James McAvoy’s much-anticipated directorial debut, California Schemin’, has been pre-sold to Studiocanal for distribution in the U.K. and Ireland, as well as a range of other international markets. The film explores the true story of a Scottish duo who tricked the music industry into believing they were a Californian rap group.
California Schemin’ stars Séamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley in the leading roles, with McAvoy himself taking on a supporting part. The story is based on Gavin Bain’s autobiography, originally published as California Schemin’ and reprinted under the title Straight Outta Scotland. It recounts how Bain and his friend Billy Boyd, hailing from Dundee, Scotland, managed to fool the industry by adopting American accents and posing as the rap duo Silibil N’ Brains. This tale was previously covered in the 2013 documentary The Great Hip Hop Hoax.
Archie Thomson and Elaine Gracie adapted the screenplay for the film. Production is slated to begin in Scotland this October. The film is being produced by Ransom Films’ Guy J. Louthan and Homefront Productions’ Danny Page, with Stephen Kelliher and Sophie Green serving as executive producers for Bankside Films.
Bankside Films is handling international sales, while UTA Independent Film Group is overseeing distribution in North America. The film has already secured distribution deals with HBO for Eastern Europe, Estonian Theatrical Distribution for the Baltics, Beta for Bulgaria, MCF for the former Yugoslavia, Cinetel for Hungary, Green Light for Ukraine, NOS Lusomundo for Portugal, EFAR Films Distribution for India, and Front Row for the Middle East.
California Schemin’ continues to garner attention, with ongoing sales discussions at the Toronto International Film Festival and the American Film Market.
