News

Exclusive: Dallas Roberts (Big Sky), Arden Myrin (Orange Is the New Black) and Harvey Guillén (Reacher) have signed on to star in the comedy Road Dogs, from Bustled Knuckle Productions and Residue Remains Productions, which goes into production in Minnesota this summer.

The film centers around three stand-up comedians who hit the road for a simple weekend showcase but soon find their plans derailed by a crooked club owner and her homicidal bouncer. Vanessa Leigh is directing from her and Aaron W. Bennett’s script, which was based on Bennett’s time as an improv comic and comedy club owner in Central Washington. The duo will produce alongside Kris Black from Residue Remains Productions, with Hunter G. Williams of Busted Knuckle Productions serving as executive producer.

Roberts is represented by UTA and Circle of Confusion; Myrin by Innovative Artists, Vault Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; Guillén by Innovative and Yorn,...

Exclusive: LeToya Luckett (Greenleaf), Romeo Miller (Honey) and Keith David (Greenleaf) have signed on to star in the film A Miracle Before Christmas, from writer-director LazRael Lison (#Unknown).

The love story centers on Mercedes Wright (Luckett), a famous, fast-talking relationship therapist who has the answers to fixing everyone else’s marital issues, but is challenged by problems faced with her own husband (Miller), leaning on help from an angel (David) to get past them. Lison and Tatiana Chekhova are producing the film under their Summer House Pictures banner, with Charles F. Porter of Black Bench Productions, and Jasper Cole (Never and Again). Marlon D. Haynes is serving as exec producer.

Luckett is represented by WME and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman; Miller by Pantheon Talent; David by Artists & Representatives, Silver J Management and Meyers & Downs; and Lison by Newman-Thomas Management and Kaye & Mills.

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Exclusive: Rose Reid (Finding You), Ruairi O’Connor...

Exclusive: Oscar nominee Eric Roberts (The Righteous Gemstones) is reteaming with his Runaway Train co-star Danny Trejo as part of the cast of Alone Today, an upcoming crime drama from director Wendy Wilkins, which will also star Shannon Elizabeth and Frank Whaley.

The film tells the story of a woman (Elizabeth) in an abusive relationship with a dirty detective (Roberts) who is helping move sex trafficked girls coming over the Mexican Border. When attempting to save just one truckload before “disappearing forever,” everything goes horribly wrong and she decides to take a different path.

The project hails from Different Duck Films founder Rob Margolies (Bobcat Moretti), who will produce alongside Errol Sack and Julia Verdin. Production is underway in Los Angeles. Roberts is repped by Sovereign Talent Group, Imperial Artists Agency and Miles Anthony Associates in London, manager Eliza Roberts, Empire Agency in Germany and Scott Carlson Entertainment in Canada.

In today’s film news roundup, Louisa Krause nabs a role as Billy Crystal’s wife, Jackie Long and Denise Boutte are starring in a romcom, “The Wrong Todd” gets a release and “The Mass Shooting Monologues” begins production.

Castings

Louisa Krause is set to join the cast of Billy Crystal’s comedy “Here Today,” opposite Tiffany Haddish and Crystal who is writing, directing and starring in the film.

Crystal plays veteran comedy writer Charlie Berns who is slowly but surely losing his grip on reality when he befriends a talented young New York street singer, portrayed by Haddish. The two form an unlikely, touching friendship. Krause will play the wife of Crystal’s character.

Krause was most recently seen in the independent feature “Skin,” opposite Jamie Bell and Danielle MacDonald. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was acquired by A24. She will next be seen...

William Moseley and Johanna Braddy will star in Pencil Town, an inspirational drama directed and executive produced by Jay Silverman that just wrapped production in Los Angeles. Written by Van Billet, the plot is based on a true story about a corporate raider (Moseley) on the verge of making partner at his private equity firm who is forced to return to his small town where he suddenly inherits his father’s nearly bankrupt pencil factory, which is the heart and soul of the depressed community. With foreclosure looming, he must decide whether to join the workers’ fight to save the factory or let it close and relocate to China. Mimi Kennedy, Mary Pat Gleason, Shashawnee Hall, Paul Dooley, Bill Cobbs and James Eckhouse also star. William Newman, Bethany Cerrona and Joe Gamache are producers. Moseley is repped by Apa,...

