Guy Sebastian will make his acting debut in While It Lasts, a teen drama based on a best-selling novel by American author Abbi Glines.
The Australian Idol winner and former judge on The X-Factor who will represent Australia in the Eurovision Song Contest, Sebastian will play Krit Corbin, lead singer of a small town rock band who has numerous addictions, including women.
The novel is set in the steamy coastal Alabama town of Sea Breeze, where an interconnected group of older teens hook up and break up. The protagonist is Cage York, who looked set for a free ride to college for baseball until a DUI.
His coach orders him to spend the summer baling hay, where he meets uptight, snarky brunette Eva Brooks, whose long-time beau Josh has just been killed along with four other soldiers near Baghdad.
Red Rock Pictures’ Gary O’Toole secured the film rights, is writing the screenplay and will produce the indie feature.
O’Toole is in final negotiations with a director and the additional cast and hopes to start shooting in the last quarter of this year in the US and Australia.
Sebastian has agreed to write at least one song for the original soundtrack, which the neophyte producer says will feature internationally recognised artists from Australia and the US.
“It’s Guy's first acting role and I think that'll help him bring a freshness and energy to the role,” O’Toole tells IF. “I admire his music and he seemed like a pitch perfect choice from an artistic perspective. From Lady Gaga to David Bowie, recording artists have adorned the cinematic world.
“I've got a feeling he's going to smash it out of the park and really deliver not just musically, as we'd expect, but from a thespian point of view.”
The funding is coming from privately- sourced equity investors. O’Toole is discussing the project with several international sales agents but has not yet made a deal. The locations will depend partly on qualifying Australian production expenditure requirements for the producer offset and other incentives.
“We are seeking 2,000-3,000 screens and a global release so we have to make sure we are partnered with the right people with the right vision and drive for this project, so we are doing it right and taking our time,” he says.