By DAVE MCNARY
Devon Terrell and Anya Taylor-Joy have been cast as the leads in the independent film Barry, which follows US President Barack Obama as a college student in New York City.
Vikram Gandhi is directing the film which begins shooting at the end of March. Vikram’s Kumare won the 2011 audience award at the SXSW festival, and he’s currently a correspondent and producer for the HBO series Vice. The screenplay was penned by novelist Adam Mansbach, who wrote Go The F*** To Sleep. The logline is under wraps.
Barry is being produced by Black Bear Pictures (The Imitation Game, Gold and Suburbicon) and Cinetic Media. Producers are Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman and Ben Stillman, Cinetic’s Dana O’Keefe, and Vikram.
Terrell was discovered by Steve McQueen and cast as the lead in his HBO pilot Codes Of Conduct. Taylor-Joy is the lead in A24’s The Witch. She’s starring in Morgan, produced by Ridley Scott; and in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming film Split, alongside James McAvoy.
Barry is moving into production a month after another Obama movie, Southside With You, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Roadside Attractions and Miramax teamed to buy US rights to Southside, which recreates the 1989 first date between Michelle and Barack Obama. – Reuters
Anya Taylor-Joy stars in the horror flick The Witch. The actress will also be featured in Barry.
