Bridgerton actress Phoebe Dynevor will star in the Kansas-set thriller Witchita Libra as a woman trying to solve a dark historic crime that tore apart her family and rural hometown.
The thriller is the second feature of writer and director Henry Dunham, and follows The Standoff at Sparrow Creek which premiered in Toronto in 2018.
The film is produced by Jay Van Hoy (The Lighthouse, The Witch and American Honey).
Currently in pre-production, Witchita Libra begins shooting this year. Mister Smith Entertainment will launch international sales at the EFM and UTA is handling North American rights.
The drama is set in the aftermath of a triple murder in the protagonist’s hometown in rural Kansas, which caused her to flee to Chicago and start a new life.
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A decade on, she is drawn back home after her brother’s death to decode a cryptic letter he left behind, suggesting the wrong man was charged with the crime and that an anonymous missing woman could clear his name.
“We were immediately hooked by Henry Dunham’s atmospheric, completely immersive storytelling and are thrilled to be working with such a strong creative team on Wichita Libra. We are so excited to see what Phoebe Dynevor brings to the complex, conflicted and compelling role,” said Mister Smith Entertainment’s Founder and CEO David Garrett.
Dynevor’s latest film, Chloe Domont’s psychological thriller Fair Play, premiered at Sundance to acclaim this year, prompting a $20 million global acquisition deal by Netflix – one of the biggest sales in the festival’s history – and is already garnering the actress early awards buzz.
The actress has also recently wrapped Miramax’s new thriller Inheritance for director Neil Burger opposite Rhys Ifans.
Other recent credits include Sky Cinema’s The Colour Room and Ten Percent for Amazon Prime.
Dynevor is represented by The Gersh Agency, United Agents, and Luber Roklin Entertainment.
Dunham is also currently in development to write and direct Division By Zero based on a Ted Chiang short story with Eric Heisserer producing, and Luma producing and financing. Henry Dunham is represented by UTA, Anonymous Content, and attorney Stephen Clark of Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, Feldman, & Clark.
Witchita Libra marks the latest in production on a long line of arthouse and commercial titles for Van Hoy, whose recent credits include Uncle Frank and Hell of A Summer, the directorial debut of Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk.
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