Justin Long, Augustus Prew (Amazon’s upcoming Lord of the Rings series) and Andrea Bang (A Million Little Things) have joined the cast of the Dear David movie, produced by BuzzFeed Studios and Lionsgate.
The film, based on the viral 2017 Twitter ghost story by former BuzzFeed employee Adam Ellis, has wrapped production and is eyeing a fall 2022 release date. Ellis’ tale centered on a dead boy who was haunting him and following him around. The story went viral over the course of several months, with Ellis amassing over 1 million followers.
Prew will be playing the lead role of Ellis, while Long will be playing the head of BuzzFeed. Bang will play another supporting lead role. John McPhail (Anna and the Apocalypse) is directing from a screenplay by Mike Van Waes.
The thriller was formerly set up at New Line with Dan Lin producing. Now, Richard Alan Reid, head of global content and head of BuzzFeed Studios, is producing alongside Jason Moring, Michael Philip and Naysun Alae-Carew. Lin (The Lego Movie, Aladdin) and Jonathan Eirich of Rideback will serve as executive producers.
Last month, Lionsgate and BuzzFeed revealed that Dear David would be their third collaboration, having previously collaborated on IUP starring Ruby Rose and My Fake Boyfriend starring Dylan Sprouse and Sarah Hyland.
Long, whose credits include Alvin and the Chipmunks and Zack and Miri Make a Porno, is represented by APA and Vision PR, while Bang (Kim’s Convenience) is represented by Authentic Talent and Literary Management and The Characters Talent Agency. Prew (About a Boy) is repped by CAA, Authentic and Wolf-Kasteler Public Relations.
