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Kareem Rahma is best known for his viral “Subway Takes” videos, but the “Poker Face” actor is now fictionalizing his MetroCard adventures for the big screen with indie “Or Something.” Rahma co-writes and co-stars alongside fellow writer/actor Mary Neely in the feature, which is billed as a contemporary take on “Before Sunrise.”

The official synopsis for “Or Something” reads: “Two strangers, Olivia (Neely) and Amir (Rahma), show up at the same Brooklyn apartment to collect cash they’re both owed. Forced to spend the day together on a journey through New York City, the pair reveal intimate details about their lives. The duo are stuck together on the subway, eating lunch, walking through Central Park, and bonding over disagreements about sex, dating, religion, and death. One of them also happens to be hiding a harrowing secret…” David Zayas co-stars.

Jeffrey Scotti Schroeder makes his directorial debut with the film; Pete Ohs edits the indie.

SeriesFest, the annual television festival in Denver, has unveiled the winners of its independent pilot competition.

Lake Boga won best drama pilot, Settle Down won best comedy pilot, Vs. Goliath won best unscripted pilot and F*ckUps Anonymous picked up the award for best short series.

“We can think of no better way to close out another successful edition of the festival than to celebrate and give back to the independent storytellers who continue to push the boundaries of the medium,” said SeriesFest Co-Founders Randi Kleiner and Kaily Smith. “SeriesFest has a long history of being a discovery platform for the independent television community, and we are thrilled to be able to further this year’s creatives’ work through the opportunities these awards and resources provide.”

Lake Boga, which was directed by Ben Bryan and exec produced by Nick Farnell and Anthony Sharpe, follows Nathan, an experienced ex-military assassin, who...

SeriesFest, the event held in Denver, Colorado, has unveiled its latest pilot competition lineup.

The event, which runs April 29 to May 4, has revealed its Independent Pilot Competition, which features projects across drama, comedy, unscripted digital shorts and late-night.

This year’s crop features titles that star the likes of Mary Steenburgen, Harvey Guillén, Omar Epps, Ann-Margret, Roy Wood Jr., Shari Belafonte, Michael Kosta and Eric Roberts.

Other stars include Tauheed “2 Chainz” Epps, Barry Bostwick, Rutina Wesley, Joanna Leeds, Kate Burton, Jackie Hoffman, Emil Wakim, Vella Lovell, Alysia Reiner, Milana Vayntrub and Martin Kove.

SeriesFest has been the launch pad for over a dozen independent projects that have secured mainstream distribution including Cooper’s Bar, which landed at AMC, Generation Por Que, which was acquired by HBO and Everyone Is Doing Great, picked up by Hulu.

As Deadline covered last year, independent pilots are having a moment.

“We believe this year’s...

Amid the classic, flashy film and television premieres this week at SXSW, the festival also offered a forum for burgeoning creators to showcase their work in the Independent TV Pilot Program.

These seven wide-ranging pilots rely primarily on personal experiences — from mental illness to queer identity — while also taking creative risks to offer something new to the television landscape.

Screened throughout the week, the pilots debuted at the Rollins Theatre at The Long Center on March 9 to a receptive crowd, which included Woody Harrelson, who attended in support of former Champions co-star Kevin Iannucci’s project R&r.

Following the premiere screening, the creative teams from each project took the stage to discuss the unique challenges that independent filmmakers are facing in the current television environment and how those were overcome on their projects, including lack of financing and resources.

Woody Harrelson, Kevin Iannucci, JJ Herz

Per the jury results,...

Exclusive: Fusion Entertainment has signed actor, writer, and director Mary Neely for management, Deadline has learned.

Neely rose to prominence during the Covid lockdowns with her viral reenactments of love duets from classic musicals. Singing both the male and female parts, her lip-syncs caught the attention of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Andrew Lloyd Webber and were named by The New York Times and The Washington Post as among The Best Theater of 2020.

Neely most recently completed production on 20th Century Studios’ untitled Bumble Movie opposite Lily James, Myha’la, Jackson White, and Dan Stevens, which is slated to premiere on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in all other territories in 2025. She will also appear alongside Bob Odenkirk in Acting for a Cause’s rendition of Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic The Room.

Next month, Neely will see the SXSW premiere of Stars Diner, an indie TV pilot that she co-wrote...

Exclusive: To commemorate the launch of production on its untitled film starring Lily James as Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd, 20th Century Studios has unveiled a first look photo of James from set, which you can view below.

At the same time, the studio has confirmed that the film will premiere on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in all other territories in 2025. As part of today’s announcement, 20th additionally confirmed the addition of a number of cast members, including Ben Schnetzer (3 Body Problem), Ian Colletti (The Hot Zone), Mary Neely (Happiness for Beginners), Ana Yi Puig (Goosebumps), Aidan Laprete (The Wilds), Pedro Correa (My Dead Dad), Coral Peña (Thelma) and Hunter Sansone (Stargirl).

Currently shooting in Los Angeles, the film on Herd’s life and career journey will also star Myha’la, Jackson White, Dan Stevens and Pierson Fode, as previously announced. Plot details for the film remain vague,...

Before commercial actress Mary Neely's elaborate musical theater videos went viral, she had about 800 followers on Twitter. Now, she's got 23,000 fans and counting, including some of Hollywood's most powerful players (broadcast showrunner powerhouses like Krista Vernoff, Warren Leight and Mike Schur; plus Broadway luminaries like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Kelli O'Hara) waiting for her next installment. How did it all begin?

"So, I live alone, obviously," the writer-director cracked on a Zoom call with The Hollywood Reporter last week. In the early days of L.A.'s Safer at Home order, Neely, who's ...

We’re all handling self-isolation in different ways. For instance, I’ve eaten approximately 400 lbs of cheese in the past two hours. Don’t judge me, it’s just my process. Meanwhile, actress Mary Neely has decided to cope with the stress of quarantine by performing one-woman versions of popular musicals at home, including Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. https://twitter.com/mneelzy/status/1253384374210318336?s=20 I can only imagine the looks Neely must’ve received from her neighbors as she filmed this, but it was absolutely for the greater good. And if you enjoyed …...

With just under five months until it's previously-planned release, MGM has yanked its upcoming Valley Girl remake from its release schedule. While the studio didn't comment on the move, nor did it issue a new release date, it likely has to do with the involvement of embattled YouTube star Logan Paul, who has a supporting role. The studio has moved The Hustle, a remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels starring Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson, into the June 29 release date, where it will go up against Lionsgate's Uncle Drew and Sony's Sicario 2: Soldado.

Production had wrapped last year on MGM's Valley Girl remake, which stars Jessica Rothe as Julie Richman, a sweet young girl from the San Fernando Valley, who falls for a Hollywood rocker named Randy (Josh Whitehouse), roles originated by Deborah Foreman and Nicolas Cage in the original 1983 classic. As for Logan Paul, he plays a supporting character named Mickey,...