Dylan Penn will make her entrée into acting in CONDEMNED, an original horror film from writer and director Eli Morgan Gesner that begins shooting next month in New York. Caliber Media partners Dallas Sonnier and Jack Heller arranged the financing and will produce alongside Jason Sokoloff.
Penn will play the lead role of “Maya”, the youngest in a group of kids who live in a condemned, filthy squat in Manhattan’s Lower East Side with a bunch of crazy degenerate NYC lunatics. The building residents succumb to an infection from their own waste and garbage, inciting a ‘battle royale’ where they all go berserk and try to kill one another. The story is the bastard child of DELICATESSEN, EVIL DEAD 2, and AFTER HOURS.
Gesner was a professional skateboarder as a teenager before being hired by Russell Simmons as one of the original clothing designers at the inception of Phat Farm. Gesner went on to co-create his own label Zoo York with Rodney Smith and Adam Schatz, and served as design director for over ten years. Gesner later worked as Creative Consultant on HBO’s HOW TO MAKE IT IN AMERICA, which creator Ian Edelman has hinted at the show being inspired by Gesner’s life. Last fall, Gesner helped the infamous street artist Banksy stage his latest show BETTER OUT THAN IN in New York City. Gesner currently co-owns and runs SHUT Shakes with his former Zoo York partners.
Caliber Media is in post on a number of films including CHUCK HANK AND THE SAN DIEGO TWINS, the Coatwolf follow-up to BELLFLOWER; DARK WAS THE NIGHT starring Kevin Durand (THE STRAIN) and Lukas Haas (TRANSCENDENCE); and a comic book adaptation called THE SCRIBBLER starring Katie Cassidy (GREEN ARROW). Caliber recently exec-produced BAD MILO starring Ken Marino and presented by the Duplass Brothers.
Penn, a rising star in the modeling world and featured in the pages of GQ, ELLE and W Magazine, is represented by Anonymous Content. Gesner is represented by UTA and manager Adam Schatz.
