Josh Hutcherson may not be a household name quite yet, but his attachment to Ape may prove to be a defining moment in the young actor’s Hollywood career. Showing himself to be versatile in roles spanning from blockbuster franchises( The Hunger Games) to award-winning independent films (The Kids Are All Right), Hutcherson is now able to put leading man status on his already long resume with Ape, “a dramatic tale of a young man’s struggle with mental illness, love, and a deep-rooted family secret.”
In addition to starring in the film, he will also produce. This will be Hutcherson’s second go-round working on the producing side, as he served as executive producer for last year’s R-rated horror comedy Detention.
Also on board for the project as its director is Miguel Sapochnik, whose sole feature directorial credit is 2010’s Repo Men, starring Jude Law and Foret Whitaker. The script for Ape was penned by newcomer John Johnstone. With all this new talent, Hutcherson will have to be a very hands-on supervisor and prove that he can handle everything on his plate. But Bree Herzog of Atomic Owl pictures, who will be sharing production duties, did not seem worried, stating “We couldn’t be happier to be collaborating with Josh and JetLag Productions on Ape.”
The movie is being billed as a dark psychological thriller, but Hutcherson does not appear apprehensive about the dark subject matter, believing the project to have global appeal. Hopefully this indie film will prove bankable with Hutcherson’s involvment. Unlike the fellow stars of the Twilight series, Hutcherson and co-star Jennifer Lawrence seem to be laying the groundwork for successful careers beyond Hunger Games, the second installment of which hits theaters November 22.
Leave a Comment