David W. Thompson, Brendan Sexton III, Liana Wright-Mark, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Jorge Garcia and Lauren Glazier will star in “American Muscle.” It’s a gritty, character-driven thriller from writer-director Joel Veach that was shot entirely in Santa Clarita, Calif. Production recently wrapped on the indie feature.
The film follows a debt-ridden mechanic (Thompson) desperate to escape his violent past. When his estranged sister returns and two ruthless debt collectors come looking for payment, long-buried family secrets resurface, setting the stage for an explosive reckoning.
Thompson’s credits include “Mountainhead” and “It’s What’s Inside”; Sexton has starred in “Shelby Oaks” and “Don’t Breathe 2″; Wright-Mark appeared in “Poker Face” and “Love Bomb”; Akinnagbe is known for “The Wire” and “The Old Man”; Garcia shot to fame on “Lost”; and Glazier’s work includes “Mindhunter” and “Ransom Canyon.”
“American Muscle” marks Veach’s feature directorial debut. He previously wrote the psychological thriller “Old Man,” starring Stephen Lang, and directed the short film “Guys With Guns,” which premiered at the Raindance Film Festival. Veach’s next feature will be “The Ballad of Little John Wayne,” a neo-Western set in 1980s West Texas.
“American Muscle is about broken people trying to survive a world that doesn’t forgive weakness,” said producer Nathan Crooker, who produced under his Ghost Gang Productions banner alongside Veach and his company, RSL Films. “Joel’s writing is both gripping and emotionally raw, he crafts characters who bleed, speak carefully, and carry history in their silences. This is storytelling with grit and gravity, and it’s been a privilege to bring it to life.”
“I’m just incredibly grateful to have worked with such a phenomenal group of actors, some of whom have been directed by filmmakers I deeply admire, like Martin McDonagh, David Fincher, Jeremy Saulnier and Lucky McKee,” said Veach. “It’s also been an honor to work alongside Nathan Crooker. This film simply wouldn’t have gotten made without his belief in the story and the passion and precision he brought to every aspect of production from start to finish.”
“American Muscle” is currently in post-production.