It's not every director (or in this case, sibling directors) that can score a big cast based on the strength of their short films. But Jonathan and Josh Baker are expanding one of their previous shorts into Kin, and have landed Jack Reynor, James Franco, Zoe Kravitz and Dennis Quaid to star.
The original short, Bag Man, premiered at SXSW last year and drew praise, which has led to a deal with Shawn Levy's 21 Laps company and No Trace Camping, the production company behind Room.
Kin will expand on the basic concept of the short, following a recently released ex-con and his adopted younger brother, who must go on the run. They're pursued by Franco's vengeful criminal type and, because this is a sci-fi thriller, they also have to contend not just with the authorities, but a legion of otherworldly soldiers. To secure their safety, they're going to need help from a fellow runaway (Kravitz) and a weird weapon. As for Quaid, he'll be the father of our heroes.
Daniel Casey wrote the script for this one, and the cameras should be rolling in October, after the producers have rounded up some funding at the Toronto Film Festival next month.