EXCLUSIVE: Slava Denisov’s short film The Ride is getting the feature treatment with Alex Roe (The 5th Wave), Jack Topalian (Euphoria), and Shakira Barrera (GLOW) on board to star.
Told entirely from the perspective of a single automobile and due to begin production in LA this fall, The Ride “follows a ‘76 Plymouth as it reflects on its journey, witnessing decades of human life, capturing moments of freedom, temptation, and redemption as it changes hands from one owner to the next. A failed actress, a desperate father, two outlaws on the run – and The Ride that remembers all of them.”
The original short, narrated by Ron Perlman, premiered at the LA Shorts International Film Festival and was selected by more than 40 other festivals earning 18 awards.
The story was created by Denisov alongside Grigory Borodavkin who wrote the script. Andrey Valentsov will return as cinematographer with Denisov producing alongside Daniel Shapovalov and Elena Serebryannaya of 552 Films, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter and producer Paul Tamasy (The Fighter). Elizaveta Menis, Roe, and Topalian join five-time Emmy nominated Kico Velarde (Jay Leno’s Garage) as executive producers.
“It’s an absolute trip to watch this small experiment grow into something so much bigger,” said Slava Denisov. “After every festival screening, people would come up and tell me about their own cars and the memories tied to them. That made me realize just how universal this idea is. Making The Ride as my first feature, with this cast and team, is truly a dream come true.”
Recently Roe had a starring role in Amazon’s Billy the Kid as the notorious Pat Garrett opposite Tom Blyth’s Billy. Barrera is best known for her role as Yolanda aka Yo-Yo on Netflix’s GLOW.
Roe is represented by Gersh, Megan Silverman Management, and Goodman Genow; Topalian by Stewart Talent and Silver J Management; Barrera by Innovative Artists, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Goodman Genow.