Billy Magnussen (“Road House,” “Lilo & Stitch”), Ella Purnell (“Fallout,” “Yellowjackets”) and Ariana Greenblatt (“Barbie,” “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t”) are set to star in the upcoming serial killer teen comedy “Hot Ted” directed by SNL alumni Hannah Levy in their feature directorial debut.
Protagonist Pictures, led by CEO Dave Bishop, is launching worldwide sales at the upcoming Cannes Film Market.
“Hot Ted” follows true-crime podcast enthusiast Zoe (Greenblatt), who is unwillingly sent to Shady Pines Camp for the summer by her parents. When camp counsellor Liz doesn’t arrive for breakfast one day, counsellor Amy (Purnell) tells everyone she’s had to leave for a “family emergency.” But Liz doesn’t buy it, and is convinced fellow counsellor Ted (Magnussen) is behind Liz’s disappearance. As per the synopsis, “Ted’s got all the hallmarks of a classic serial killer: he’s not on social media, and he owns a van. The only trouble is, he’s too hot to be a murderer. It’s up to Zoe and her friends to investigate the truth: is Hot Ted really a serial killer or is he just, like… the perfect guy?”
“Hot Ted” is produced by Magnussen, Shane Andries and Anne Hollister for HappyBad Bungalow (“Coup!”) and Javier Chapa and Phillip Braun for Mucho Mas Media (“Rosario,” “The Long Game”) and Purnell (marking her second serial killer starring/producing role after Sky/Starz series “Sweetpea,”). Morgan Cano-Long and Robert Muñoz will executive produce for Mucho Mas. Protagonist’s Bishop, James Pugh and George Hamilton serve as executive producers. The script is penned by Grace McLeod.
“’Hot Ted’ is a psychosexual thriller as imagined by virgins. ‘Mean Girls’ meets ‘American Psycho,’” said director Levy. “This is the movie I’ve been dreaming to make — a reinvention of the camp comedy that speaks to being a teenager right now and always.”
“HappyBad Bungalow is all about uplifting original, inspiring artists,” added Magnussen. “We couldn’t be more fired up to back the razor-sharp voices of Grace McLeod and Hannah Levy in this refreshing project!”
A seasoned director of “Saturday Night Live,” Levy began their career at The Onion and Funny or Die, the production studio founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay. Levy has also directed episodes of the Emmy-winning series “John Mulaney Presents: Everybody’s in LA,” and written for the hit Comedy Central series “Alternatino,” and Netflix’s “Murderville.” At SNL, they worked on iconic digital shorts, directing hosts including Billie Eilish, Daniel Craig, and Kim Kardashian in viral sketches.
McLeod is a queer playwright and screenwriter from New York City whose work uses irreverent humor to tackle social truths. Her queer coming-of-age play “Herland” received a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere in 2019, with productions in Chicago, San Diego, and Los Angeles. As a playwright, McLeod has worked with The Playwrights Realm, No Guarantees Productions, Goodman Theatre, Ashland New Plays Festival, IAMA Theatre Company, and many more.
“It doesn’t get fresher than this — sharp, hilarious, and a wildly original spin on the genre,” added Bishop. “Hot Ted nails that chaotic, cringey moment when childhood fades and adulthood crashes in. With a killer cast led by Billy, Ariana, and Ella, this one’s got ‘instant classic’ written all over it.”
Magnussen is repped by UTA, Anonymous Content, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Purnell is repped by Curtis Brown Group, WME Entertainment, Range Media Partners, Shelter PR, and Sloane, Offer, Weber, & Dern; Greenblatt is repped by Paradigm Talent Agency, Mosaic, imPRint and Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein; Levy is repped by Artists First and Ziffren Brittenham; McLeod is repped by Artists First and Gersh.
