‘Riverdale’ star Charles Melton exits Chris Evans’ new crime thriller as new actor takes over
Charles Melton, who played Reggie Mantle on ‘Riverdale,’ has left Elijah Bynum’s crime thriller ‘My Darling California,’ and Daniel Zolghadri will now take over, as reported by Variety. Zolghadri will reportedly play Kent, a young man caught up in a conflict that goes beyond what he can control as someone from his past returns unexpectedly. Melton’s representatives did not immediately comment, and he has not yet given a reason for his exit. The movie is set to take place in 1980 Los Angeles and will be filmed entirely in the Golden State.
Last week, Deadline reported that production has now begun, with Chris Evans, Jessica Chastain, Chris Pine, Mikey Madison, and Don Cheadle in the cast. The outlet also quoted the official logline, which described the story as “an American noir of ambition, greed and violence.” It will follow a single crime that brings together a fallen news anchor, her televangelist husband, and several other characters. Melton was to be a part of the ensemble before a single shot was taken, and is the second name to leave the line-up. Josh Brolin left over scheduling issues, and Deadline reported in April that Evans would take over his part.
Moreover, that casting marks the first time Evans and Pine will share a film. Evans also has a history with Cheadle, who played War Machine opposite him in the Marvel films. Behind the camera, production company Anton is fully financing the movie and intends to continue on international sales at the Cannes market. Anton and CAA Media Finance are jointly handling U.S. and global rights. As production begins, Access Entertainment co-finances the project. Moreover, David Hinojosa, Alex Coco, and Sébastien Raybaud are among the producers, with Len Blavatnik and Zach Nutman as executive producers.
Zolghadri’s filmography kicked off in 2018, with him playing Riley for Bo Burnham in ‘Eighth Grade.’ That year saw him as Dell in ‘Alex Strangelove’ and Clifford in HBO’s ‘Fahrenheit 451,’ which starred Michael B. Jordan. He played Smitty in ‘Low Tide’ in 2019 and Jakob in Prime Video’s ‘Tales From the Loop’ in 2020. Then, in 2022, he led Owen Kline’s ‘Funny Pages’ as Robert and played CJ in the 2024 comedy ‘Y2K.’ He also guest-starred on ‘American Horror Stories’ and played Stephen in the Rose Byrne drama ‘If I Had Legs I’d Kick You,’ and Noah in ‘Lurker,’ both in 2025. Lastly, his 2026 credits include ‘Hot Water,’ and he has ‘The Temple’ and Annie Baker’s ‘Ancient History’ for A24 on deck.
