The films based on the off-Broadway film ‘Amy and the Orphans’ work from the overall film; Jamie Brewer will reprise the lead role as Lindsay Ferentino directs

Exclusive: Aggregate Films is developing and will produce a feature adaptation of the Off-Broadway play. Amy and the OrphanJamie Brewer is set to reprise the title role, which earned him both a Theater World Award and a Drama Desk Award in 2018.

Lindsay Ferentino will adapt his play for the screen, making his directorial debut here. Jason Bateman and Michael Costigan are developing and producing for Aggregate, with Tracy Nyberg also on board to produce.

inside Amy and the Orphan, three grown siblings come together in Monto after the death of their father and face the truth of their childhood. Amy has Down syndrome and has spent most of her life in a group home, and her older siblings Maggie and Jacob realize she’s probably a very different person than they thought.

Edward Barbanel is set for a new role written for the screen, for which there are other roles Amy and the Orphan Currently casting. Barbanel came to the project after stepping into the role of Andy in the stage play for two performances a week, when the show’s title shifted. Andy and the Orphan.

With the original, critically acclaimed play, Brewer became the first actor with Down syndrome to lead an Off-Broadway production. He, Ferentino and Barbanel also received The Arc’s Entertainment Industry Excellence Catalyst Award, which honors individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“We are thrilled to produce Lindsay’s film and bring her incredible play to the screen,” said Aggregate Films’ Costigan. “In the tradition of great movies and shows about complex families with comedy and heart, ‘Amy and the Orphans’ struck us as truly original. We’re thrilled to see Lindsay direct this story that speaks deeply to her, to us, and, we think, to a wider audience.” audience.”

Brewer added: “I was very lucky to meet Lindsey a long time ago, and I’m so grateful that she trusted me to tell her aunt’s story on stage. Amy and the Orphans. This role means a lot to me because I can identify with Amy as we both love movies and have Down syndrome. It is amazing that we can share this experience together. I am so excited to have this opportunity to work with Lindsey to help bring Amy’s inspiring story from the stage to the big screen! Amy’s life is an incredible story of life and family relationships.”

Brewer is an actress, model and activist best known for starring in several seasons of the award-winning Ryan Murphy anthology series. America Horror Story In FX. He has also been seen in hit series Southland, Switched at birth And Station 19As well as in films like the Russo brothers cherry and comedy Bromates exec produced by Snoop Dogg. In 2015 the award-winning actor, equally known for his work on stage, became the first model with Down syndrome as part of New York Fashion Week.

Award-winning playwright and screenwriter Ferentino’s other productions include plays Ugly Lies the Bone (Roundabout Theater Company, The National Theatre, UK, NYT Critics Pick), This is a flat earth (Playwright’s Horizons) and The Year to Come (La Jolla Playhouse). Ferrentino has several film and TV projects in development and pre-production – from the previously announced adaptation of Rebecca Alexandra’s memoir. Do not fade away For films by Netflix, Sony Pictures and Levantine Films. He has original TV projects with Tribeca, Composition 8, UCP, Springhill and Jaywalker Pictures.

Barbanel’s breakthrough film performance came in the 2005 comedy opposite Johnny Knoxville Ringer. This actor has also been seen in films like this Hall passed, Dumb and Dumber to And Addicted to FresnoAs well as shows like Strong milk And Workaholics.

In addition to her work in the theater and on screen, Barbanel is an advocate and athlete for the Special Olympics and speaks for the “Spade the Word to End the Word” campaign. In her role as director of the Special Olympics International Board, she was part of a delegation of athletes and self-advocates who attended the historic signing of President Obama’s Roza Act, banning the use of the terms “mentally disabled” and “mentally disabled”. In federal policy.

Recent releases from Aggregate Films include the fifth and final season of the Bateman-led crime drama. The Ozarks For Netflix; Under the banner of heaven For FX; a teacher, starring Kate Mara and Nick Robinson for FX/Hulu; And outsider On HBO, starring Ben Mendelsohn and Cynthia Erivo. Next up for release is Aggregate’s Netflix rom-com your place or mineFrom writer-director Alain Brosh McKenna (The Devil Wears Prada) starring Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher, debuted on the platform on Friday, February 10.

Other upcoming Total projects include the Apple TV+ limited series Chemistry lessons Starring Brie Larson; Peacock series Based on a true story Starring Kaley Cuoco; And Netflix’s Florida Man Series starring Edgar Ramirez.

Brewer and Barbanel are repped by KMR Talent. Ferrentino is with CAA and Mosaic.