Stephen Curry and Jackson Tozer have been cast in a black comedy short set to shoot in Melbourne during March.
Billed as a mix of Weekend at Bernies and Reservoir Dogs, Hatchback will feature Curry as Vince, a wannabe cleaner for the mob, whose assistant Ted (Tozer) is making his debut in the line of work.
The film was written by Chloe Graham and Riley Sugars (Rabbits), who also serve as producers alongside the LA-based John Grosland and Charlotte De Pedro.
Sugars, who is set to direct the film, told IF he was able to attach Curry after making himself known to the actor at the Peninsula and Stellar short film festivals last year.
“I was so excited to meet him at Peninsula early last year that I completely forgot to get his email address, so when I saw him again at Stellar, it was the first thing I asked for,” he said.
“Both he and Jackson were always at the top of our list for the characters, and we were very lucky in how encouraging and enthusiastic they were about the project.
“Within a week of me sending Stephen the script, he said he was keen to do it.
“It’s something I am excited about because while him and Jackson have worked together previously, they have not had a lot of screen time together.”
While the idea for the film was first raised when Sugars and Graham collaborated on the 2020 short film Rabbits, it was during the Melbourne lockdown that the script began to take shape.
Sugars said Curry’s involvement was a coup for the project, given the restrictions placed on the industry as a result of Covid-19.
“He really is the asset of this film,” he said.
“The concept of getting Melbourne-based actors felt like our only option, and of that group, Stephen was number one for us.
“With his involvement, it has become a bigger film than we had ever anticipated.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help fund Hatchback, with the creators also inviting private investments for the project.