Justin Long Joins The Cast Of Dear David, The Viral Ghost Story Movie Produced By Buzzfeed
Dreams are weird, right? One night you're full of serotonin because you're blissfully experiencing the best thing your brain could conjure up. But the next night, you're anxious with a heartbeat so rapid that you jolt awake and find yourself in a pool of your own sweat and tears. And while most nights are probably some kind of compromise between the two, occasionally your dreams will birth a series of viral tweets that evolve into a movie.
At least, that's what happened to former Buzzfeed writer Adam Ellis. In 2017, he shared a pretty terrifying tale on Twitter about a dead boy who was haunting him in his dreams. But when he moved to a different apartment, strange things would happen to him in his waking hours as well. The thread went viral, Ellis gained over a million followers, and years later, Lionsgate and Buzzfeed would collaborate to produce a movie based on the tweets titled "Dear David." And now we know who will be starring in this film.
He Only Appears At Midnight
Directed by John McPhail of "Anna and the Apocalypse" fame from a script by the live action "Lilo & Stitch" writer Mike Van Waes, "Dear David" features a cast of promising young talent. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Justin Long will headline the feature as the big name marquee talent. The actor known for roles in "Tusk," "Zack and Miri Make A Porno," "Accepted," and "Galaxy Quest" will play the head of Buzzfeed in the movie.
Adam Ellis, who will likely be telling the story to his Buzzfeed boss Long as a framing device, will be played by English actor Agustus Prew. He can be seen in "Kick-Ass 2" as Ass Kicker, "Charlie St. Cloud," "The Borgias," and the upcoming "Lord of the Rings" series from Amazon.
And finally, "Kim's Convenience" star Andrea Bang will play "another supporting lead role." After making a splash as Janet Kim in the beloved Canadian sitcom alongside "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" star Simu Liu from 2016-2021, Bang went on to appear in "A Small Fortune" and the ABC drama "A Million Little Things." As a Kimbit myself, I'm very excited to see her appear in more projects. Hopefully her TV Appa and Umma will follow suit and pop up in more films or shows as well. For instance, maybe Mr. Kim can spend more time in a galaxy far, far away. One can only hope.
"Dear David" marks the third collaboration between Lionsgate and Buzzfeed. Previously, they worked together on "IUP" starring Ruby Rose and "My Fake Boyfriend" starring Dylan Sprouse and Sarah Hyland. While no release date has been set just yet, the viral social media ghost story is looking at a fall 2022 release.