Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane to Star in Thriller ‘Daniel Isn’t Real’

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sasha Lane, Miles Robbins, and Hannah Marks are set to star in the supernatural thriller “Daniel Isn’t Real.”

Elijah Wood’s SpectreVision and ACE Pictures announced the cast Tuesday and said principal photography has begun in New York City. The film is the second feature from writer/director Adam Egypt Mortimer following 2015’s “Some Kind of Hate.”

Robbins portrays a troubled college freshman who suffers a violent family trauma and resurrects his childhood imaginary friend Daniel (played by Schwarzenegger) to help him cope. Charismatic and full of manic energy, Daniel helps him achieve his dreams, before pushing him to the very edge of sanity and into a desperate struggle for control of his mind and soul.

The film is based on the novel In “This Way I Was Saved” by Brian DeLeeuw, who co-wrote the script with Mortimer.

“‘Daniel Isn’t Real’ is a stylized, sexy, and emotionally nuanced supernatural thriller. A terrifying look into the things that everyone hides beneath the surface,” Woods said.

Producers are SpectreVision’s Daniel Noah, Josh C. Waller, Lisa Whalen, and Elijah Wood. Timur Bekbosunov, Johnny Chang, Emma Lee and Peter Wong will executive produce for ACE Pictures; Stacy Jorgensen will executive produce for SpectreVision. 

Robbins previously appeared in the comedy “Blockers.” Schwarzenegger’s credits include “The Long Road Home” and “Midnight Sun.” Lane is known for her roles in “American Honey” and “Hearts Beat Loud,” while Marks stars with Wood in BBC’s “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.”

Mortimer is repped by 3 Arts Entertainment and ICM Partners. Schwarzenegger is repped by UTA and Management 360.  Robbins is repped by CAA and Authentic Talent & Literary Management. Lane is repped by WME, The Long Run and Gray Krauss Sandler Des Rochers. Marks is repped by UTA, Untitled and Bloom Hergott Diemer.