Sartaj Singh
New information about Adam Yorke’s true crime-inspired feature directorial debut has come to light. The Cinemaholic can reveal that ‘Phreaker’ will revolve around a blind teenager who joins the underworld of phone freaks in the early 2000s. He uses his unique skills to become a prolific hacker, only to end up on the FBI’s most-wanted list. Principal photography for the movie will take place in Toronto, Ontario, between January 13 and February 14, 2025.
The film is seemingly based on the life of Matthew Weigman, a notorious hacker in phone party line groups who became infamous for “swatting” his opposition. Legally blind, he came across party lines at the age of 11, reportedly became obsessed with them, and remained on the phone for days at a time. He conversed with phone hackers from across the country and learned hacking tricks, including those employed by early phone phreakers of the 1980s.
Weigman mastered the ability to imitate phone line operators, get phone numbers by tone, and understand the inner workings of phone network systems and their frequencies. As per reports, he put his skills to use to gain free services, intimidate anyone who angered him, and sexually harass women. His boldest move was to make calls to emergency services, especially the police, and have them launch a raid into someone’s home as a prank.
Before he turned eighteen, Weigman had forged over 60 SWAT calls. His prolific hacking habit drew the attention of a Verizon investigator, who reported his activities to the FBI. While Weigman was under investigation by the bureau, he and his network of hackers allegedly attempted to intimidate and scare away the Verizon investigator who was acting as the informant and witness against him.
Ultimately, Weigman was sentenced to eleven years and three months in prison on June 26, 2009, for the swatting conspiracy, attempting to scare a witness, and unauthorized access to a protected computer. He was released early and walked free on October 20, 2018.
Yorke co-wrote and co-produced ‘See for Me,’ a thriller film about Sophie, a blind girl who cat-sits in an isolated home when thieves break in. She uses an app on her phone that connects her to Kelly, an Army veteran who acts as her eyes through the phone’s camera. While the burglary takes place, they work together to get Sophie out of the harrowing situation unscathed.
Toronto has previously hosted the filming of several crime thrillers, including ‘Trap,’ ‘Prison Break,’ Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Reacher,’ and ‘A Simple Favor.’
