Nicolas Cage, Alexander Ludwig, Gabriel Basso and Maria Bakalova are set to star in The Brand, a true-crime film based on an investigative New Yorker article by journalist and author David Grann about the Aryan Brotherhood. Vincent Grashaw will direct from a screenplay by Alessandro Camon.
Ludwig will play Taylor Hartman, a young man serving a life sentence who comes under the influence of Carter Briggs, a feared leader of San Quentin’s dominant white prison gang, played by Cage. Bakalova will portray Lilly, the woman Taylor loves, while Basso is also among the film’s cast.
The story follows the gang’s expansion after authorities transfer its members to prisons across the country in an effort to break it up. As Taylor rises within the organization, he faces a choice between building a future with Lilly and remaining loyal to Carter. The film explores the growth of organized crime in the U.S. prison system.
Fortitude International has acquired international sales rights and plans to offer the film at the American Film Market. WME Independent is handling U.S. rights. Pre-production is scheduled to begin early next year.
The Brand is an Identity Media production in association with Gramercy Park Media. Its producers include Anthony Mastromauro, Nathan Klingher, Ford Corbett, Cage and Camon.
Sources: Deadline.