EXCLUSIVE: Oscar nominee Michael Lerner (Barton Fink) [pictured], Kevin Dunn (Veep), and Zach Knighton (Happy Endings) have joined Mickey Rourke in Ashby, which started shooting this week in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Nat Wolff (The Fault In Our Stars), Emma Roberts and Sarah Silverman also star.

Tony McNamara (The Rage In Placid Lake) writes and directs.

The story follows the relationship between neighbours Ed Wallis, a high school student (Wolff) and Ashby, a retired CIA assassin (Rourke) who only has a few months left to live.

The producers are Langley Park Pictures’ Kevin McCormick and Rory Koslow; Tagline Pictures’ Josh Kesselman; and Head Gear Films’ Phil Hunt and Compton Ross. Stephen Kelliher and Hilary Davis of Bankside Films serve as executive producers; Bankside also handles international sales. CAA-UTA jointly rep North American rights.

Bankside has already pre-sold the film to CIS & Baltic States (Exponenta), Greece (Hollywood Films), Middle East (Shooting Stars), and South Africa (M-NET).

Stephen Kelliher, Head of Sales & Marketing at Bankside Films, said “We are very excited to bring Ashby to audiences around the world. This surprising and highly original film will capture people’s imaginations with its funny yet deeply human story. Tony McNamara and the producers have brought together a sensational cast which features the best of Hollywood’s most established talent and some of its most exciting rising stars.”

Australian writer-director McNamara is also a veteran of the Sydney Theater Company and TV projects such as Love My Way and Puberty Blues.