EXCLUSIVE: Cloverfiel and The Unborn star Odette Annable is leading cast in horror Postmortem alongside Allegra Leguizamo (Tin Soldier), Julio Cesar Cedillo (Sicario), Andres Londono (Fear the Walking Dead) and Tony Revolori (Scream VI).

Ahead of the TIFF market, LA-based Sublimity Entertainment is launching international sales on the under-the-radar feature written and directed by Colombian genre filmmaker Andrés Beltrán (Quicksand).

The film, currently in post-production, follows “Helena (Annable), a forensic medical investigator overwhelmed by grief following the death of her husband Richard (Andres Londono). When she becomes obsessed with a disturbing new case, Helena begins to believe she can bring Richard back, setting in motion a series of terrifying consequences.” Below is a first-look image.

Annable is also known for her key roles in popular TV series including Walker, Supergirl and House.

Beltrán previously directed English-language survival thriller Quicksand, released by Shudder and AMC+, and Colombian horror film Tarumama, which played the Sitges International Film Festival. His TV credits include Netflix’s Wild District, Amazon’s Primate, and Vix horror anthology La Hora Marcada. He won Best Director at Colombia’s India Catalina Awards for historical drama Bolívar, which also earned him a Best Director nomination at the Seoul International Drama Awards.

Postmortem is produced by Jason Cherubini, Roberto Urbina and Martin Ramos of Cinestesia Films. Luisa Velosa, Alma Hernandez-Hercules, John Harris, J. Todd Harris, Marc Marcum and Thomas Pettinelli serve as executive producers.

“Postmortem combines an emotional story about grief and loss with elevated genre filmmaking. Andrés brings a distinctive voice and visual style to an eerie and suspenseful story about the terrifying places love can take us,” said Sublimity Entertainment CEO Ryan McCombs.

Sublimity Entertainment is led by CEO and co-founder Ryan McCombs and COO and co-founder Alfredo Lara Orbezo.

Beltran is repped by Kiraco; Annable is repped by UTA and Mosaic; and Leguizamo is repped by Mosaic and the Kohner Agency; Cedillo is repped by Buchwald, the Mary Collins Agency and Spellbound Entertainment; Revolori is with Verve and Circle Management and Londono is with Global Artists Agency.

‘Postmortem’, credit: Sublimity

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Mann looks to have found his Charlene for his upcoming sequel to Heat, as sources tell Deadline the director has tapped Odessa Young to play the character in Heat 2. Sources say it is unknown where things stand in negotiations but add she is the choice for the role originally played by Ashley Judd in the 1995 crime saga. Insiders also say Mann’s top choice to play Gabi is newcomer Maria Cid.

Reps for Amazon and the actor declined comment.

A recent report speculated Obsession star Inde Navarrette had landed the Charlene role but passed. Sources close to the production say Navarrette actually auditioned for the role of Gabi along with many other actresses and contrary to the rumors, Cid was Mann’s first choice for the Gabi part with Young being the first choice for Charlene.

If deals close, Young and Cid would join Leonardo DiCaprio, Christian Bale, Adam Driver, Stephen Graham and Jason Clarke in the upcoming pic.

Mann will direct Heat 2 from his own script, based on his and Meg Gardiner’s #1 New York Times bestselling novel. Producers include Mann, Jerry Bruckheimer Films’ Jerry Bruckheimer and UA’s Scott Stuber and Nick Nesbitt. Eric Roth and Shane Salerno will exec produce, with Amazon MGM to release the film in theaters.

Mann’s classic 1995 crime thriller Heat follows master thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) as he plans one last score while obsessive LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) closes in, with both men wrecking their personal lives in service of the job.

Mann wrote and directed that one and produced alongside Art Linson, with the film grossing over $187 million — what would be close to the $400 million range if released today — at the worldwide box office. Also starring Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, and more, the film from Warner Bros. and New Regency has influenced generations of filmmakers and retained major viewership on streaming and home entertainment for decades.

Published in 2022, Heat 2 is both prequel and sequel — examining Vincent Hanna’s Chicago years, Neil McCauley’s earlier criminal life, and the survival of Kilmer’s Chris Shiherlis after the original film’s bank-robbery climax.

Young most recently starred opposite Jeremy Allen White in the Bruce Springsteen biopic Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere. She recently wrapped production on the upcoming Netflix crime series Rabbit, Rabbit, starring Adam Driver.

Young is repped by CAA, Echo Lake Entertainment and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Cid is repped by Lumo Artists Agency.

Producer Manny Halley through his Imani Media Group has taken over Pacoima Studios with a long-term lease for the San Fernando Valley facility formerly operated by Quixote North Valley Studios.

It will be rebranded Imani Studio. Halley has a 25-year lease with an option to buy the complex of four sound stages across 125,000 square feet on a six-acre campus. The land on which the studio sits remains under Rexford Industrial Realty ownership.

News surfaced in April that Quixote was exiting most of its leased sound stage facilities in L.A. amid a pullback in the space by its parent company Hudson Pacific, reflecting ongoing disruption in the space. Production, softer overall, continues to migrate around the country and overseas chasing the best terms.

Halley said he’s looking both to support California production and use the studio as dedicated home base to develop and produce new projects. He’s shot 18 projects in California, 16 of which received state tax credit incentives.

He will invest up to $5 million in upgrades — including LED volume walls with real-time 3D virtual environments, and XR stages – and explore further investment and enhancements.

“Taking control of this facility is an important next step for us and for the future of production in California,” he said. “With Imani Studio, we have an opportunity to build on an experienced team, invest in the facility and create a production environment that serves filmmakers, producers and productions at the highest level.”

The existing team employed by the facility will remain in place to ensure continuity. Pacoima-hosted productions include MTV’s RuPaul’s Drag Race (Season 18 shot there through late July), A24’s MaXXXine, Apple TV+’s Physical, Netflix’s Atlas, and commercials. Projects for Amazon, Fox and BET are upcoming.

Halley’s recent credits include BET original comedy series Lot Patrol, True to the Game trilogy, Dutch, Dutch II: Angel’s Revenge, Aftershock: The Nicole P. Bell Story, A Holiday Chance, Wayward, and Soul Mates.

Halley’s company spans music, management and distribution as well as production. BET executive Brian Rikuda, EVP Enterprise Growth Strategy, Business Operations and Programming Strategy, said supporting Black ownership and entrepreneurship across the entertainment industry is deeply important to the company and “we look forward to supporting Imani Studios’ growth and helping amplify its presence across the entertainment landscape.”

California Film Commission chief Colleen Bell, said facilities like these “help keep productions here, sustain good-paying jobs, and support the thousands of businesses and workers that make up our entertainment economy.”