Oscar-nominated actress Maria Bakalova is expected to star in My Masterpiece, an action-comedy film produced under Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood’s production company, Balboa Productions. The Veterans and CAA Media Finance are expected to introduce the film to project buyers in Cannes this week.
According to Variety, My Masterpiece follows a hitwoman who strives to combat the rampant injustices in her industry. However, in a search for vengeance over a corporate overlord, she ends up stuck on the second floor of an office. The hitwoman is forced to fight off and navigate through fellow hitpeople and her past connections to the industry she aims to salvage. Jason Hellerman wrote the screenplay, and the project will be directed by Cassandra Brooksbank, who will be making her feature directorial debut with this film.
Production is set to start sometime in fall 2023 in Canada. In addition to the work they will be doing in Cannes, The Veterans and CAA Media Finance will also manage the overall sales of this project, with The Veterans monitoring international sales and CAA Media Finance overlooking domestic distribution.
Bakalova is most notable for her roles as Tutar Sagdiyev in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Bee in Bodies, Bodies, Bodies, and the voice of Cosmo the Spacedog in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special and The Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.
Balboa Productions was founded in May 2018 when Stallone partnered with Starlight Culture Entertainment to bring this company to light. Aftergood would join the board shortly after its foundation as the executive of scripted development. The production company would go on to create notable projects such as Tulsa King with Paramount+, the superhero film Samaritan which Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer distributed, and Rambo: Last Blood, which Lionsgate distributed.