Director Jake Hoffman, son of Dustin, has cast Benedict Samuel as the lead in Asthma, a coming-of-age movie set in the live-fast, die-young New York indie rock scene.
It's the 25-year-old Australian actor's first US film, scripted by Jake Hoffman who makes his directing debut.
He's co-starring with Krysten Ritter, Christine Lahti and Albert Hammond Jr. of The Strokes, who will play himself. The news broke in Deadline.com, which said filming will start in the northern fall.
Samuel told IF his character is "this generation's Holden Caulfield." Hoffman has likened the film's tone to a cross between Danny Boyle's Trainspotting and Terrence Malick's Badlands.
A NIDA graduate, Samuel is represented by United Management's Natasha Harrison, WME and Management 360. His credits include Underground: The Julian Assange Story, Home and Away and Paper Giants: The Birth of Cleo.