Matt Leslie: Last News

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterAs film and television productions labor to get off the ground following months of coronavirus shutdowns, one horror indie has quietly wrapped a nearly four-week shoot in Los Angeles.Co-writers and directors Matt Leslie and Stephen Smith have completed “The Knocking,” a bloody tale of a serial monogamist that shot for 19 days amid intense coronavirus safety protocols.Shiloh Fernandez (“Burn”), Doug Jones (“The Shape of Water”), Alexis Knapp (“Pitch Perfect” series) and Ser’Darius Blain (“Jumanji”) lead the cast. Leslie and Smith previously collaborated as writers on the gritty thriller “Summer of ’84,” which played in the Sundance Film Festival’s Midnight section.

K.J. Yossman “Shakespeare in Love” actor Simon Callow has been cast in the sequel to micro-budget slasher hit “Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey.” Stage and screen star Callow, who has also appeared in “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “The Witcher” among other fare, is set to play a character called Cavendish, who is described by the filmmakers as “a pivotal character with a dark past somehow tied to Christopher Robin.” “Cavendish’s tragic life, marked with alcoholism, violence and regret, not only brings significant depth to the story, but revelation as well,” the producers tell Variety. Variety understands Callow was approached via his agents and, liking the character, agreed to sign on for the role.