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Returning to SXSW 2024, this time as director, is Deadland producer Tara Pirnia with her romantic dramedy, Switch Up. Though the film isn’t quite as heavy as her previous festival feature, this one still bears weight within its family-friendly plot. According to cast member Jeff Fahey (Alita: Battle Angel), “It was the lightness of the story that had a heaviness to it.”...

Exclusive: Vertical has picked up U.S. rights to Deadland, a thriller led by Roberto Urbina (TNT’s Snowpiercer), which world premiered at SXSW 2023. Marking the directorial debut of Lance Larson, the film is slated for a day-and-date release on November 3rd.

Urbina stars as U.S. Border agent Angel Waters, who comes across what would normally be a routine illegal crossing, but quickly spirals into his worst nightmare. In a tragic twist of fate, a detained immigrant is killed while being held at a remote border outpost. Days later, Angel is called back to the river where he is met with a terrifying sight — the same migrant that died is standing at the river’s edge. As strange phenomena begin to overtake his life, he soon learns that on this land, that which dies doesn’t always stay dead.

Starring alongside Urbina are McCaul Lombardi (American Honey), Julieth Restrepo...

Exclusive: Cristián de la Fuente, Julieth Restrepo, Jeff Fahey and Sal Velez Jr have been set to star in Switch Up, an indie romantic comedy that will serve as the feature directing debut of Tara Pirnia. Production begins in January in Texas.

Written by Pamela Beach and Felice Heather Monteith from Pirnia’s original story, the pic centers on popular Miami talk show host Ricardo De La Cruz, whose world gets turned upside down when a scheming rival sets him up for a scandalous fall. Destitute, Ricardo finds himself stranded at a homeless shelter he once featured on his show, where he meets a young widow who finds it hard to move on. As Ricardo begins to fall in love, he comes to understand how helping others is the true path to finding happiness.

Exclusive: Roberto Urbina (Snowpiercer), McCaul Lombardi (American Honey), Julieth Restrepo (Loving Pablo), Kendal Rae (2 Broke Girls), Luis Chávez (Ocean’s Thirteen), Julio César Cedillo (Sicario), Manuel Uriza (Rambo: Last Blood) and Chris Mulkey (On the Basis of Sex) will star in Deadland, an indie thriller from director Lance Larson, which has wrapped production in Oklahoma and Texas.

The film centers on border agent Angel Waters (Urbina), who is called to investigate a man who walks the harsh plains of the South Texas desert, finding that what should be a routine apprehension quickly turns into his worst nightmare.

In an unexpected turn of events, the migrant is accidentally killed, with Waters and his fellow officers quickly burying the body in the desert. They swear to an oath of silence—but the migrant refuses to stay silent.

Larson and Jas Shelton wrote the script, with David Elliot providing creative supervision. Larson and...

Vanessa Kirby and Shia Labeoufhave been tapped to star in Pieces Of A Woman, an indie drama from Sam Levinson’s Little Lamb Productions, a division of Bron Studios. Kornél Mundruczó will direct from a script by his frequent collaborator Kata Wéber. The story is about a grieving woman who, when a home birth goes tragically awry, is thrust into an emotional inner journey by trying to come to terms with her loss while also dealing with the ramifications in her interpersonal relationships with her husband and estranged mother. Little Lamb co-founders Kevin Turen and Ashley Levinson will produce along with Aaron Ryder. Executive producers are Viktória Petrányi, Sam Levinson, Aaron L. Gilbert, Jason Cloth and Stuart Manashil. Creative Wealth Media is co-financing production which will take place in Montreal starting in December.

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Alyssa Milano...

Mark Chapman -- the guy who arguably saves Rose's life in "Titanic" when she grabs his whistle off his dead, frozen body -- was arrested for allegedly choking his girlfriend after she dumped him. The incident went down back in March after Tara Pirnia says she ended their 5-year relationship. She also claims Mark -- same guy who lets Cal on the lifeboat with his pretend daughter as the Titanic's sinking -- flew into a...