The minds behind Monster Fest 2016 out of Melbourne, Australia, have announced that the French horror film Raw will open the festival, which will also feature a screening of Beyond the Gates. Also in today's Highlights: a trailer for Halloweed and a sneak peek of Aliens: Life and Death #1.

Monster Fest 2016 Lineup Announced: Press Release: "Returning this year from November 24-27, Australia’s premier genre film festival Monster Fest is thrilled to announce the Australian premiere of controversial new French horror film Raw as its Official 2016 Opening Night Film.

Raw made its World Premiere in Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year where it was awarded the coveted Fipresci Award and was lauded by critics and fans alike as the genre sensation of the festival.

Raw is the debut feature of French director Julia Ducournau and tells the story of a young vegetarian who discovers her dark side...

Trent and his best bud Joey move to a small town to escape the shadow of his serial killer father. But right after they roll up, everything goes to pot as the bodies pile up and they must weed out suspects and smoke out the killer. He who has the weed has the power in Halloweed! We have the first trailer, three new posters and a photo gallery from this decidedly different kind of halloween horror movie.

Halloweed arrives from Screen Media Films, with the DVD release date set for November 8, 2016. Today, Screen Media announced the filmmaking team of Roberto Rosario, Jr. and Jayson Bernard, who produced the film under their J&R Productions banner.

Halloweed is a comedy/stoner/slasher/mystery genre hybrid, starring Simon Rex, Shannon Brown, Jim O'Heir, Michelle Mueller , Jayson Bernard, Ray Wise, Jason Mewes, Deje Dee, Lester Speight, Danny Trejo and Tom Sizemore, and will...

Recently, CBS released the new,official synopsis/spoilers for their upcoming "NCIS" episode 5 of season 13. The episode is entitled, "Lockdown," and it turns out that we're going to see some very dangerous and high drama stuff take place as a vicious hostage situation goes down in the same building Abby is in, and more! In the new,5th episode press release: Abby Becomes A Hostage When She Takes A Rare Trip Out Of Her Lab To Talk To A Pharmaceutical Doctor About A Murder Case, On "NCIS," Tuesday, Oct. 20. Press release number 2: While visiting a pharmaceutical lab on a murder case, Abby is going to get trapped with no communication to the outside world after armed men take over the building and hold everyone hostage. Tony Gonzalez, former NFL player and studio analyst for The NFL Today on the Network and contributor for Thursday Night Football, guest stars as NCIS Special Agent Tony Francis.

Here there, creepies! Recently I had the pleasure of talkin’ to the die-rector of the new suspense flick Private Number, LazRael Lison, here in the good ol’ Crypt o’ Xiii, and since I’m such a kind hearted ol’ ghoul (and the fact that I’m contractually obligated to deliver content) I thought I’d share it with you cats forthwith!

Famous Monsters. Not to blow my upcomin’ review of the flick, but I dug Private Number; it wasn’t at all what I expected going in, and it was full of fun lil’ surprises that were ultimately truly satisfying for this horror hound. So how did ya come up with the meat n’ potatoes of Private Number?

LazRael Lison. Thank you. We are glad you enjoyed it. Well I have always been a creative person since I started writing as a child. Being a huge fan of the genre,...

As witnessed by producer, writer and director LazRael Lison’s feature slasher, Rift, which premieres in Los Angeles on April 28th, Ghostface hasn’t quite yet cornered the market on the slaughter of students, and we’ve got the first peek at Rift’s trailer, stills and official site. Read on!

Lison tells Dread exclusively of his ambitious film, “Rift was inspired by true events of multiple murder cases which transpired over the past 40 years, some solved and unsolved, mainly focusing on the story of Richard Speck and the murders in 1966. Of course being in Hollywood, we took the liberty of adding some artistic license to make it more entertaining to the viewer. Rift is set over three time periods: 1972, 2001 and the present day.”

Produced by Lison, Tatiana Chekhova, and executive producer and Olympian athlete Carl Lewis, the Gjenius production stars Leslie Easterbrook (The Devil’s Rejects), Tom Wright, Richmond Arquette,...