Welcome to Willits Feature – Cast Rounds Out; Filming Begins

Steve Barton |

Feb 2, 2016

Director Trevor Ryan’s 14-minute short film Welcome to Willits: After Sundown, which premiered at SXSW last year, is currently being turned into a feature by Ryan himself, and right now we have some exciting casting news for you!

From the Press Release:
Bill Sage, Dolph Lundgren, Anastasia Baranova, and Sabina Gadecki will lead the cast of Welcome to Willits. Rory Culkin, Thomas Dekker, Chris Zylka, Garrett Clayton, Karrueche Tran, and Keelin Woodell round out the cast in supporting roles. The feature directorial debut of Trevor Ryan, written by his brother Tim Ryan, the film is adapted from their acclaimed 2015 SXSW Midnight Short “Welcome to Willits: After Sundown.” The film is produced by Jordan Yale Levine/Yale Productions, Scott Levenson, Jon Keeyes, and Shaun Sanghani/SSS Entertainment. Executive Producers include Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Joe Listhaus, Michael Rothstein, and Brandon Baker. Event Film Distribution is handling worldwide sales.

Combining elements of horror, sci-fi, and comedy, WELCOME TO WILLITS takes place deep in the Northern California woods, where residents struggle to fight off repeated attacks from mysterious creatures. When local pot farmer Brock (Bill Sage; We Are What We Are, American Psycho) is caught up with a wayward group of campers, the situation quickly escalates into total carnage. Together with a ragtag crew including his wife, Peggy (Sabina Gadecki, “Entourage”); niece Courtney (Anastasia Baranova, “Z Nation”); scruffy drifter Possum (Rory Culkin, Gabriel); wannabe singer/songwriter Zack (Garrett Clayton, Teen Beach Movie); resourceful good old boy Jeremiah (Chris Zylka, “The Leftovers”), unemployed stoner Klaus (Thomas Dekker, A Nightmare on Elm Street); Klaus’ naïve girlfriend, Besh (Karrueche Tran, A Weekend with the Family); and ditsy sorority girl Cassie (Keelin Woodell), Brock struggles to maintain his sanity while defending his family from perceived supernatural threats. Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables) portrays Derek, a weathered police officer from Brock’s past who comes back to haunt him.

“Using old-school special effects techniques, augmented with digital finishing touches, WELCOME TO WILLITS will be a throwback to great horror and sci-fi films of the past, while also offering a fresh take on the genre,” commented director Trevor Ryan. “The film offers a more complex anti-hero in Brock, a sympathetic figure reminiscent of everyone’s favorite uncle who has a little too much to drink at the family reunion and who you just wish would get a handle on himself before it’s too late.”

Producers Jordan Yale Levine and Scott Levenson previously collaborated with cast members Thomas Dekker and Rory Culkin on Dekker’s directorial debut, Jack Goes Home, and with Garrett Clayton on Justin Kelly’s King Cobra, which also stars James Franco and Christian Slater. Both films recently wrapped production.

WELCOME TO WILLITS commences production in Shreveport, Louisiana, this week.

While we wait for more, check out the original short below!