Screen Gems Begins Production On The Thriller 'The Perfect Guy' Starring Sanaa Lathan, Michael Ealy And Morris Chestnut

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 6, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Principal photography has begun on Screen Gems' thriller "The Perfect Guy," starring Sanaa Lathan ("The Best Man Holiday"), Michael Ealy ("Think Like A Man," "Think Like A Man 2," "About Last Night," "Seven Pounds") and Morris Chestnut ("Think Like A Man," "Identity Thief," "The Best Man Holiday"). The film also stars  Charles S. Dutton ("Longmire," "Against the Ropes," "Cry the Beloved Country," "Alien 3"), Rutina Wesley ("True Blood") and Kathryn Morris ("Cold Case").  Directed by David M. Rosenthal ("A Single Shot," "Janie Jones"), the film is produced by Tommy Oliver ("1982," "Kinyarwanda"), Darryl Taja ("New IN Town"), Nicole Rocklin ("The Magnificent Cooly-T," "Middle of Nowhere") and Wendy Rhoads ("The Haunting in Connecticut," "Because I Said So") and will shoot on locations throughout Los Angeles.

Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) appears to have the ideal life. She enjoys a challenging, fast-paced career as a lobbyist; Dave (Morris Chestnut), her longterm boyfriend loves her. And yet … at 36, she's ready to move to the next phase. Marriage and a family seem a logical and welcome step. Dave is not so sure. A bit commitment phobic, his misgivings lead to a painful break up. Enter Carter Duncan (Michael Ealy), a handsome, charming stranger whose path keeps crossing with Leah's. Caring and solicitous of Leah and her family and friends, (Charles S. Dutton, Rutina Wesley, Kathryn Morris) their relationship rapidly progresses. It seems Leah has met The Perfect Guy. But if it seems too good to be true … soon his protective nature morphs into something more sinister. It's clear Leah has to end this new relationship and when she does, her onetime lover becomes her ultimate enemy. It will take every bit of her cunning and resolve to escape and outwit him.

Sanaa Lathan, born and raised in New York City, has starred in many films, including the boxoffice hits "The Best Man" and "Love & Basketball." Other film credits include "Brown Sugar," for which she received an NAACP Image Award nomination, "Alien vs. Predator," "The Family That Preys," 'Out of Time" and "Contagion."  A graduate of both the University of California Berkeley and Yale University, where she received her degree in drama, her television work includes the HBO movie "Disappearing Acts," based on Terry McMillan's novel, for which she earned the Essence Award for Best Actress, and the Starz series "Boss". Her stage work includes the Broadway production "A Raisin in the Son," for which she garnered a Tony nomination, and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at the Novello Theater in London.

Michael Ealy's diverse film credits include "Barbershop," "Barbershop 2: Back in Business," "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Their Eyes Were Watching God," "Seven Pounds," "For Colored Girls," 'Underworld: Awakening" and "Think Like A Man." He starred in the provocative Showtime television series "Sleeper Cell" and the second season, "Sleeper Cell: American Terror." He received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actor in a Mini-Series for his work in "Sleeper Cell: American Terror." Other television credits include "The Good Wife," "Common Law" and "Almost Human," in which he played an Android.

Morris Chestnut first came to audience attention for his memorable portrayal of Ricky Baker in "Boyz in the Hood." He most recently starred in the boxoffice hits "Think Like a Man" and "The Best Man Holiday," which reunited the cast of the original "The Best Man."  Other film credits include "Kick-Ass 2," "Identity Thief," "Not Easily Broken," with Taraji P Henson ,"The Game Plan," and "Ladder 49."  He stars as Dr. Ike Prentiss on Showtime's "Nurse Jackie" and plays Tony Rice on the TNT series "Legends." He was a series regular on the first season of the F/X miniseries "American Horror Story."

David M. Rosenthal's latest feature was the atmospheric thriller "A Single Shot," starring Sam Rockwell, William H. Macy, Jeffrey Wright and Jason Isaacs, released by IFC Films in the fall of 2013. Prior to that, he wrote, directed and produced "Janie Jones," a semi-autobiographical drama starring Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola.  An accomplished writer and photographer, Rosenthal has a Masters degree in poetry from Sarah Lawrence and during college, his work was published in such literary magazines as The Paris Review. He earned another Masters in film from the American Film Institute. After graduating, his first short, "Absence," was a strong presence on the festival circuit and was picked up for distribution internationally. Rosenthal next produced and directed the documentary "Dylan's Run," which followed the campaign trail of a Dylan Glenn who made history by becoming the first African American to run for a congressional seat in the Deep South since Reconstruction. Rosenthal's first feature, "See This Movie, premiered at the Aspen Comedy Film Festival and starred Seth Myers and John Cho.  His next film was the romantic comedy "Falling Up," starring Joseph Cross, Rachel Leigh Cook and Joe Pantoliano.  Rosenthal is also a member of The Actors' Studio playwrights unit.

ABOUT SCREEN GEMS
Screen Gems is the specialty production division at Sony Pictures Entertainment, which was created to finance and produce moderately budgeted films that are marketed to targeted audiences.

SOURCE Screen Gems