Yahoo Lifestyle Briana Middleton and Stella Everett to Lead ‘Ride or Die’ Feature Adaptation (EXCLUSIVE)
Briana Middleton and Stella Everett have been cast in leading roles for the feature adaptation of “Ride or Die,” the short film by filmmaker Josalynn Smith.
Smith serves as writer and director for the feature, executive produced by Datari Turner of Foxxhole Productions. Smith will also produce alongside Matthew Keene Smith.
More from Variety
The film follows Paula (Middleton), whose California dreams intertwine with a reunion with her crush Jamie (Everett). A casual errand becomes a cathartic journey through the midwest, where a budding romance is transformed by a plot for vengeance.
Middleton was recently announced as the co-lead opposite Callum Turner in the Apple+ series “Neuromancer,” based on William Gibson’s classic sci-fi novel. She can be seen as the lead role in the Apple+/A24 Feature “Sharper” with Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, Justice Smith and directed by Ben Caron. She made her feature film debut in Amazon Studios’ George Clooney-directed adaptation of “The Tender Bar,” based on Pulitzer Prize-winning writer J.R. Moehringer’s memoir.
Everett is a Juilliard graduate and recipient of the Fendi Vanguard Award 2023. Her credits include “East New York” and “Evil.”
Smith is a queer Black American filmmaker based in Los Angeles. They were honored with the Sundance Uprise Grant in 2021, awarded a residency at SFFILM as Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellow for their feature screenplay “Something in the Water,” and most recently, they were part of the 2022 Athena Film Festival Writers Lab for their pilot script “L’Amazone.” A graduate of Columbia University’s Film MFA program, their thesis short, “Something in the Water,” received the Sloan Foundation’s Production Grant. Additionally, Smith is the recipient of the Jesse Thompkins III Screenwriting Award from Columbia and spent time as an artist-in-residence at the Catwalk Institute.
Middleton is represented by Gersh and Brillstein Entertainment Partners. Everett is represented by Gersh and Independent Management Company.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
