Jordan Tortorello makes his directorial debut with an independently financed thriller about identity, performance, and the collapse of reality
Production has wrapped in Burbank, California on Crowbar, an upcoming psychological drama from first-time director Jordan Tortorello. Patrick Walker, John Pyper-Ferguson, and Emma Kenney lead the cast, with Briana Cuoco, Mikayla Lashae Bartholomew, Rafael Cebrián, Josh Sussman, Briana Cuoco, and Toby Hemingway also starring.
According to Variety, The film follows Levi, played by Walker, a struggling actor who lands the lead role in a psychological war drama called ‘Bradshaw,’ shot inside his own home. As the crew invades his space and a volatile director, played by Pyper-Ferguson, pushes him to his limits, the line between Levi and his character begins to dissolve. Haunted by grief, isolation, and paranoia, he spirals into a breakdown, leaving audiences to question what was real, what was performance, and whether the film was ever really about the character, Michael Bradshaw, at all.
“Crowbar is an incredibly personal film about identity pressure and what happens when the lines between performance and reality completely break down,” Tortorello said. “Built completely independently and self-financed from the ground up, this project is a testament to what happens when passionate like-minded people come together to create their own opportunities.”
Tortorello wrote the script alongside Brad Rundblade and Walker, all three of whom also produce. Tortorello produces through his MixedMedia banner. Chris Tortorello and Beth Tortorello serve as executive producers, with Penny Sandzimier as line producer and Sami Tortorello and Joe Bohn as associate producers. Casting was handled by Lauren and Jordan Bass, CSA, through Bass Casting.