Shubhabrata Dutta
After composing scores for many famed films and TV shows, Mateo Messina is all set for his next challenge! The Cinemaholic can confirm that he will make his feature directorial debut with the teen drama ‘Reimagined.’ Principal photography for the project will start in Buffalo, New York, on March 3. Messina wrote the screenplay with Jeff Witzke.
The plot centers on the thirteen-year-old Felix McCoy, whose little shoulders carry the responsibility of preserving his late mother’s legacy by saving the beloved Christmas pageant she once directed. Faced with challenges like a new director and a missing star performer, he teams up with his friends and discovers his creativity, giving an imaginatively inspired twist to the otherwise traditional Yuletide event. Through resilience and the power of community, he learns to honor his mother’s memory while stepping into his own future.
Messina is known for composing the score of Jason Reitman’s Academy Award-winning coming-of-age drama ‘Juno’ and NBC’s renowned workplace comedy ‘Superstore.’ His recent credits include Mackenzie Munro’s rom-com ‘Boot Camp,’ Nathan Scoggins’ thriller film ‘What Remains,’ and Netflix’s ‘Tall Girl’ duology. He was also an integral part of Tyler Spindel’s rom-com ‘The Wrong Missy,’ the Emma Roberts-starrer ‘Little Italy,’ and Kay Cannon’s ‘Blockers,’ starring Leslie Mann and John Cena.
Messina has also composed scores for popular shows such as the Jane Levy-led ‘Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist’ and the Sarayu Blue-starrer ‘I Feel Bad.’ Among his other notable composing credits in TV are the Paramount+ crime comedy series ‘Why Women Kill’ and the Epix Original comedy series ‘Graves.’
Messina made his non-feature directorial debut with the short film ‘Little Wing,’ starring Kayvon Esmaili. Jeff Witzke’s previous writing credits include Messina’s ‘Little Wing,’ the comedy series ‘ShowFriends,’ and Lee Friedlander’s comedy short ‘House Husbands.’
Recent high-profile projects shot in Buffalo include Apple TV+’s action comedy film ‘The Family Plan,’ Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Nightmare Alley,’ and ‘A Quiet Place Part II,’ starring Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy.
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