Sally Kirkland and Mel Novak have joined the cast of independent thriller “When it Rings” opposite newcomer Gonzalo Martin, Variety has learned exclusively.
Shooting has started in Los Angeles. First-time feature directors Ty Haisten and David Rivers are directing from their own script. Sophia Monti, Mann Alfonso and Amy Ellenberger co-star. Producers are Tyrone Tann of Stauros Entertainment, Ellecina Eck, Haisten and Rivers.
Martin portrays a young man returning to his childhood home to get it ready for sale and uncovering an old toy phone he once used to “talk” to his dead sister, who drowned a decade ago in the backyard and made his mother too unstable to raise him. After the phone begins ringing, he must decide whether to answer it or get rid of the only connection to his dead sister. Kirkland stars as the neighbor-turned-caretaker for the unstable mother and Novak portrays the unwitting buyer of the home.
Kirkland recently starred in Netflix’s “The Most Hated Woman in America.” She received an Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe for her performance in “Anna.” She is repped by Greene and Associates and Valerie McCaffrey Management.
Novak’s credits include Bruce Lee’s final film “Game of Death” and he will be featured alongside Mel Gibson in Greg Laurie’s upcoming documentary, “Steve McQueen: American Icon.” Novak is repped by The Williamson Management.
