Shakespeare adaptations regularly appear on the film scene, but "Guys Reading Poems" transforms sometimes familiar, sometimes unfamiliar poetry into a narrative suspense film. The plot follows seven "guys reading poems" that are part of a secret society intent on rescuing an endangered child. Director Hunter Lee Hughes admits, "We feel like we’re gambling creatively on this one, but that’s part of the fun."

Fresh off his turn as Luke Ramsey in "American Horror Story," Alexander Dreymon joins the cast as the father of a terrified boy who is captured, then imprisoned in an antique puppet box. Dreymon says, "I’m intrigued and fascinated by Hunter’s work and very much looking forward to seeing where he will take this project. I’m delighted to be able to contribute to it."  

The feature is written and directed by newcomer Hughes and stars Blake Sheldon ("Gone Girl"), Justin Schwan, Vincent Montuel, Jerod Meagher, Gopal Divan and Jason Fracaro (who’s also producing) along with Mr. Hughes as the "guys." Award-winning cinematographer Michael Marius Pessah ("Joshua Tree, 1951: A Portrait of James Dean") is lensing the black-and-white, neo-noir style project and Patrick Kennelly (Winner - "2008 Princess Grace Foundation Award for Theater") serves as editor. The poetry selected and transformed into an unusual screenplay includes lyrical passages from the Bible, public domain poetry spanning hundreds of years and selections from modern day poets living in Los Angeles, including work by Steven Reigns (Five time winner – L.A. County’s Department of Cultural Affairs’ ‘Artist in Residency’ grant).

The "secret society" portion of the film was shot in 2013 with the remainder of its interlocking narrative scheduled for an April start. A Kickstarter campaign was launched this week to raise additional funds for the second shoot and includes footage from the film at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/guysreadingpoems/guys-reading-poems-finishing-funds

Hughes stumbled upon the idea to create a poetry film when scouring his late grandmother’s sizable collection of poetry books. At the time of her death, he was researching secret societies as part of an idea for a long-form television series, which he decided to roll into the concept of "Guys Reading Poems." Of the project, Hughes says, "I realized that poetry could be cinematic if coupled with the right concept to support it. Plus, young men’s creativity is so often channeled into video games or blockbuster-style movies where their impulses are framed by corporate entertainment products or a virtual reality with pre-programmed stock characters. It’s rare that young men are truly given the chance to express something from the inside-out and I hope our film might stimulate that instinct. We need to provide alternatives for young men to avoid the seduction of violence and compartmentalization. Plus, everybody is intrigued by the idea of secret societies. It’s titillating to wonder the purpose of underground groups and who may be a member."  

Mr. Pessah, winner of Outfest’s "Five in Focus" award in 2012, said of the film, "The words of the poems are so evocative – they present an exciting challenge to photograph imagery that can both intensify and transform the text. We’re attacking the visuals for each segment in a different way and really throwing everything we know about filmmaking up on the screen."

Mr. Hughes makes his feature directorial debut with "Guys Reading Poems" after directing the 68-minute narrative comedy webseries, "Dumbass Filmmakers!" He also wrote and produced "Winner Takes All," a short film that toured ten film festivals before securing distribution on "Black Briefs," a collection of dark short films. Previous writing credits include the plays "Fate of the Monarchs" (‘Critic’s Pick’, B a c k s t a g e W e s t ) and "The Sermons of John Bradley." He also co-wrote the documentary "On Common Grounds." (The Hallmark Channel)

Mr. Fracaro, who’s producing the film with Mr. Hughes, also served as a producer on "Dumbass Filmmakers!" and is making his debut as a feature film producer with the project. Fatelink Productions is producing the film, along with Fast Track Pictures. The production team will soon launch a nationwide search to find a talented youngster to play the lead of the film.

Dreymon is repped by Matt Vioral and David DeCamillo at Gersh while Hughes is repped by Bradley R. Bernstein at Fast Track Management. The Kickstarter campaign for the film may be found here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/guysreadingpoems/guys-reading-poems-finishing-funds and other information at: guysreadingpoems.com