In Hollywood, connections, like most other businesses, are everything. You can get your shot to make your first film, but it always helps to know people.
Take James DeMonaco. He managed to get a boost over most first-time filmmakers thanks to an earlier job - he wrote the script for 2005’s Assault On Precinct 13 remake. That in turn led him to Assault’s star Ethan Hawke.
Hawke has now agreed to star in DeMonaco’s directorial debut, Staten Island. It doesn’t hurt that the script follows three of the borough’s residents as they struggle to get ahead and realise their dreams. Plus, the New York location means Hawke can stay close to the city he feels most comfortable in.
DeMonaco will call action in late April on location in and around New York and the island itself.
