‘This Is Us’ star joins Jeremy Holm in new conspiracy thriller ‘Tessellation’

‘Tessellation’ is bringing puzzles, paranoia, and a search for truth to the screen. “Nothing is real, fringe paranoia has become mainstream, and we’re losing our ability to even verify the truth,” writer-director Michael Moreci told Deadline. “We’re following in the footsteps of The Conversation, Blow Out, and The Parallax View, movies that also dealt with paranoia and distrust, and I’m proud to carry forward the tradition of these important films.” That is the backdrop for a conspiracy thriller that has begun production in Illinois with a ‘This Is Us’ star on board.

Chris Sullivan, the Emmy-nominated actor known for the NBC drama, has joined Jeremy Holm in the film. Sullivan’s character details have not been disclosed. Holm, whose credits include ‘House of Cards’ and ‘Mr. Robot,’ plays Anton. Stephen Louis Grush of ‘The Righteous Gemstones’ and Winter Williams are also part of the cast.

The film follows “disgraced puzzle champion and CIA codebreaker Anton (Holm), who is drawn into a conspiracy that forces him to confront the one code he could never crack: the reason his wife had to die.” ‘Tessellation’ marks Moreci’s feature directing debut. His screenwriting credits include the Shudder horror film ‘Revealer’ and the Syfy/Peacock series ‘Revival.’ He also created the comic series ‘Barbaric,’ which has sold more than one million copies and is in development as a Netflix series.

Moreci is producing ‘Tessellation’ alongside Robert Patrick Stern, Kevin Lau and Stephen Mastrocola, in association with Static Films. Damian Wassel, Jen Shelby, Rhett Bruno and Steven Beaulieu of Aethon Books serve as executive producers. Mastrocola explained what drew him to the project: “When I first read Tessellation, I was immediately compelled by Michael’s vision, the script’s unique structure, and how relevant it is in these strange times.”

Cameras are set to roll this week at Flyover Film Studios in Central Illinois. Mastrocola said the team hopes to bring the thriller to theaters next year. “We’re looking forward to seeing if audiences can solve Anton’s puzzle when it comes to theaters next year,” he said. An exact release date has not been announced.