Genre favorite Richard Brake (Barbarian, Mandy) will star as a megalomaniac cult leader in Ascendant.
Deadline reports that Brake plays a charismatic madman who leads a doomsday cult, with his demonstrations of his claimed mystic powers ranging from telekinetically lighting candles to setting human sacrifices on fire.
KateLynn E. Newberry (Juror #2) will co-star as a woman who infiltrates the cult in search of her missing sister.
“Richard [Brake] makes Jim Jones blush with this masterful and absolutely terrifying turn as a megalomaniac cult leader,” said director Phil Blattenberger, referring to the instigator of the 1978 Jonestown massacre.
Blattenberger wrote the screenplay in Ukraine during last year’s Russian air raids in 2025, which he attempted to channel the “unwavering tension into the fabric of story.”
The ensemble cast also includes Kat Conner Sterling (Five Nights at Freddy’s), Chase Gutzmore, Corinne Britti (Saturday Night), Paul de Havilland, Jacob Keohane (Halloween Kills), and Kristyna Kucirkova.
Blattenberger produces with cinematographer/editor Daniel Troyer, Jacob Keohane and Michael Alexander. Executive Producers include de Havilland, Dustin Kincaid, John Abeyta, Serica Abeyta, Michael Sean Decker, Nathan Thomas, Frederic Poag, and Kevin Overton.
Uncharted Entertainment will launch sales on Ascendant at the European Film Market in Berlin this week.
