Twin brothers Jonathan and Josh Baker give their 2014 short film “Bag Man” the feature-length treatment with their new indie sci-fi thriller “Kin.”
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The understated “Bag Man,” which premiered at South by Southwest, told the story of a 12-year-old New Yorker’s secretive journey into the countryside with a mysterious duffle bag on his back. “There are all sorts of influences in it from arthouse cinema to crime dramas to sci-fi – all tossed into a grubby paper bag and shaken around,” Josh told The Stable earlier this year.
“Kin” is set to expand upon the original short’s simple narrative, giving the young lead a whole host of dangerous pursuers to evade including James Franco in one of at least half a dozen roles the prolific actor is scheduled to play this year. Newcomer Myles Truitt will be handling the role of the young boy alongside Jack Reynor (“What Richard Did”) as his older brother. The film also sees turns from Dennis Quaid (“Far from Heaven”) as the brothers’ father and Zoë Kravitz (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) as a young woman who joins the pair on their journey. Here’s the official synopsis:
“Kin,” a pulse-pounding crime thriller with a sci-fi twist, is the story of an unexpected hero destined for greatness. Chased by a vengeful criminal (James Franco), the feds and a gang of otherworldly soldiers, a recently released ex-con (Jack Reynor) and his adopted younger brother (Myles Truitt) are forced to go on the run with a weapon of mysterious origin as their only protection.
For their feature debut, the Australian Baker brothers are directing a screenplay from Daniel Casey whose past experience includes uncredited rewrites on “10 Cloverfield Lane.” “Kin” was produced by Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps (“Arrival,” “Stranger Things”) along with Jeff Arkuss, David Gross and Jesse Shapira from No Trace Camping (“Room,” “Goon”), and will be distributed by Summit Entertainment.
“Kin” opens on August 31st.
