Liam McIntyre, ‘GLOW’s Sydelle Noel To Star In ‘The Clearing’; John D. Hickman Joins ‘The Escape of Prisoner 614’

Spartacus: War of the Damned alum Liam McIntyre, Sydelle Noel (Netflix series GLOW, Disney’s Black Panther) Steven Swadling (Kickboxer franchise), and newcomer Aundrea Smith are set to co-star in The Clearing, the feature directorial debut from Dave Matalon, who also wrote the screenplay. The pic, set at the dawn of the zombie apocalypse, follows Tom (McIntyre) who, amid tensions with his wife (Noel) over the time he spends with his young daughter Mira (Smith), takes Mira on a camping trip, only to discover the impending disaster, trapping the pair. Production is underway in Los Angeles with Mark Mathias Sayre and Jonathan Piumelli producing alongside Christopher Wolfe and Swadling. Exec producers are Ryan O’Quinn, Wes Halula, and Michael Davis. McIntyre is repped by WME and B&B Management; Noel by Don Buchwald & Associates and Luber Roklin Entertainment; Swadling by Midwest Talent Management.

Actor John D. Hickman has joined Ron Perlman, Martin Starr, Jake McDorman, and George Sample III in the western comedy Escape of Prisoner 614, from first-time feature director Zach Golden, who also wrote the script. Set in the 1960s, film follows two well-intentioned but bumbling deputies (Starr and McDorman) who get fired by their overbearing sheriff (Perlman). With hopes of getting rehired, they then decide to go after an escaped prisoner (Sample III) only to realize that he’s an innocent victim of a racist judicial system and find themselves facing a moral dilemma. Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman of Yale Productions are producing with SSS Entertainment’s Shaun Sanghani. Perlman is serving as exec producer via his Wing & A Prayer Productions. CAA is repping North American distribution rights. Hickman can currently be seen in the horror action film The Vault with James Franco and the IFC Midnight pic Welcome to Willits.