Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), Kevin Pollak (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Leanne Melissa Bishop (The Weight of Perfection) and Aaron Ashmore (Genie & Georgia) will star in the feature film “What If” from Penguin Pictures and Farpoint Films.
The family drama, directed by Lindsay McKay (The Swearing Jar, Wet Bum), had its market premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.
What If follows Marley, a woman in her forties who discovers she was part of a hospital birth gone wrong. This discovery sends her on a journey to redefine family, accompanied by an old high school friend who is confronting his own truths.
The film is written by Bishop, and produced by Michael B. Mason (The Weight of Perfection), Bishop and Kyle Burnis (The Swearing Jar) of Farpoint Films. Peter Wetherell serves as executive producer.
The film’s creative team includes veteran Toronto filmmakers. McKay’s first film, “Wet Bum,” premiered at the festival in 2014, while her second, “The Swearing Jar,” premiered at the festival in 2022. Mason, a Canadian Film Centre graduate, has worked on films that have screened at Toronto and other major festivals.
“what if” The film is currently in pre-production with plans to begin filming later this year.
“We are so excited about the talented cast we have assembled. What If is full of complex, multi-layered characters, and the talent and experience of this cast is perfectly suited to bring this heartfelt story to life,” said Mason. “Audiences are craving authenticity in their content these days, and there is a real desire worldwide for films that tell these kinds of universal, human stories. Lindsay has an incredible instinct for character, and we can’t wait to see how she works with this incredible cast to bring the script to life.”
“I am thrilled to be working with such an exceptional cast on this film that is so dear to me,” Bishop added. “Each talent brings their own unique voice, which will allow all of these characters to shine. Family is so important to me, and family means so many different things to so many people. We often find ourselves in life searching for a sense of belonging, wanting to be accepted. I hope this film helps people understand, accept and love themselves, exactly as they are. I am excited to see the magic that everyone brings to the big screen.”
