"My Darling California" says Hello to Daniel Zolghadri and a Fond Farewell to Charles Melton

Puckish actor Daniel Zolghadri, known for his turn in "Lurker", is preparing to step into the leading role in Elijah Bynum's LA crime thriller, "My Darling California", replacing Charles Melton, as exclusively confirmed by Variety. Regrettably, the reason behind Melton's exit remains shrouded in mystery since his representatives have chosen to keep mum.

The character that Zolghadri will be bringing to life on screen is Kent, a youthful chap who finds himself embroiled in an escalating conflict spiraling out of control. This altercation forces our young hero to probe into some long-buried questions when a specter from his past makes a surprise reappearance.

"My Darling California", to be set and filmed entirely in the sunny state, boasts an impressive ensemble, a veritable who's who including Jessica Chastain, Chris Pine, Chris Evans, Mikey Madison, and Don Cheadle. The film is set in the 1980s city of angels where a smooth-talking televangelist and his newscaster wife strive to keep a multi-layered scandal from destroying their careers.

Zolghadri's burgeoning portfolio includes roles in films such as Bo Burnham’s "Eighth Grade" and HBO’s "Fahrenheit 451". He has also dipped his toes in the streaming scene with Prime Video’s sci-fi drama series "Tales From the Loop". He had supporting roles in recent films including "Y2K,", "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You" and "Lurker". His latest work in Alexandrea Pechman’s drama "Magazine" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month. We can look forward to seeing him in "The Temple" directed by Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas, and Annie Baker’s "Ancient History" for A24.

Filmmaker Bynum first gained prominence by writing and directing A24’s popular drama "Hot Summer Nights" starring Timothée Chalamet. Following up that success, his next venture was "Magazine Dreams" in 2023 with Jonathan Majors.

"My Darling California" is brought to life thanks to the production efforts of David Hinojosa, Alex Coco, and Sébastien Raybaud. Executive producers including Scott Budnick and Ameet Shukla of 1Community and Emily Blavatnik and Danny Cohen of Access Entertainment are also involved, quite the star-studded production team! This movie is an Anton production which also managed the film's international sales. Anton and CAA Media Finance share representation of U.S. and global rights.

With his rising star, Daniel Zolghadri's team includes UTA and Circle Management + Production. Can't wait to see what he brings to "My Darling California"!