Lulu Wilson, Omari Hardwick & Trae Romano Set For Hartbeat’s Alien Invasion Pic ‘Xeno’ From Writer-Director Matthew Loren Oates

EXCLUSIVE: Lulu Wilson (The Wrath of Becky), Omari Hardwick (Power) and Trae Romano (Stargirl) are set to star in Xeno, a new film that writer, director and VFX Artist Matthew Loren Oates (Farewell Bender) will direct for Kevin Hart‘s Hartbeat, from his own script.

In the film poised to enter production in Albuquerque on May 8th, a teenage girl befriends a terrifying alien that crash-lands in the desert near her home. As government agents close in, the girl protects her dangerous new companion while also dealing with her depressed mother and the mother’s abusive boyfriend.

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The Xeno announcement follows news that Hartbeat is developing the comedy The Backup, produced by and starring Keke Palmer, for Universal Pictures, as well as a feature adaptation of Danielle Nicolet’s short Black Karen, which emerged from Nicolet’s time as part of Hartbeat’s Women Write Now screenwriting fellowship.

Kevin Hart, Bryan Smiley and Luke Kelly-Clyne will produce for Hartbeat, alongside Oates and Shana Marie, with Thai Randolph, Kevin Healey, Ty Walker and Rameez Khan exec producing for Hartbeat. Hart’s global media company is working with The Henson Company to build the film’s alien creature, with Chrissy Fiorilli Ellington handling casting.

Wilson played the title role in Quiver’s 2020 action thriller Becky, as well as the sequel The Wrath of Becky, which world premiered last month at the SXSW Film Festival. Other notable film credits include The Glorias, Annabelle: Creation and Ouija: Origin of Evil. The actress who has also been seen on series like The Haunting of Hill House, Sharp Objects and The Millers most recently wrapped a role in Mike Flanagan’s Netflix miniseries, The Fall of the House of Usher.

A three-time NAACP Image Award winner best known for starring in Starz’s hit series Power which spurred the creation of a broader TV universe, Hardwick also recently played a major role in the Netflix series Pieces of Her with Toni Collette. He stars in the drama To Live and Die and Live, which world premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and is best known on the film side for turns in Army of the Dead, Sorry to Bother You, Middle of Nowhere, For Colored Girls, Kick-Ass and Miracle at St. Anna, among other titles. Among Hardwick’s other upcoming projects are two films from Netflix: The Mothership with Halle Berry, and the Jennifer Lopez-led action thriller The Mother.

Best known for a major role on The CW’s Stargirl, Romano’s other credits include the Comedy Central series Robbie.

Wilson is represented by UTA, Authentic Talent & Literary Management, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; Hardwick by UTA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Romano by A3 Artists Agency, Snow Entertainment and Jackoway Austen Tyerman; and Oates by Ginsburg Daniels Kallis.

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