HBO has picked up the rights to two new indie features: the romantic comedy The Boy Downstairs, which stars former Girls star Zosia Mamet, and My Friend Dahmer, which features ex-Disney channel star Ross Lynch as a young version of future serial killer, Jeff Dahmer.
Both films have already been introduced theatrically in the U.S., though only with relatively small releases, but the network picked up the rights to both films at an international television market which kicked off today in Cannes.
The Boy Downstairs is written and directed by Sophie Brooks and focuses on Mamet’s protagonist who must deal with her ex-boyfriend moving in to the apartment below hers. Matthew Shear (The Meyerowitz Stories) will play that role.
My Friend Dahmer is based on the graphic novel of the same name by John Backderf, which chronicles his real-life teenage friendship with the future serial killer. An original, self-published version of the novel was first released in 2002 before a final, 224-page version was released in 2012.
The film is written and directed by Marc Meyers and co-stars Alex Wolff as Backderf, Anne Heche as Dahmer’s mother and Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) as one of his early infatuations.
While HBO is currently focusing (and spending absurd money) on their mass-audience shows like Game Of Thrones, it’s good to see that they’re still interested in acquiring quality, independent cinema too. Both films will air on HBO later this year.
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