Oscar winners Alan Arkin and Kathy Bates, as well as Teyana Taylor have joined Casey Affleck in indie heist thriller The Smack.
The trio join a growing cast that already includes Marisa Tomei, Isabel May and Yul Vázquez.
David M. Rosenthal, who directed thrillers The Perfect Guy and the remake of Jacob’s Ladder, is helming the feature that starts shooting in L.A. later this fall.
Rosenthal and Keith Kjarval wrote the script, adapting the novel by Richard Lange. Kjarval, who runs the prolific indie banner Unified Pictures, is also producing along with Sam Rockwell, Play Hooky’s Mark Berger (Of Mice and Men) and Sugar Rush Pictures’ Andrea Bucko (Tin Soldier).
Smack centers on a con man (Affleck) who has hit rock bottom when he meets an upstart hustler, to be played by Taylor. After a tip from a wise con (Arkin), the two of them head to L.A. to pull off the biggest scam of their lives … but they learn they aren’t the only ones looking for the money, with a list of schemers including his ambitious ex (Tomei). As the con unfolds, the man can’t figure out if he and the woman are actually falling in love or being set up for the ultimate grift.
Ben Ruffman, 3 Arts Entertainment’s Tom Lasally and Will Rowbotham, Doug Grozelle, and Shane David Goenfield are executive producing.
“When I worked with David and Keith on A Single Shot, it was a singular experience, because of David’s keen artistic vision as a filmmaker and Keith’s leadership as a producer. Bringing together this powerhouse company of actors feels like an old school, ’70s way to make a movie, and Mark and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this team,” said Rockwell in a statement.
Mister Smith is handling international sales.
Arkin is the veteran actor who won a best supporting Oscar for his performance in Little Miss Sunshine and was nominated in the same category for Argo, along with three other times. He recently starred opposite Michael Douglas in the HBO series The Kominsky Method. He is repped by CAA, Lasher Group, and Felker Toczek.
Bates won her Oscar for her performance in 1990s Stephen King adaptation Misery and most recently nabbed a nomination in 2020 for Clint Eastwood’s Richard Jewell. She next appears with Rachel McAdams in Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, which is due out in 2023. Bates is repped by CAA.
Singer-turned-actress Taylor appeared with Eddie Murphy in Coming 2 America and is currently shooting a remake of White Men Can’t Jump with Jack Harlow and Sinqua Walls. She is repped by WME.
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