Percy Hynes White & Jeff Wahlberg Lead Film ‘Crime Novella’

EXCLUSIVE: Percy Hynes White (My Old Ass), Jeff Wahlberg (Euphoria), Zlatko Burić (Triangle of Sadness), Bobby Soto (The Tax Collector) and Ava del Cielo (House of Cards) have been cast in writer-director Omar de Soto’s feature directorial debut, Crime Novella, which was shot on 35mm film.

Written, directed and produced by de Soto, the romance crime-thriller “tells the story of two lovers on the run to save their relationship, discovering how far they’ll have to go to stay together.” Below is a first look image.

Production wrapped this summer with filming taking place on location in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Mexico. In addition to de Soto, the movie is produced by Paul Bennett IV of Replica and Marco Shepherd (Midway) of Centropolis Entertainment, which financed the feature. Roland Emmerich is executive producer. Jessica Olthof and Helena Martel Seward are co-producers.

Producers describe the film as “a modern descendant of Badlands and Wild at Heart with a transgressive spirit”.

Omar de Soto, husband of master of disaster Emmerich, said: “I couldn’t have asked for a more fitting cast. Cash and Valentine have always been the heart of this film, and Percy and Jeff understood the world I was trying to build from the beginning. Percy and Jeff are intoxicating onscreen. You simply cannot take your eyes off them. Zlatko, Bobby and Ava each brought their own special sauce and made our whimsical world feel lived in. I’m incredibly proud of this cast and deeply grateful to my producers and crew who believed in the film and helped us make it on our own terms. This is their moment.”

Hynes White is best know for his role in Netflix’s hit Wednesday, where he portrayed Xavier Thorpe in season 1. He also starred in the coming-of-age Sundance comedy-drama My Old Ass. Wahlberg most recently appeared in season 3 of HBO’s smash, Euphoria.

Burić won Best Actor at the 35th European Film Awards for his role in Ruben Östlund’s satirical black comedy Triangle of Sadness, which won the Palme d’Or at the 75th Cannes Film Festival in 2022. He has previously worked with Emmerich and Centropolis Entertainment on the disaster epic 2012. Soto had a leading role with Shia LaBeouf in David Ayer’s The Tax Collector. Del Cielo’s notable credits include Netflix’s House of Cards, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series and Get Shorty, streaming on MGM+.

Hynes White is repped by Innovative Artists and Oscars Abrams Zimel & Associates (OAZ), and Sloane, Offer; Wahlberg is repped by Innovative Artists, Leverage Management, Sloane Offer; Burić is repped by Art Management; Soto is repped by Innovative Artists, Anonymous Content and Goodman, Genow; and Del Cielo is repped by Mitchell & Associates Talent. CAA reps Emmerich and Centropolis Entertainment.

Crime Novella, credit: Centropolis