Film News Roundup: Tobin Bell Starring in ‘Mouth to Mouth’ Comedy (EXCLUSIVE)

In today’s film news roundup, Tobin Bell, David Walton, Majandra Delfino and Mickey Rourke are cast; “Dark Waters,” “Covers” and “Albanian Gangster” get release dates.

CASTINGS

“Saw” actor Tobin Bell will star in the independent comedy “Mouth to Mouth,” Variety has learned exclusively.

The project will be produced by Dean C. Jones, Starr Jones, and David Shoenfeld under their Atlantic & Pacific Studios banner. The screenplay, written by Spyder Dobrofsky, centers on a scrawny nerd from the Midwest who accidentally lands the head lifeguard job at the hottest country club in Los Angeles even though he doesn’t know how to swim.

Bell portrayed the iconic John Kramer/Jigsaw character in all eight “Saw” movies between 2004 and 2017. His demented character — a former engineer — tested others’ will to live by placing them in deadly traps as symbols of what he saw as a moral flaws in the victims, in hopes that survivors would gain a new appreciation for their lives.

Dobrofsky is repped by DB Management. Bell is repped by Mavrick Artists Agency and Grand View Management

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The husband-wife team of David Walton and Majandra Delfino will play the leading roles in the independent comedy “Later Days,” Variety has learned exclusively.

Production will start in Chicago on Sept. 9. Walton will play a frustrated stay-at-home dad who invites all of his high school friends to a 80s-themed surprise party for his exhausted corporate wife for her 40th birthday. David Pasquesi will co-star as a once-famous DJ who is now broke.

The film is co-written and will be co-directed by Brad Riddell and Sandy Sternshein. Riddell and Sternshein are co-owners and partners in the production company Wry Mash Media. Financiers Paul Hubbard, and The Chicago Media Angels will both serve as executive producers.

Walton is represented by Gersh and MGMT Entertainment. Delfino is repped by APA. Pasquesi is repped by Innovative Artists and Abrams Entertainment.

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Mickey Rourke has signed on to play the antagonist in an upcoming film adaptation of the “Masud Rana” novel series.

Rourke joins the ensemble cast including Dalip Singh, Lewis Tan, Gabriella Wright, Weston Cage Coppola, Michael Pare and Daniel Bernhardt. Asif Akbar is directing the project, which is set to start principal photography this fall on location in Mauritius, Bangladesh and Thailand.

Producer Leman Cetiner of the Los Angeles-based company Silverline Entertainment and Abdul Aziz of the Bangladesh-based company Jaaz Multimedia are producing the picture in a joint venture.

RELEASE DATES

Focus Features will release Participant Media’s “Dark Waters,” directed by Todd Haynes, on Nov. 22 in a limited domestic launch and expand the drama a week later.

“Dark Waters” stars Mark Ruffalo as an attorney who uncovers a dark secret that connects a growing number of unexplained deaths due to one of the world’s largest corporations. In the process, he risks everything — his future, his family and his own life — to expose the truth.

Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper, and Bill Pullman also star in “Dark Waters.” Ruffalo, Pamela Koffler, and Christine Vachon produced. Deadline first reported the news.

Focus will release Working Title’s comedy “Covers” on May 8, 2020. Dakota Johnson, Tracee Ellis Ross, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Ice Cube, Zoe Chao, Eddie Izzard and Bill Pullman are starring.

“Late Night” director Nisha Ganatra is helming from a screenplay written by Flora Greeson. Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are producing, with Alexandra Loewy as executive producer.

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Matthew A. Brown has secured domestic distribution for his feature “Albanian Gangster” at AMC Theatres in New York, Los Angeles and Detroit on Oct. 11.

KDMG Inc. will release the film day and date in January to all participating digital platforms and on DVD in the US and Canada.

John Rezaj stars as respected but aging criminal denizen of the boulevards and catacomb dwellings of the Bronx and Queens. He shared the Best Actor award with Ethan Hawke at the film’s world premiere at this year’s Method Fest Independent Film Festival in Beverly Hills.

Brown’s wife, Ashley C. Williams, plays a woman who catches the eye of the title character. Brown produced and directed from his own script. Mark Miller, Phil Newsom, Rezaj and Steve Shapiro also produced.

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