Beverly Hills Film Festival 2026: ‘Boris Is Dead’ producers reveal the movie was based on a true story
Dane Cook and Hana Mae Lee's dark comedy 'Boris is Dead' garnered the buzz at the Beverly Hills Film Festival. Directed by James Cullen Bressack of the 'Darkness of Man' fame, the thriller follows Cook as a struggling actor working as a waiter to make ends meet. Things go south when he unknowingly becomes involved in a heist that goes woefully wrong. The screenplay was penned by twins, Jacqueline and Kerri, who also star and serve as the producers. One of the highlights was the producer duo making a major reveal.
The official logline reads, "A struggling actor, working as a waiter (Dane Cook), unwittingly becomes involved in a violent heist gone wrong, where his boss – deep in debt – has been stealing from employees and running the restaurant as a front for the mob." Speaking during the event in an exclusive interview with MEAWW, the Donelli twins said, "Well, it was sort of loosely based on a true story of a restaurant we worked in, and some of the characters are kind of true.”
They further added, "So some of them are based on real characters, but we've embellished them, let's just say." Rounding up the cast are Jesse Metcalfe, Cam Gigandet, Traci Lords, Mindy Sterling, James Duval, Richard Riehle, Chris Mulkey, Steven Bauer, Thomas Dekker, Jesse & Martin Kove, Jacqueline & Kerry Donelli, Ken Foree, and Mark Rolston. The film was screened at the BHFF. At the time of writing, the official release date has not been announced.
Also serving as a producer is Sasha Yelaun. Cook also serves as the executive producer, while Jeremy O’Keefe is the co-producer and casting director for the project. Cook, a stand-up comedian and actor, is fresh off his 'Fresh New Flavor' tour and is known for his string of films, including 'Good Luck Chuck', 'My Best Friend’s Girl', and 'Dan In Real Life'. Lee has starred in 'Pitch Perfect' and 'The Babysitter' franchise. Jacqueline is best-known for 'Titillating Steven' (2003) and 'Unedited Footage of a Bear' (2014). As for the marquee event, The Beverly Hills Film Festival opened Monday, April 13, 2026, and will run through April 19, at the TCL Chinese 6 Theatres. It ends with an awards night gala at the Beverly Hilton on Sunday.
