Tone Bell is stepping into the lead role of Transcending, an offbeat dark comedy that just wrapped principal photography in Kansas City, Missouri. Bell stars opposite Raleigh Cain, who also makes her screenwriting debut with the project.
Joining them in the ensemble cast are Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Good Place, Barry), Nicole Byer (Grand Crew, Nailed It!), SNL’s Heidi Gardner, and Pete Gardner (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend).
The story centers on a struggling city artist (Bell) reeling from a divorce after his wife (Howell-Baptiste) leaves him for a DJ. His sister (Byer), equal parts hilarious and hard-hitting, swoops in with some tough love and sends him to reset at a quirky bed-and-breakfast in rural Kansas City.
There, he meets a magnetic, mysterious widow and bestselling author (Cain) who believes her late husband’s spirit now resides in the walls of her farmhouse. As their chemistry grows, so does the surreal nature of their connection—she’s literally in love with her house. Together, the two navigate grief, healing, and self-discovery in unconventional ways.
Rounding out the eccentric supporting cast are a hippie cowboy (Pete Gardner), a fiery neighbor known for her legendary chili (Heidi Gardner), and a reserved town musician played by real-life artist Kevin Morby, whose original music will feature in the film.
Directed by Mike Luciano—best known for HBO’s Animals and the Duplass Brothers’ Creep Tapes—Transcending marks his first foray into live-action features. The project also serves as a homecoming for Cain, a Kansas City native, and a personal milestone as her first screenplay to go into production.
The film is produced by Paige Blankenship and Courtney Tait and executive produced by Cain and Luciano alongside Chris K. Daniels and Jess Mastro (The Launch Company), and Will Runyon Jr. The production tapped into Missouri’s transferable tax credit and Kansas City’s film rebate program to support its low-budget shoot.
Transcending is now heading into post-production in Los Angeles and is expected to hit the festival circuit in 2026.