Producer Stacey Sher Talks Chris Pine’s Directorial Debut ‘Poolman’, His Love Letter To L.A. – Toronto

deadline.com:

EXCLUSIVE: Chris Pine’s directorial debut Poolman is set to make its world premiere Monday night at the Toronto Film Festival.

Pine won’t be in attendance, choosing to stand in solidarity with his fellow actors amid the SAG-AFTRA strike. The film’s producer, Stacey Sher, says that not only is Pine proud to do so, she thinks the character at the center of his story would be on the same page. “Chris comes from a family of actors who have struggled and he understands, especially given the time we are living in, Darren (the character Pine plays in Poolman)would of been out there on the picket lines making sure people were hydrated,” Sher says. “We all felt the film belonged at TIFF and so honored to be here because it is an audience festival.

It is a place where things that are optimistic can connect with people as well. It is a different premiere and Q&A then we had hoped for, but there was never a second where Chris was going to do anything but stand with SAG and the WGA.” Screening for festivalgoers on Monday prior to hitting the market for buyers (CAA Media Finance is co-repping the film’s domestic rights with AGC), the film is Pine’s love letter to Los Angeles, the city where he grew up, and was a product of the quarantine during Covid.

In an interview with Deadline in 2022 to talk about his new production banner Barry Linen Productions, Pine talked about how the idea for Poolman started with a conversation over drinks with Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins and her husband that got them laughing and he decided to “follow the giggle.” The idea for the lead character Darren stuck with him all the way up to quarantine, when he and his producing partner Ian Gotler began working on a script. “Quarantine was in many ways