Michael Shannon, Barbie Ferreira, Kiersey Clemons to Star in Drag King Drama ‘The Young King’ – AFM

Manori Ravindran
·3 min read
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Michael Shannon, Kiersey Clemons and Barbie Ferreira are set to star in drag king comedy drama “The Young King.”

Set in ‘90s Las Vegas, the film marks the feature directorial debut of Larin Sullivan (“Anatomy: Soul”), who also wrote the script, and is being produced by Corporate Witchcraft’s Kim Bailey and Isabel Marden, in addition to Clemons.

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Grammy- and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter Justin Tranter (“Happiest Season”) will serve as executive music producer and create original music for the film.

The pic will begin production in early 2023 in Las Vegas. Mister Smith Entertainment is launching international sales and will present the project to buyers at the upcoming American Film Market, with WME Independent handling North American rights.

Kiersey Clemons stars as Jules, an aspiring drag king who comes to Las Vegas to reconnect with her estranged dad Mick (Shannon), and to make her debut performance in America’s big-gest drag king revue.

Mick, a legendary gambler and part-time children’s party clown, is less than excited to see his daughter “Julia” presenting as masculine, wearing suits and chasing after Ronnie (Ferreira), the no-nonsense dancer who he frequents regularly. During an unforgettable whirlwind week-end, Jules and Mick’s worlds collide.

“The Young King” dives deep into a world and a protagonist that have rarely been explored on the big screen. The project has received support from GLAAD, Sundance Institute, IFP’s Project Forum, Tribeca Film Institute, and Inside Out Toronto.

Mister Smith Entertainment CEO David Garrett said: “We are delighted to present Larin’s fresh twist on a classic Vegas story by shining a light on the drag king scene, which has rarely, if ev-er, been explored on the big screen. Led by our stellar cast, this is an incredibly emotional fa-ther-daughter story that will resonate with buyers and audiences.”

Shannon will next be seen starring opposite Jessica Chastain in Paramount Network’s limited series, “George and Tammy.” He also recently wrapped his directorial debut, “Eric LaRue,” a film based on the Brett Neveu play of the same name. Shannon is represented at CAA, Range Media Partners, Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich & Gellman, and Narrative.

Clemons will next be seen as “Iris West” in the upcoming DC film, “The Flash,” a role she originated in Zach Snyder’s “Justice League,” and in the Amazon Studios film, “Somebody I Used to Know.” Clemons most recently wrapped production as the lead in the FilmNation dra-ma, “The Young Wife,” and is currently filming the Apple TV+ untitled live-action “Godzilla and the Titans” series. She is represented by UTA, Range Media Partners, Jackoway Tyerman and ID.

Ferreira most recently appeared in the Jordan Peele thriller “Nope.” She gained prominence with her portrayal of fan favorite “Kat” in “Euphoria” on HBO, and previously appeared on the network in Sarah Jessica Parker’s, “Divorce.” She is currently filming the psychological drama, “House of Spoils”, opposite Ariana DeBose. She is repped by Aperture Talent Agency, Authentic Talent and Literary Management, and Felker Toczek.

Writer-director Sullivan directed the final instalment of Matchbox Pictures’ award- winning documentary series, “Anatomy: Soul,” about sustainable burial garment designer Pia Interlandi, for ABC. Larin’s recent directing and producing credits include Emmy-nominated documentaries and episodes for HBO Max/Sesame Studios, Discovery+, Showtime Networks, as well as brands such as Lexus, OUT, Samsung and Genesis.

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