Academy Award winner Cuba Gooding Jr. leads the cast of “Above the Break,” the feature directorial debut from Chase Korzep, alongside Reggie Lee, Sidhartha Mallya and Gabriel Bateman.
Production is currently underway on location in Pass-a-Grille, near St. Petersburg, Florida, with filming set to wrap in Redondo Beach, California. The project is described as an adrenaline-fueled shark thriller and emotional coming-of-age drama, set against the backdrop of a sun-soaked surf town under siege. It aims to provide a blend of heart, horror, and heroism as a grieving family, a fractured community, and an unrelenting predator collide just beneath the surface.
Gooding Jr., who won the academy award for best supporting actor for “Jerry Maguire,” brings his dramatic gravitas to the thriller alongside Lee, known for his roles in “Tropic Thunder” and “Grimm.” The cast also features Mallya (“Mafia Wars,” “Brahman Naman”) and Bateman (“Lights Out,” “The Fabelmans”).
The ensemble also includes Aleksander Vayshelboym (“Swing of Things”), Kira Reed and Aiden Merwarth, while introducing newcomers Daphne Madison, Sailor Luna Bunch and Anna Belle Bayley.
Matt Shapira of Roaming Elephant Productions is producing the project. Korzep previously directed the award-winning desert epic short “Underneath” and comedy shorts “I’ll Take the Bill,” “Max Thornwhip” and “The Star Crossed Lovers.”
Executive producers include Lance Graulich, Jeff Kleid, DJ Fresh, Dr. Greg Smith, Kent Purdy, Denisa Juhos, Roman Jankovic under The Brave One banner, and Scott and Kimberly Bayley. Deborah George handled casting.
International sales are being represented by Jordan Dykstra of Film Bridge International.