘The Innocents’.

The world premiere of Drew Mylrea’s US feature Last Survivors is among the programme for FrightFest Halloween (October 29-30), the October spin-off of the UK genre film festival held in August.

Last Survivors stars True Blood’s Stephen Moyer, Clueless actor Alicia Silverstone and Pretty Little Liars actor Drew Van Acker in the story of a father and son, living off-grid for 20 years, who encounter an outsider who threatens to destroy the utopia they’ve built. US firm Vertical Entertainment handles international sales on the film, which shot in the US in...