There are now more notable actors on the call sheet for David M. Rosenthal’s upcoming feature picture, The Smack. The next heist thriller seems to be an all-star event, with Oscar winners Alan Arkin and Kathy Bates and multi-hyphenate Teyana Taylor joining the cast, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. Joining previously announced Casey Affleck (Every Breath You Take), Isabel May (1883), Marisa Tomei (Spider-Man: No Way Home), and Yul Vázquez complete the cast (Russian Doll). The Smack, based on the novel of the same name by Richard Lange, will star Affleck as Rowan Petty, a con artist with a sick daughter (May) who has seen better days but gets a chance to get back in the saddle when he meets Jade (Taylor), an aspiring hustler who introduces him to a score that, if executed successfully, could change their lives.
Arkin will take on the role of Rowan’s wise, old coworker who draws on his extensive life experience to impart some advice. Rowan’s ex-wife is among the many competitors he faces when he arrives in Los Angeles to carry off the biggest fraud of his career (Tomei). When the stakes are high, even friends might turn on each other. Having the name of a senior actor with as many accolades as Arkin adds credibility to whatever endeavour he is associated with. Ever since his heyday in the 1960s, Arkin has continued to be a formidable presence on both the big and small screens.
The makers of The Smack will be hoping he can repeat the success he had in his supporting role in Little Miss Sunshine, for which he won Oscars and the British Academy Film Award. Bates is another seasoned pro with an impressive resume. For her work in the NBC sitcom Harry’s Law, she won two Emmys in addition to her Oscar and BAFTA. She was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for her performance in the biographical drama film Richard Jewell. Are You There, God? a coming-of-age drama, will star her in a future film. It’s Me. Grammy, Oscar, and BET Winner Since making her acting debut in the 2010 film Stomp the Yard: Homecoming, Taylor has been juggling a successful music career with her acting endeavours.
Most recently, she was seen in Coming 2 America, and she’ll be in the upcoming White Men Can’t Jump remake. The independent film will be produced by Keith Kjarval’s successful company, Unified Pictures. Kjarval and Rosenthal, who will also serve as the film’s director, penned the script together. Sam Rockwell, Mark Berger, and Sugar Andrea Bucko, all of Sugar Rush Pictures, round up the roster of producers. 3 Arts Entertainment’s Tom Lasally and Will Rowbotham, together with Ben Ruffman, Doug Grozelle, and Shane David Goenfield, serve as executive producers.
After working together on the 2013 crime thriller A Single Shot, which Rockwell called “a remarkable experience, due to David’s sharp creative vision as a director and Keith’s leadership as a producer,” Rockwell will be reuniting with screenwriters Rosenthal and Kjarval on this new project. “Bringing together this tremendous ensemble of actors seems like an old school, 70s approach to producing a movie,” Rockwell said, expressing his excitement about working with the assembled cast. “Mark (Berger) and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of this team.” Filming for The Smack will begin in Los Angeles this autumn, with a 2019 release date as the target. If you can’t wait, you may see Rosenthal’s newest feature film, No Limits, which is available on Netflix right now.