News

Exclusive: Aaron Holliday (Cocaine Bear), Jermaine Fowler (Sorry to Bother You), Michael Abbott Jr. (Fallout) and Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) have wrapped on Appofeniacs, an indie horror film from writer-director Chris Marrs Piliero.

Appofeniacs is a riff on the term “apophenia” which is the tendency to find connections or patterns in things that are unrelated or random — common examples being confirmation bias and paranoia. This marks the feature debut for Piliero, who is known for his music video work with Ariana Grande, Britney Spears, Avril Lavigne, Kesha, and The Black Keys (for which he won an MTV VMA).

Piliero independently financed and produced the film, which also stars Will Brandt, Paige Searcy, Simran Jehani, Harley Bronwyn, and Sean Wing. Gunn exec produced the pic, with Salvatore Schiavone and Jonathan Voluck handling casting.

Previously seen in Universal’s horror comedy Cocaine Bear, Holliday has also been seen on HBO’s Euphoria and Sharp Objects.

Exclusive: Ruby Modine, Michael Ironside, Will Brandt are set to star in the indie drama, American Desert, which is currently in production.

Directed by Adrian Bartol, the story follows Matt Benning, a veteran who served in Afghanistan who finds himself entangled in a dangerous web of drugs, violence, and toxic love that eventually has him running–and hiding–for his life.

Robert Lasardo (Nip/Tuck), Callum Blue (The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement), and Amber Coney (Dead of Summer)also star in the pic which hails from Rbw International Inc.

Bartol and Brandt drafted the script and are producing the project. American Desert is slated to be released mid-to-late 2019.

In today’s film news roundup, Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth are starring in a horror-thriller, shooting has started in the Mojave Desert on “American Desert” and BAFTA announces its scholarship recipients.

Production Starts

“Designated Survivor” star Maggie Q and Luke Hemsworth will star in the upcoming Thailand-set horror-thriller feature film, “Death of Me,” from “Saw” franchise director Darren Lynn Bousman.

Principal photography is expected to begin Wednesday. “Death of Me” was written by Ari Margolis & James Morley III and David Tish. The story centers on a couple on an exotic holiday who awaken one morning with a hangover and no recollection of what transpired. When playing back the video of their previous night, they learn they participated in a ritual that somehow ended with the husband murdering the wife — though she’s actually very much alive.

Producers are Lee Nelson and David Tish of Ema and Charles Dorfman of Samuel Marshall Productions.

By all accounts Kaiser Wilhelm II was hardly a great leader. He put Germany onto its fateful course towards World War I and shortly after defeat was forced to abdicate the throne into exile at the secluded Netherlands mansion Huis Doorn. Alan Judd would eventually write an historical fiction novel entitled The Kaiser’s Last Kiss about the former crown holder and an incident involving the Nazis, Gestapo, and Hitler’s right-hand Heinrich Himmler—with the potential for redemption. Christopher Plummer would read said book, let his manager know of his interest, and wait ten years before another’s option lapsed so it could fall into their hands. Simon Burke would crack the screenplay, theater director David Leveaux would be hired to helm his debut, and The Exception would be born.

Plummer takes on the role of Wilhelm, now an aged master of the mansion living on the allowance of the Reich’s pity.