Maybe getting lost in all the excitement over “Get Out” is JD Dillard’s feature debut, “Sleight,” which was picked up by WWE Studios and Blumhouse Productions (the producers of “Get Out”) after its 2016 Sundance Film Festival premiere, before the phenomenon known as “Get Out” opened in theaters.
Now that it has, performing extraordinarily well, Blumhouse can certainly be expected to exploit its success to help market “Sleight,” another genre busting film made on the cheap, with a black lead, whose Sundance debut was met with generally favorable reviews (as of today, it has a 71% rating on Rotten Tomatoes). And Blumhouse does just that with the upcoming film’s new official trailer below (“From the Producer of “Get Out”…).
Blumhouse and WWE Studios have set an April 28 theatrical premiere for “Sleight,” a dramatic thriller that blends science fiction and “street magic” in a tale set in Los Angeles, starring Jacob Latimore as Bo, a young street magician struggling to take care of his little sister in the wake of his mother’s death. After he gets in too deep to make ends meet, Bo finds he has to turn to magic to save his family and himself from unimaginable danger.
The film also stars Seychelle Gabriel and Dulé Hill.
“Sleight” is JD Dillard’s directorial debut, written by Dillard and Alex Theurer.
Diablo Entertainment’s Eric B. Fleischman, formerly of Blumhouse, Sean Tabibian and Alex Theurer are all producers.
BH Tilt, a division of Blumhouse, run by John Hegeman, is overseeing the release and marketing of the film. WWE Studios will leverage WWE’s extensive platforms to market the film.
“‘Sleight’ is a smart, fresh and ambitious movie that was different from anything else we saw at the festival,” said Michael Luisi, WWE Studios President in a previous statement. “We are thrilled to be working again with Jason and the team at Blumhouse, and now John and BH Tilt, to bring JD Dillard’s compelling first feature to audiences worldwide.”
“We love low-budget filmmaking because it allows directors to take creative risks and that is exactly what JD Dillard did with ‘Sleight,’ a truly original and unique movie,” added Blumhouse Founder and CEO Jason Blum. “We are excited to once again collaborate with Michael and WWE Studios, and to have BH Tilt continue to take advantage of the evolution in digital marketing.”
An April 28, 2017 USA theatrical release date has been set.
By the way, Blumhouse is working with Dillard again on his “Sleight” follow-up – a horror movie titled “Sweetheart,” which Kiersey Clemons is attached to star in. Plot details are being kept underwraps for now, except for mention of the project’s sub-genre: survival-horror.
Dillard is also developing a remake of “The Fly” for 20th Century Fox. He’s moving on up, and quite rapidly, which is great!
Production on “Sweetheart” is being fast-track for a Spring 2017 start date.
In the meantime, watch the new trailer for “Sleight” below:
