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Stars: June Squibb, Fred Hechinger, Parker Posey, Richard Roundtree, Clark Gregg, Malcolm McDowell, Quinn Beswick, Hilda Boulware, Nicole Byer | Written and Directed by Josh Margolin

93-year-old Thelma (Squibb) falls prey to a phone scam claiming to be her grandson Danny (Fred Hechinger), threatening a harsh but phony prison sentence if she doesn’t forward $10,000. Cottoning on after the fact – after having recently watched Mission: Impossible – Thelma sets off on the journey of a lifetime in order to pull off the ultimate heist: getting her own back on those who conned her.

Sadly, we’ve all been there – a grandparent calling us in a panic because they’ve received a spam email, can’t get rid of a pop-up advert during their daily scrolling, or worse, falling victim to a nasty phone scam. It’s exactly the situation that the titular Thelma finds herself in, idly plodding along in her daily...

Exclusive: 93-year-old Oscar nominee June Squibb (Nebraska) has found her first, long overdue leading role in Thelma, an upcoming “action” comedy written and directed by Josh Margolin, which has wrapped production. The actress is joined in the ensemble by Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus), Richard Roundtree (Shaft), Parker Posey (The Staircase), Clark Gregg (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange).

Margolin’s first feature, based on a real-life experience involving his grandmother, is (half-jokingly) billed as Nebraska meets Mission: Impossible. It centers on 90-year-old grandmother Thelma Post (Squibb), who gets duped by a phone scammer pretending to be her grandson and sets out on a uniquely treacherous quest to reclaim what was taken from her.

Zoë Worth, a longtime collaborator of Margolin’s, and producing partner Chris Kaye started developing Thelma after reading an early draft in their writer’s group, Rock & Roll Universe. The film will be their first produced together.

Finance firm Orogen Entertainment is partnering with sales agency The Exchange to create a stand-alone development and movie production company Next Prods., which has a slate of projects in development.

The partnership, which will have a three-year term, will develop at least 15 film projects. It will be headed by Caddy Vanasirikul of The Exchange.

Among the projects in development are “The Independent,” with a screenplay by Evan Parter (Amazon’s untitled Chris Pine Watergate project), and to be directed by Amy Rice (“By the People: The Election of Barack Obama”). It is being produced with Anonymous Content and Park Pictures.

Also on the slate is “Middle Man,” being written by Peter Steinfeld, and produced with Red Hour, Votiv Films and Needle’s Eye Prods.

Another project is “Stooges,” by Quinn Beswick, Josh Margolin, Benjamin Smolen and Nikolai Von Keller. The film, described as a “reimagination” of the 20th Century Fox’s “The Three Stooges,...

Many filmmakers, even including Kevin Smith on a recent podcast, have spoken of how the tools used to make someone laugh are similar to those used to scare. So, it makes perfect sense how well comedy and horror go together. Especially with a novel concept, horror comedies can be a lot of fun. In the case of this week’s newest effort of this ilk, Deep Murder certainly has a terrific hook. Far more funny than it is anything particularly scary, it’s the sort of film that has a ton of fun with its silly concept. High art, this is not, but it’s more than funny enough to recommend. The movie takes place within a soft core porn video. Literally. It opens with an old fashioned VHS beginning and everything. At first, characters like Babs (Katie Aselton), Doug (Jerry O’Connell), Hugh (Quinn Beswick), Jace (Chris Redd), and of course,...

Dread Central will be hosting the East Coast premiere of Deep Murder tomorrow at Brooklyn’s great Alamo Drafthouse Cinema (445 Albee Square West; 718-513-2547). Star and co-writer Quinn Beswick will intro the film and stay for a Q&a. Doors open at 7 pm. You can RSVP to attend by following the link below. Related […] The post Meet the Cast of Deep Murder in Series of Motion Character Posters + Free Screening Tomorrow Night! appeared first on Dread Central.

The making of an adult movie turns into a real-life horror film for a group of actors in the new horror comedy Deep Murder, and ahead of the film's release from Screen Media, we've been provided with an exclusive clip to share with Daily Dead readers.

