Shubhabrata Dutta
Sean Whalen has found the leads for his sophomore directorial feature! The Cinemaholic has learned that Hana Mae Lee and Rebekah Kennedy will star in the horror drama ‘Swipe.’ Principal photography for the movie will take place in New Jersey between February 17 and March 6, 2025. Mark Mardini wrote the screenplay. Whalen will also star in the film alongside Lee and Kennedy. The plot centers on a woman who must protect her brother, on the death anniversary of their parents, from a family of sadistic women after he matches with one of them online.
Lee is primarily known for portraying Lilly Onakuramara in the ‘Pitch Perfect‘ film series. She also played the gothic high school student Sonya in the teen slasher films ‘The Babysitter’ and ‘The Babysitter: Killer Queen.’ Her television credits include the sardonic parishioner Scotty Sholes in the Epix neo-noir thriller drama ‘Perpetual Grace, LTD,’ Julie in the second and third seasons of the sitcom ‘Those Who Can’t,’ and Numi Haruno in the Amazon Prime Video show ‘Patriot.’ Most recently, she appeared as Jewel in Janell Shirtcliff’s comedy thriller film ‘Habit.’
Kennedy has appeared in several works in the horror genre. She played Abigail in ‘Traumatika,’ Masha, one of the witches, in ‘Two Witches,’ Milly in ‘The Unseen,’ and Betty in ‘Bastard.’ Her notable film credits include Penny in Netflix’s ‘To the Bone,’ starring Lily Collins. As far as her television credits are concerned, the actress portrayed Deborah Glass in the third season of Netflix’s legal drama ‘The Lincoln Lawyer‘ and Holly in the second installment of the comedy-drama show ‘Namaste, Bitches.’
Whalen made his feature directorial debut with the horror comedy ‘Crust,’ in which he starred alongside Kennedy and Daniel Roebuck. He directed an episode of the comedy miniseries ‘Psyche on Sunset.’ His other acting credits include Carl Ferret in the soap opera ‘The Bold and the Beautiful,’ Burt Willie in Rob Zombie’s horror film ‘3 from Hell,’ Jerry Niles in ‘The Bermuda Triangle Project,’ and Steve in ‘Traumatika.’ Mark Mardini wrote, co-produced, and directed the short film ‘Road Kill.’
New Jersey previously hosted the filming of Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer.’ Upcoming projects shot in the state include ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman,’ starring Jennifer Lopez, and ‘A Complete Unknown,’ featuring Timothée Chalamet.
Read More: Thom Fitzgerald to Direct ‘Aversions’ Next
