Alex Pettyfer, Frank Grillo, Maria Bakalova to Star in Kieron Hawkes Feature ‘Branded’

“Magic Mike” star Alex Pettyfer and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s” Maria Bakalova are set to star in “Branded.”

Tom Hopper (“Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City”) and Frank Grillo (“Kingdom”) will also appear in the film.

Kieron Hawkes (“Power”) is set to direct the feature, which is based on New Yorker article “The Brand” by longform journalist David Grann, whose book “Killers of the Flower Moon” has been adapted in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film of the same name. Alessandro Camon (“The Messenger”) has written the screenplay for “Branded.”

“Branded” tells the story of America’s prison gangs, with Pettyfer playing Taylor, a football player incarcerated for murdering a drug dealer who joins a white gang in San Quentin. Grillo will play the gang’s leader Carter, who sees Taylor as his future replacement.

When the authorities try to disband the gang by dispersing its members throughout the prison system, Taylor soon finds himself at the helm of a veritable criminal empire. But with his wife Lilly (Bakalova) expecting the couple’s first child as the gang’s violence escalates, Taylor starts to question his choices, deliberating whether to give up his life of crime – and with it the status and money – in order to be a better father.

The film is currently in pre-production and is set for a fall start date.

HanWay Films is repping international sales rights, with the film set to launch sales at Cannes. CAA Media Finance has picked up U.S. rights.

“Branded” is an Identity Media production in association with Dark Dreams Entertainment. Grillo produces alongside Anthony Mastromauro (“The Old Man & The Gun”) and Alessandro Camon (“Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”). Pettyfer and Ash Avildsen (“Paradise City)” serve as executive producers.

“I cannot think of a better partner than HanWay in getting behind this epic gangster story, chronicling the rise of prison gangs in the age of mass incarceration, and one man’s personal journey to hell and back,” said Mastromauro. “It’s an honor to bring another of David Grann’s compelling investigative stories to life. Starting with a fantastic script by Alessandro Camon, supported by the vision and passion of our director Kieron Hawkes. I couldn’t be more excited about this fantastic cast starting with the strength and vulnerability of Alex Pettyfer, the brilliance of Maria Bakalova, along with the presence of Tom Hopper and the raw and immense talent, of my partner, Frank Grillo. We believe we have all the ingredients to make a timeless piece of classic cinema.”

Grillo added: “I couldn’t be more excited to bring Alessandro’s script to life with this great cast. I’ve been involved from the beginning and to see this finally come together, with Kieron Hawkes directing is a real dream come true for me.”

HanWay Films managing director Gabrielle Stewart commented: “This is a true crime story on a scale that is both rare and utterly compelling, with extraordinary characters that live in an intense world where both brawn and brains play their part in survival and success. It captures the building of an empire followed by its collapse at the hands of a man who found purpose and riches within the confines of incarceration.”

Pettyfer is represented by ICM and Independent Talent Group, Grillo by CAA, Management 360 and 42West, Bakalova by CAA, Brookside Artist Management and Insight Management & Production and Hopper by Gersh, Management 360 and Waring McKenna in the UK. Hawkes is represented by CAA and 42, Camon is represented by Verve Talent and Literary Agency and Lit Entertainment Group.

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