Frankie Muniz & Violett Beane To Topline Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Renner’ From Director Robert Rippberger
11.05.2023 - 18:41
/ deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) and Violett Beane (The Flash) have signed on to star in Renner, a new sci-fi thriller from filmmaker Robert Rippberger (Those Who Walk Away). Production will kick off this summer at the newly formed Ascent Studios in Spring Hope, NC, where Rippberger is a founding partner.
Written by Martin Medina and David Largman Murray, from a story by Luke Medina, Renner follows a computer genius of the same name, played by Muniz, as he looks to court his neighbor Jamie (Beane) with the help of an AI he develops named Salenus — only to realize, a bit too late, that he accidentally programmed his manipulative mother into it.
Rippberger will produce alongside Martin Medina, KT Kent, Devin Keaton, and Jay Burnley of Slated. Exec producers are Greg Gertmenian, Ali Baghdadi, Kyle Pritchard, Stan Hahnel, LeaAnne Hahnel, Anita Konka, Laura Winstead, Nathan Edwards, and Neuman Vong.
Said Rippberger in a statement to Deadline, “I was immediately attracted to the powerful, unnerving, and darkly freudian script from Martin Medina and Luke Medina. I am thrilled to be working with Frankie and Violett to bring Renner to the big screen for what will be a fresh A.I. thriller.”
An Emmy and two-time Golden Globe nominee perhaps best known for his seven-season run as the star of Fox’s sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, Muniz most recently appeared on Comedy Central’s Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens and has also been seen on shows like New Amsterdam, The Rookie and Preacher, among many others. Among his best known credits on the film side are three popular titles from the early 2000s: Agent Cody Banks, My Dog Skip and Big Fat Liar. Also coming up for the actor, who now also works as a race car driver, is