Taking Movie Audiences to ‘The Dark Place’

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2011 RISING STAR Award winner Sean Paul Lockhart

LOS ANGELES — Fresh off the successful debut of their acclaimed scifi-fantasy, “Judas Kiss,” Blue Seraph Productions announces its second follow-up feature, an original mystery-thriller called “The Dark Place.”

Based on an award-winning script by Jody Wheeler, “The Dark Place” tells the story of Keegan Dark, who returns to the the heart of California’s winery valleys to make peace with his long-estranged family. Instead, he finds a harrowing mystery that endangers his family’s lives and livelihood.

The film stars Sean Paul Lockhart and Timo Descamps, up-and-coming actors who appeared in 2011’s “Judas Kiss.” Lockhart, also known by the stage name of Brent Corrigan, won the 2011 Rising Star Award, while Descamps is a Belgian television and pop star.

“The Dark Place” will be directed by “Judas Kiss” helmer J.T. Tepnapa, and includes “Judas Kiss” writer Carlos Pedraza as a producer.

With Lockhart and Descamps on board, the search now focuses on casting the lead, Keegan Dark, in time for principal photography to start later this year, eyeing a 2013 release.

ABOUT THE STORY “‘The Dark Place’ is a twisted thrill ride of betrayal, hope, greed, love — and mommy issues,” Tepnapa said about the script. “We were looking for a follow-up to ‘Judas Kiss,’ and realized we had it right in front of us. ‘Judas Kiss’ enabled us to bring something fresh and exciting to the marketplace, and we want to do that again, but in a new genre.”

The screenplay is by Jody Wheeler, an established Los Angeles writer-producer of film festival favorites “Tell Me” and “In The Closet.” Wheeler also co-produced “Judas Kiss.” “The Dark Place” script won UCLA’s Carl David Memorial Screenwriting  Award in 2007. Wheeler recently joined Blue Seraph Productions as a partner.

“Having a gay main character makes familiar worlds and genres become brand new landscapes,” Wheeler said about the project. “As with ‘Judas Kiss,’ ‘The Dark Place’ appeals to our core audience’s desire for unique, well-told stories, while also garnering mainstream interest in an interesting and entertaining tale.”  

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BELGIAN POP star and actor Timo Descamps

INDIE BREAKOUTS ON BOARD “The Dark Place” has already landed two talented actors, international actor-singer Timo Descamps and 2011 Rising Star Award winner Sean Paul Lockhart. Both stars broke out in  Tepnapa’s “Judas Kiss” and were eager to work with the talented director again.

“I’ve worked with J.T. and Jody on several projects,” Lockhart said. “When they told me about the new film, I didn’t even ask about the story or my role. I just said, ‘Count me in.’ When I read the script and the leading part, I was totally glad I did. It’s a wicked script that will make a fun movie.”

Descamps echoed those thoughts.

“Of course I said yes when they asked me to be in “The Dark Place,” he said. “I get to play a character completely different from the one I did in “Judas Kiss,” which is an even bigger bonus.”

While the names and nature of their roles are being kept under-wraps, their presence is key to the hunt for the lead for the film, that of Keegan Dark, Tepnapa said.  “Finding the perfect anchor for a film like this is always the challenge. We need an actor with the right chemistry to be able to pull off the contradictions at the heart of the role.”

“The Dark Place” is the second scheduled in-house production from Tepnapa, Pedraza and Wheeler’s Blue Seraph Productions. “The Dark Place” joins “Something Like Summer” as follow-up projects to the producers’ festival hit, “Judas Kiss.”

“Something Like Summer” is a co-production with Seattle’s Jade Knight Productions and is based on author Jay Bell’s award-winning book.

“The Dark Place” is completing casting and financing, with a view to shoot later this year for a 2014 debut. “Judas Kiss” is currently available for purchase through Amazon and iTunes.  Blue Seraph Productions is a Los Angeles company headed by Tepnapa, Pedraza and Wheeler. Their previous work has been featured in the New York Times, BBC, Variety, The Advocate, Edge Magazine, ATV Network, Frontiers, Fab magazine, the Today Show, MSNBC and other international news outlets.

Links

• Director J.T. Tepnapa’s IMDb profile
• Writer Jody Wheeler’s IMDb profile
• Producer Carlos Pedraza’s IMDb profile
• The Dark Place Facebook Page
• Buy Judas Kiss