Thundercat Productions and Crybaby have tapped Australian actor and radio presenter Yaz Haddad to headline Bloody Legend, a comedy-horror feature film that begins principal photography this month in Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains of New South Wales.
Haddad, who co-hosts the show Yaz & Feras on Sydney’s 2DayFM, will play the role of Benny, a social media addict from Western Sydney. Benny’s attempt to capture evidence of the mythical big cat on camera takes an even more dangerous turn. This movie will be his first lead role and his second lead role in total, following his supporting role in the upcoming movie “Street Fighter.”
The premise is based on timeless Australian folklore. Mysterious sightings of large black panther-like creatures roaming the Blue Mountains bushland have been reported for decades, with dozens of encounters recorded each year, with one of the more sensational incidents on the public record involving a local teenager in 2002. The film leans into legendary comedy potential while plunging into true horror territory as Benny’s viral ambitions put him and his friends in mortal danger.
Film industry newcomers Hamzeh Taha and Marcus Torgo play Benny’s companions, both making their feature debuts. Veteran actor Tony Rahme, known to regional audiences for his work on “Shortland Street,” joins the core group. The extensive cast includes Natasha Halabi (Apple Cider Vinegar), comedian Fadi Kassab (Sorry), Cameron James (Bump), New Zealand actor Ben Fransham (In the Shadows, Time Bandits), Dom Littrich (Inspiration Unemployed) and Kathleen O’Dwyer (The Lost). Will Ward (The Whosos, Pirates of the Caribbean), Benjamin Clemen (Artful Dodger Season 2, Superwarg), and comedians and influencers Sarah Michaels (The Sarah Michaels Show) and Nariman Dayne.
Behind the camera, the film is written by Susan Taylor, a Sydney publicist who pivots to writing novels and screenplays, and is co-directed with Katherine Stone. Mr. Stone co-founded Crybaby Productions with Claire Alstyn and brings over 20 years of experience directing documentaries, music videos and large-scale broadcast productions, including the Sydney New Year’s Eve online broadcast, which attracted 38 million viewers worldwide. Bloody Legend is Crybaby’s first feature film and marks Stone’s return to feature-length storytelling.
The film was the brainchild of Pedro Cuccovilla Vitola, former executive producer of “The Kyle and Jackie O Show.” Taylor and Bianca Austin will produce under their Thundercat Productions, with Stone serving as co-producer through Crybaby. This production is independently funded by its creators, with funding also raised through the Australian Cultural Fund. Sydney-based cinematographer Rob Norman will serve as director of photography, with Riley McKenzie serving as first assistant director.
The cast convened for a table read at Filter Brewing in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville last week. Mr Haddad, an Australian Film, Television and Radio School graduate who has also worked as a music producer for artists such as Snoop Dogg, Tyga and Kid LaRoi, said he felt the script was distinctive for Australian cinema.
“It’s raw, it’s funny, it’s tense, and I feel like that’s what Australian cinema is missing,” Haddad said. “I also like that it focuses on second-generation Australians, which you don’t see a lot of in Australian film and television.”
Taylor cited the classic Australian comedy tradition as a touchstone. “I wanted to make a film in the spirit of that iconic and incredibly original Australian comedy that we all grew up watching, and I was lucky to find a crew of absolute legends who wanted to be a part of it and help me,” she said. “The world certainly needs more laughter right now.”
Stone described the project as working in two registers simultaneously. “It’s loud and dangerous on the surface, but underneath it all has to do with ego and the cost of chasing approval in a world obsessed with going viral,” she says. “You will laugh out loud in fear.”
Further casting and production announcements are expected as filming progresses.
