Charles Melton has pulled out of Elijah Bynum’s Los Angeles crime thriller “My Darling California,” and he’s being replaced by “Lurker” actor Daniel Zolghadri. Diversity It can only reveal.
According to the official description, Zolghadri will play Kent, a young man who is “caught in the middle of an escalating conflict that quickly spirals out of his control” and is “forced to confront long-buried questions” after a figure from his past unexpectedly reappears. Representatives for Melton did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the exit.
“My Darling California,” which will be shot entirely in California, features a cast consisting of Jessica Chastain, Chris Pine, Chris Evans, Mikey Madison and Don Cheadle. The film’s official logline reads: “In 1980 Los Angeles, a television preacher (and his news anchor wife) struggle to contain a multifaceted scandal that could destroy their careers.”
Zolghadri had small roles in Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” and HBO’s “Fahrenheit 451” before starring in Prime Video’s sci-fi drama series “Tales From the Loop.” On the film side, he recently appeared in supporting roles in the films “Y2K”, “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and “Lurker”. Her most recent tribute is Alexandrea Pechman’s drama “Magazine,” which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. Zolghadri will soon star in “The Temple” from directors Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas and Annie Baker’s “Ancient History” for A24.
Bynum took a break by writing and directing the A24 drama “Hot Summer Nights” with Timothée Chalamet. She followed this film with the film “Magazine Dreams” in 2023, opposite Jonathan Majors.
“My Darling California” is produced by David Hinojosa, Alex Coco and Sébastien Raybaud, with 1Community’s Scott Budnick and Ameet Shukla and Access Entertainment’s Emily Blavatnik and Danny Cohen on board. Access Entertainment’s Len Blavatnik and 2AM’s Zach Nutman will serve as executive producers.
The film was produced, promoted and sold by Anton, who also handled international sales. Anton and CAA Media Finance jointly represent US and global rights.
Zolghadri is represented by UTA and Circle Management + Production.