Dylan O’Brien Sets ‘Twinless’ With James Sweeney Directing & Starring; Republic Pictures Takes Global On Three Point Capital & David Permut Production

EXCLUSIVE: Dylan O’Brien is set to headline in James Sweeney’s dark comedy Twinless, which the latter wrote and will also star in. Republic Pictures has taken global rights to the movie. Cameras are currently rolling on the movie in Portland, OR. O’Brien will executive produce.

The pic follows two young men who meet in a twin bereavement support group. An unlikely bromance develops between them. Twinless follow Sweeney’s directorial debut, Straight Up, which notched the filmmaker a Best First Screenplay nom at the 2021 Independent Spirit Awards.

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Three Point Capital is financing the film with Ali Jazayeri, David Gendron and Liz Destro also serving as EPs.

Twinless is produced by Academy Award nominated producer David Permut and Permut Presentations (Hacksaw Ridge, Face/Off) whose most recent Netflix movie, Rustin, garnered Colman Domingo a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

Miky Lee (Parasite) Vice Chairwoman of CJ and who most recently executive produced the Oscar nominated film Past Lives, serves as EP.

Permut Presentations Director Of Development Alex Astrachan co-produces.

Permut said, “I was absolutely knocked out by James’ first film Straight Up and was determined to work with him. I immediately responded to the originality and provocative concept of Twinless. The dark comedy depicts complex characters in such an irreverent, emotional and hysterical way. The chemistry between Dylan, who portrays the role of identical twin brothers, opposite James’ character is absolutely combustible.”

O’Brien’s most recent film is the independent feature Ponyboi, in which he plays a villainous pimp and small-time drug dealer, recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. He will next be seen in the upcoming films SNL 1975 (from director Jason Reitman) as Dan Aykroyd, Caddo Lake (from the writing-directing team of Logan George and Celine Held, and producer M. Night Shyamalan), and Anniversary (a thriller co-starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Zoey Deutch and Phoebe Dynevor). The $1.7 billion grossing star is well-known to audiences from his work in The Maze Runner franchise, as well as the hit MTV series Teen Wolf.

Permut also recently produced the Paramount+ series hit, Lawman: Bass Reeves from Taylor Sheridan, which stars SAG nominee David Oyelowo. His upcoming high priority slate includes Being Heumann written and directed by Academy Award winner Sian Heder (CODA) at Apple, Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris’ (Little Miss Sunshine) film The Invite, and Face/Off II at Paramount, the sequel to Permut’s 1997 hit film, to be directed by Adam Wingard.

Sweeney is repped by UTA, 2AM and Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver and Thompson. O’Brien is repped by WME, Principal Entertainment, and Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Feldman, Rogal, Shikora & Clark and Permut is repped by John Tishbi at Pearlman & Tishbi.

Three Point Capital, established in 2009, is a financier and service provider in the film, television, and commercial industries.  They have financed over 400 films, including The Butler, Clerks III and the Oscar-winning Manchester by the Sea. They most recently provided funding for the upcoming Michael Keaton starrers Know Goes Away and Goodrich, the Nicholas Cage starrer Longlegs, the Tina Fey/Jon Hamm comedy Maggie Moore(s) and the recent Sundance premiere Rob Peace.

Paramount Global Content Distribution is revitalizing the former Republic Pictures label, originally founded in 1935. The newly branded acquisition label will leverage Paramount Global’s vast worldwide distribution channels, across home entertainment and third-party distribution platforms to distribute a wide range of acquired films.  Republic Pictures is an acquisition-only label under Paramount Pictures.

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