Character actor David Dastmalchian (Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, The Suicide Squad) has officially launched Good Fiend Films, a new production company specializing in genre projects.
According to Deadline, Dastmalchian started Good Fiend Films with the goal of producing "character-driven projects across horror, sci-fi and fantasy for film, television, audio and publishing." The outlet further explains that the production company seeks to "generate nostalgic, entertaining content that captivates audiences while reminding them they're not alone in this scary world."
Good Fiend's first project is the upcoming horror film Late Night with the Devil -- a co-production with Spooky Pictures and Image Nation Abu Dhabi -- which stars Dastmalchian as a 1970s talk show host named Jack Delroy. Written and directed by the duo of Colin and Cameron Cairnes, the film "follows the live broadcast of a late-night talk show in 1977 that goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation's living rooms." Late Night with the Devil is slated to premiere at South by Southwest (SXSW) this March.
"It's an exciting time for elevated genres and I am grateful to be entering the marketplace with a strong collection of ideas and projects at various stages of creation," Dastmalchian said. "I have been blessed with the good fortune of collaborating with some of the best minds in entertainment and I have learned so much about myself and the craft of storytelling. At this stage in my journey of mental wellness and addiction recovery, I'm honored to be leading Good Fiend Films as we wrestle with tough questions through the entertaining lens of science fiction, horror, and superhero narratives."
Who Is David Dastmalchian?
Dastmalchian is certainly no stranger to genre projects. His first film role came in 2008, when he portrayed Thomas Schiff in Christopher Nolan's DC sequel The Dark Knight. More recently, he starred as Abner Krill/Polka-Dot Man in James Gunn's DC Extended Universe film The Suicide Squad, a standalone sequel to David Ayer's Suicide Squad from 2016. Dastmalchian also appeared in Denis Villeneuve's 2021 film adaptation of Dune as the Mentat known as Piter De Vries (a role previously played by fellow prolific character actor Brad Dourif in David Lynch's version from 1984).
Of course, Dastmalchian is also known for his involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He made his MCU debut as Kurt Goreshter in Marvel Studios' 2015 film Ant-Man, subsequently reprising the role in 2018's Ant-Man and the Wasp. Initially, it seemed as though Dastmalchian would not return for the series' third entry, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, which is due to bow in theaters next month. However, it was recently confirmed that the actor was indeed in Quantumania, though not as Kurt. Rather, Dastmalchian plays a new character named Veb in the Ant-Man threequel.
Source: Deadline