You can watch the murder investigation begin in our exclusive, Nsfw clip below, and keep an eye out for Deep Murder when Screen Media releases it in select theaters and On Demand beginning June 14th.

Directed by Nick Corirossi and written by Quinn Beswick, Josh Margolin, Benjamin Smolen, and Nikolai von Keller, Deep Murder stars Jerry O’Connell, Chris McDonald, Katie Aselton, Stephanie Drake, Chris Redd, Jessica Parker Kennedy, and Quinn Beswick.

Synopsis: "This raunchy horror comedy delves deep into the story of a deranged killer as he slashes his way across a soft core porno. Who will last the longest as the stiffs...

"We need to find him before he finds us..." "Sounds like something a murderer would say." Screen Media has debuted an official trailer for an awkward indie horror comedy titled Deep Murder, a wacky new spoof combining soft core porn cheesiness and a horror who-dun-it mystery. The film is the feature directorial debut of "Funny or Die" veteran filmmaker Nick Corirossi, to give you a sense of the comedic sensibilities in this, and it's got all the usual campiness you'd expect with this kind of concept. The story follows a group of people trapped inside a mansion making a porno, who start dying one-by-one. Starring Jerry O'Connell, Christopher McDonald, Katie Aselton, Stephanie Drake, Quinn Beswick, Chris Redd, Jessica Parker Kennedy, and Josh Margolin. This doesn't look that terrible, but it doesn't look any good either. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Nick Corirossi's Deep Murder, direct from Smf's...

The Independent Film & Television Alliance‘s annual elections has resulted in eight new members voted to the alliance’s board of directors, the organization said Monday at the American Film Market. They join the 20-member board at the indie film and TV trade association chaired by Michael Ryan of Gfm Films. The newly elected members that will serve on the board for the 2018-2020 term: Alison Thompson (Cornerstone Films); Nat McCormick (The Exchange); Gene George (Lionsgate); Frederick Tsui (Media Asia); Pierre David (Reel One Entertainment); Anna Marsh (StudioCanal); Lloyd Kaufman (Troma Entertainment); and Alexandra Cocean (Voltage Pictures). “This board represents the true global breadth of Ifta’s Membership which has grown to 22 countries, as well as the diverse film and television programming they finance, produce, sell and distribute,” Ryan said. “The expertise each one brings to the table will be invaluable to the organization as we face the future.

The League and Legion’s Katie Aselton is among those set to star in a movie described as a “basically like a softcore version of Pleasantville,” according to Variety. To clarify: This is a wacky-sounding, high concept project called Deep Murder, about denizens of the porn world who start to develop beyond their stereotypes once a serial killer is in their midst. So essentially, the murderer takes on Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire’s job in the aforementioned Gary Ross picture. In addition to Aselton, the film is also set to feature reliable character actor Christopher McDonald; Johnny Simmons of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World; Stephanie Drake, otherwise known as Mad Men secretary Meredith; and two of its own writers, Josh Margolin and Quinn Beswick.

Margolin and Beswick are responsible for the screenplay, along with Nikolai Von Keller and Benjamin Smolen, while Nick Corirossi, who has worked for Funny Or...

Tonight, the 11th annual New York Television Festival came to a close with a ceremony celebrating the winners of its Independent Pilot Competition. The awards handed out included Best Comedy and Drama Pilots and Best of the Fest; in addition, a jury of critics (including myself) awarded coming-of-age dramedy "The Parker Tribe" with the Nytvf Critics Award. Read More: Whatever Independent TV Is, It's Happening at the New York Television Festival The Nytvf showcased 50 pilots as well as special events for shows, including Wgn's "Manhattan," and networking opportunities connecting festival artists to television executives. 12 development deals were also announced as a result of the week of pitching. Check out the full list of winners and development deals below. 2015 Independent Pilot Competition Winners Best Comedy Pilot: "New Partner" Created by Quinn Beswick and Josh Margolin (Los Angeles, CA) Welcome to the cursed existence of Ron...