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EXCLUSIVE: Rob Lowe (The West Wing) and Keith David (The Lowdown) are set to lead My New Friend Jim, a character-driven dark comedy from filmmaker Ash Avildsen (Queen of the Ring) and his Sumerian Pictures. Currently in production in Nevada, the film follows two fathers from vastly different worlds who form an unlikely bond while searching for a runaway daughter in Reno. “My New Friend Jim is a twistedly heartfelt, universal story of how far dads will go for their kids and how parenthood erases the lines we draw between classes,” Avildsen said. “Set in the gloriously offbeat city of Reno, it’s a reminder that it’s never too late to find a friend in the unlikeliest place. I couldn’t be more thrilled with how Rob and Keith are bringing these two men, who are worlds apart but hilariously bound by circumstance, to life on screen.” Anthony Mastromauro (The Old Man and the Gun, Finding Steve McQueen) is producing the indie alongside Avildsen, with Paul Leighton, Angelene Tania Grode, and Lowe executive producing, and Brad LaFave on board as co-producer. Known for roles in classic films like St. Elmo’s Fire and The Outsiders, as well as series such as The West Wing, Parks and Recreation, and the Netflix comedy Unstable, which he also co-created and exec produced, Lowe currently hosts and produces Fox’s hit game show The Floor, now in its fourth season and renewed for a fifth. Coming off five seasons of Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star, where he served as EP, he’ll next be seen starring opposite Crispin Glover in Bleecker Street’s horror film The Third Parent, where he was a producer. Recently wrapping on the Los Angeles shoot for the indie dark comedy The Musical, where he stars alongside Tony winner Will Brill and Gillian Jacobs, and is also a producer, Lowe is repped by WME, Brillstein Entertainment Partners, and Latham & Watkins. An Emmy-winning actor known for his work in the Ken Burns series Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson, The War, and Jackie Robinson, as well as Platoon, The Thing, and They Live, David currently stars in FX’s The Lowdown and HBO Max’s Duster. His upcoming projects include the film The Ogilvy Fortune and the Rick and Morty spinoff President Curtis. He is repped by Verve, DVFI Management, and Meyer & Downs. The multi-hyphenate creative behind Sumerian Entertainment — encompassing Sumerian Records, Sumerian Comics, and Sumerian Pictures — Avildsen most recently wrote and directed Queen of the Ring, which told the true story of Mildred Burke, the first female athlete to earn a million-dollar purse in professional wrestling. Prior credits include American Satan and its follow-up series Paradise City. He is repped by CAA, Luber Roklin Entertainment, and Bloch Law.
