‘My Darling California’: Stunning cast swap for 1980 noir
Daniel Zolghadri has joined the cast of Elijah Bynum’s crime thriller “My Darling California,” taking over the role Charles Melton was set to play, Variety reported in an exclusive Wednesday. Melton has left the project. Representatives for Melton did not immediately respond to Variety’s request for comment on his exit.
Zolghadri’s role in ‘My Darling California’
Zolghadri will play Kent, a young man “who is caught in an escalating conflict that quickly spirals beyond his control” and “forced to confront long-buried questions” when someone from his past suddenly resurfaces, according to an official description.
The story and cast of ‘My Darling California’
The movie takes place in Los Angeles in 1980. According to Deadline, it follows “a single crime that weaves together the lives of a fallen news anchor, her cheating televangelist husband, two small-time crooks, an ex-con and a rising country music idol.” Deadline described the film as “an American noir of ambition, greed and violence, and a love letter to the darker side of California.”
Cameras are already rolling on “My Darling California,” which is being filmed entirely in the state. Zolghadri joins an ensemble led by Jessica Chastain, Chris Evans, Chris Pine, Mikey Madison and Don Cheadle.
David Hinojosa, Alex Coco and Sébastien Raybaud are producing alongside Scott Budnick and Ameet Shukla of 1Community and Emily Blavatnik and Danny Cohen of Access Entertainment. Len Blavatnik and Zach Nutman of 2AM are executive producers.
Anton is producing, financing and handling international sales, and it shares representation of U.S. and global rights with CAA Media Finance. Deadline reported that the project landed the second-largest award in the most recent round of California’s film and TV tax credit program for independent films.
Who is Daniel Zolghadri?
Zolghadri got his start with small parts in Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” and HBO’s “Fahrenheit 451,” then had a breakout role in Prime Video’s sci-fi series “Tales From the Loop.” His recent film work includes supporting turns in “Y2K,” “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and “Lurker.”
Most recently, he appeared in Alexandra Pechman’s drama “Magazine,” which debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival this month. Up next, he stars in “The Temple” from directors Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas and in Annie Baker’s “Ancient History” for A24, according to Variety.
About director Elijah Bynum
Bynum first made his name writing and directing the A24 drama “Hot Summer Nights,” starring Timothée Chalamet. He followed it with “Magazine Dreams,” the Jonathan Majors bodybuilding drama that premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
No release date has been announced for “My Darling California,” which is still in production.
Reporting from Variety and Deadline contributed to this story.
Featured image: Photo: Adam Chitayat / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)