Mister Smith Entertainment unveiled today the first-look image of He Went That Way, a thriller starring Zachary Quinto (American Horror Story, Star Trek) and Jacob Elordi (Euphoria, The Kissing Booth). Based on an astonishing true story, the movie follows a celebrity animal handler who has a chance encounter with a serial killer – and ends up becoming the only surviving victim.
The story happens in the mid-60s, when animal trainer Jim Goodwin (Quinto) was working with Spanky, a famous chimp that was the main star of a traveling show called The Ice Capades. Meanwhile, serial killer Bobby Falls was in the middle of a killing spree. Both characters got different names from their real-life counterparts: Jim is based on animal handler Dave Pitts and Bobby Falls represents Larry Lee Ranes, a killer sentenced to life imprisonment who confessed all his killings were done just to rob his victims’ belongings.
The first-look image shows both Quinto and Elordi in character in the desert, with the celebrity chimp unfocused on the back. While Elordi looks very persuasive, Quinto looks like someone who has no idea who they are talking to.
He Went That Way is based on the book Luke Karamazov, by author Conrad Hilberry. In it, the writer tells the story of a duo of serial killers that, despite being brothers, acted independently. While Hilberry interviewed the killers themselves, He Went That Way also used the real-life account from Dave Pitts to construct its narrative.
The movie, which has just wrapped principal photography, is directed by Jeffrey Darling, who makes his feature film debut after an extensive career as Cinematographer. The first-time movie director worked on 1988’s Young Einstein and 1990s The Crossing, and now has teamed up with screenwriter Evan M. Wiener, who previously wrote the independent films Big Sky and Monogamy.
He Went That Way is yet to get further information such as distributor, trailer, other cast members, and a release date. A teaser is set to be revealed in next week’s European Film Market–an event in which independent films are showcased to agents, financiers, and producers–and, along with it, more details about the movie.
You can check out the official synopsis here:
Set in 1964, the film follows the extraordinary true story of a bizarre encounter between a serial-killer in the midst of a spree, an animal handler down on his luck and Spanky the TV chimpanzee, resulting in a crazy three-day road trip down Route 66 together. Jacob Elordi portrays serial killer Bobby Falls (based on Larry Lee Ranes) and Zachary Quinto portrays Jim Goodwin (based on celebrity animal handler Dave Pitts).