![‘The Snare’ Trailer: Cassady McClincy Zhang Is Forced Into A Dangerous Deal With Police [Exclusive]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/29100219/2209_The_Snare-0316.jpg "‘The Snare’ Trailer: Cassady McClincy Zhang Is Forced Into A Dangerous Deal With Police [Exclusive]")
How much would you sacrifice to protect the future you’ve spent your entire life trying to reach? That’s the dilemma at the center of “The Snare,” a new crime thriller from writer-director Merlin Camozzi, and The Playlist is exclusively premiering the film’s trailer today.
Cassady McClincy Zhang, best known for playing Lydia on “The Walking Dead,” stars as Dani, an 18-year-old straight-A student living on the precarious edge of lower-middle-class America. Between a fast-food job, caring for her younger brother, and a father in prison, college represents her chance to build a different life. Then an arrest threatens to wipe it all away.
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After police find a small amount of drugs on Dani, her scholarship becomes leverage. Rather than immediately charge her, officers offer a deal: help them make a drug bust, and they’ll make her problem disappear. Unfortunately, the only dealer Dani knows is Marty, played by Dempsey Bryk, a young man she’s increasingly drawn to. What begins as a seemingly straightforward bargain quickly traps Dani between protecting herself, betraying someone she cares about, and a police operation whose demands keep escalating.
The film also stars Lucy Walters, alongside Royce Johnson and Dominic Bogart. Bryk is currently a series regular on “We Were Liars,” while Walters’ credits include “Power,” “Get Shorty,” and “Winning Time.”
Camozzi said the project began nearly a decade ago after he read about teenage confidential informants and became fascinated—and disturbed—by the ways young people can become caught inside high-stakes drug investigations. He describes “The Snare” as both a crime thriller and a coming-of-age story, using Dani’s predicament to examine a system operating largely out of public view.
“The Snare” marks Camozzi’s feature directorial debut and won the Audience Award for Best Genre Film at Cinequest in 2025. He also produces alongside Kristifor Cvijetic, Jenny Leigh Reed, and Kareem Mortimer.
“The Snare” opens in theaters on August 21, 2026, followed by a VOD release on August 25. Watch the exclusive trailer below.
![‘The Snare’ Trailer: Cassady McClincy Zhang Is Forced Into A Dangerous Deal With Police [Exclusive]](https://cdn.theplaylist.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/29100217/the-snare-poster-691x1024.jpg)
Alex Miller writes about film and television for The Playlist, covering everything from independent cinema and major studio releases to the latest industry news.
