Film News: Chicago Filmmaker Danny Rhodes to Direct Horror Pic ‘Released’

CHICAGO – Chicago filmmaker Danny Rhodes has been tapped to direct his first feature film, “Released,” a thriller which has the potential to grow into a long-running horror franchise. Willow Road Entertainment and Rhodes’s new company, Rhodesclosed Productions, are planning to shoot the film in 2013. According to Rhodes, the budget will be between $750,000 and $1.3 million.

“Released” aims to subvert the iconic “Halloween” and “Friday the 13th” franchises with its female antagonist and its dash of supernatural themes evocative of the current box office champ, “The Possession.” Rhodes has previously served as writer and producer of the web series, “Bad Sides,” and has acted in a number of acclaimed indies including “Audrey the Trainwreck,” “Blackmail Boys” and “Nate & Margaret.” It was Rhodes’s rough cut of his upcoming horror short, “He Ain’t Heavy,” that garnered him the attention of producers and ultimately landed him the directing job.

First poster art for Danny Rhodes’s Released.
Photo credit: Willow Road Entertainment

Brian Levin, the Chicago cinematographer whose credits include “Cyrus: Mind of a Serial Killer” and “Nate & Margaret,” has signed on to the project as well. Emily Vajda and Teresa Schaeffer are credited as the film’s screenwriters and co-producers. Casting is set to begin this fall.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com matt@hollywoodchicago.com