EXCLUSIVE: David Dastmalchian (Late Night with the Devil), Ashley Greene (Twilight), and newcomer Samantha Cochran will topline The Cure, a horror thriller from director Nancy Leopardi that has wrapped production in Los Angeles.
Written by Jonathan Bernstein and James Greer, who penned Steven Soderbergh’s Unsane, the film centers on Cochran’s Ally Braun, an adopted 16-year-old with a mysterious illness who learns her bio-tech billionaire parents (Dastmalchian and Greene) are harvesting her blood for nefarious purposes.
In a statement to Deadline, Leopardi called the film “a satirical take on the modern billionaire class cloaked in a crowd-pleasing thriller,” adding, “The Cure is made in the tradition of classic horror and sci-fi films that are inspired by terrifying socio-political realities and advances in bio-technology. Like Ex-Machina, A.I., and Videodrome I believe we are on the cusp of a revolution in science and the big question is – who will benefit?”
Sydney Taylor (American Born Chinese), Tyler Lawrence Gray (Wolfpack), and Dylan Flashner (Running on Empty) co-star in the film produced by John Ierardi and Bo Youngblood of Showdown Productions, and Indy Entertainment, along with Natalie Marciano and Rock Jacobs of Rebel Entertainment. Executive producers include Steve Bencich, Ron J. Friedman, Lucky 13 Productions, Phil Shaltz, Filmhedge, Peter Roumeliotis of Popternative Pictures, Jeff Rice, Michael Breen, J. Todd Harris, Michael Leon Cassutt, and John Harris. Jeffrey Gafner handled casting.
A character actor in high demand, Dastmalchian is coming off his starring role in Late Night with the Devil, a horror film that garnered critical raves and broke IFC Films’ opening weekend box office record with an estimated $2.8+ million on 1.043 screens. Among his many upcoming projects is Mike Flanagan’s Stephen King adaptation The Life of Chuck, which Neon swooped on following its People’s Choice Award-winning TIFF unveiling. He is repped by Atlas Artists and attorney Duncan Hedges at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.
Perhaps best known for her work in The Twilight Saga, Greene’s recent feature credits include The Retirement Plan opposite Nicolas Cage and The Immaculate Room opposite Emile Hirsch, among other titles. She is repped by Gersh, Untitled Entertainment and Gang, Tyre, Ramer.
Best known for her producing of indies like Maggie Moore(s), The Donor Party, and Literally, Right Before Aaron, among other projects, Leopardi is represented by Gersh and Ramo Law.
Ierardi is repped by UTA; Youngblood by Bronson Law Group; Bernstein and Greer by Aron Baumel and Rick Genow at GGSSC; Cochran by Atlas Artists and Osbrink Talent Agency; Taylor by Coast To Coast Talent Group; and Gray and Flashner by AKA Talent Agency.
