Movies
Eric André to Star in Apocalyptic Comedy ‘Synergy Systems’ from ‘The Greasy Strangler’ Writer
Emmy winner Eric André will be humanity’s only hope in Synergy Systems, a genre-bending comedy billed as “a punk, action-charged, near-future thriller,” Deadline reports.
Screenwriter Toby Harvard (The Greasy Strangler, Come to Daddy) will make his feature directorial debut on the project from his own script.
André stars as terminally indecisive data analyst Bemis, who uncovers that his employer, Synergy Systems, is a front for an apocalyptic doomsday plot. He’s then forced to do the unthinkable: step up as humanity’s last line of defense.
The catch? He’s spineless, spectacularly unqualified, and wildly unprepared to save the world.
Given both André and Howard’s past output, it’s safe to say that Synergy Systems will lean hard into absurdity.
Iconoclast (Spring Breakers) is producing alongside Steven Demmler for Talon Entertainment and Dane Eckerle for Bad Grey. Talon’s Anthony F. Panza will serve as executive producer, with Cinetic Media handling worldwide sales.
“[André is] the most fearless and unique voice in American comedy,” Harvard told Deadline. “With an extraordinary group of collaborators, I’m thrilled to watch him embody a character who feels like the bastard lovechild of Chauncey Gardner and Neo.”
André plays Don Sauvage in the upcoming Street Fighter film, in theaters October 16.
Before updating the video nasty Faces of Death, director Daniel Goldhaber and writer Isa Mazzei explored the dangers of online life in tech-thriller Cam, their feature debut that was acquired by Netflix in 2018 after making waves on the festival circuit.
At the end of last year, the Netflix exclusive quietly departed from the streaming platform, left without another streaming home.
It’s not an isolated story; Mike Flanagan’s Hush also left streaming entirely for a period until it was finally picked up on both physical media and other streaming services.
While the tech-thriller currently isn’t available to watch on Netflix, Tubi, Hulu, or any other platforms, that’s not a problem for Cam thanks to a very cool move by Goldhaber: the director has made his breakout film accessible to watch online for free via his website.
As his site notes: “CAM is unfortunately not currently available to view on any platforms, so you can watch it here if you like :).“
No subscriptions or fees necessary, just hit play.
Cam follows Alice (Madeline Brewer), who works as an online cam girl obsessed with her ranking on the cam site. The higher her ranking goes, the more it draws unwanted attention, and Alice soon finds herself replaced on her own show with a doppelganger.
Written by Mazzei, a former camgirl, it uses the horror thriller premise to examine the life of a sex worker; Alice’s career ambition is directly at odds with the shame it brings to her family, and how she tries to spare them from it by keeping them in the dark. It only compounds her danger when the doppelganger enters the equation in Goldhaber’s engaging thriller.
For a deep dive into the treacherous world of Cam, listen to Horror Queers’ episode on it now.
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