Barry Films announced this week that Josh Hartnett (Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor) and Margarita Levieva (“The Deuce”, The Lincoln Lawyer) are attached to star in Anthony Jerjen’s (Trained, The End) upcoming crime thriller INHERIT THE VIPER, based on Andrew Crabtree’s original script. The project is produced by Michel Merkt (Elle, Toni Erdmann) and Benito Mueller (The Whistleblower) and executive produced by Wolfgang Mueller (Life) for Barry Films.
A searing milieu study into the prescription drug epidemic ravaging West Virginia, Inherit the Viper follows siblings Kip (Josh Hartnett), Josie (Margarita Levieva) and Boots, as they try to escape the spiral of violence that has held them captive since their father’s passing. In these regions left behind by the economy, selling drugs has become their way of survival. A business that is very hard to quit – at least not alive.
“Inherit the Viper is a visceral story of a family fighting to escape its destiny,” said Producer Michel Merkt. “I am thrilled to be able to tell it on this third collaboration with the incredibly talented director Anthony Jerjen, whose career I have been following since its very inception.” Barry Films Producer Benito Mueller added, “The opioid drug epidemic has become an extremely relevant topic and we hope that Andrew Crabtree’s touching story will resonate with audiences worldwide, as a great thriller and also as a cautionary tale.”
Hartnett comes off a standout performance in Penny Dreadful and can next be seen in James Franco’s The Long Home and has appeared in countless films including Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor and Sin City. Levieva is best known for her role as Abigail ‘Abby’ Parker in HBO’s “The Deuce” alongside James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and has appeared in The Lincoln Lawyer, Sleeping with Other People, The Diary of a Teenage Girl and “The Blacklist”.
Hartnett is represented by UTA and Management 360. Levieva is repped by UTA and Silver Lining Entertainment.
