Glee alum Melissa Benoist is about to blow up. She earned strong reviews for a supporting turn in Whiplash, is leading CBS’ high-profile Supergirl series this fall and just locked down another promising project in Lowriders, from Universal Pictures, Blumhouse and Imagine Entertainment.
Reteaming with Blumhouse after the studio produced Whiplash, Benoist will play a key female role in the pic, which centers on a teen who is forced to pick between his traditional father and gangbanger brother, both of whom are competing in the annual lowrider “Supershow.” The movie is aiming to explore the re-emerging low-rider culture in Eastern Los Angeles’ Latino communities.
Demian Bichir, Eva Longoria, Tony Revolori, Gabriel Chavarria, Theo Rossi and Yvette Monreal are all already attached. Ricardo de Montreuil (Máncora) has come aboard to direct the pic, working from a script by Josh Bierne-Gordon and Justin Tipping (Nani, upcoming Kicks). Earlier versions of the script were written by Cheo Hodari Coker (Notorious, Southland) and Elgin James (Little Birds).
This one has been flying under the radar for some time, but the terrific cast is going to make it one to watch. Could this be a future Whiplash, taking the festival circuit by storm before going on to garner Oscar recognition? It certainly boasts an intriguing plot and there’s a lot of talent involved, so who knows?
We’ll keep you posted with the latest on Lowriders as it arises.
