Thomas Doherty, best known for playing the resident flirt on HBO Max’s “Gossip Girl” reboot, is set to star alongside Kiki Layne in “Dandelion.”
The romantic drama, backed by IFC Films, is currently in production. IFC plans to release the movie theatrically on a yet-to-be determined date in 2023.
Nicole Riegel wrote and directed “Dandelion,” which centers on an aspiring singer-songwriter named Dandelion (Layne), who can’t seem to make her dream come true when she reluctantly takes a gig at a motorcycle rally that’s ways away from her hometown of Cincinnati. At the event, she meets Casey (Doherty), a guitarist who walked away from his dream long ago. As Dandelion joins Casey’s electric and nomadic group of struggling musicians, the two kindred spirits make music together and strike up an intoxicating whirlwind romance that changes her artistic journey.
“Dandelion,” according to Kiki Layne, is “a story about the resilience of the human spirit and magic of serendipity.” Layne’s breakout role was opposite Stephan James in Barry Jenkins’ 2018 romantic drama “If Beale Street Could Talk.” She’s also appeared in “The Old Guard” and “Coming 2 America.”
Riegel, whose first film was 2020’s drama “Holler,” praised Doherty as a “curious and insightful actor.”
“I’m excited for everyone to experience the pure artist that he is,” she said in a statement. “This has been one of the most fulfilling actor-director partnerships of my career.”
Doherty, who is 27-year-old and from Scotland, also starred in the Disney Channel series “The Lodge,” the “Descendants” film franchise and Sony’s recent horror thriller “The Invitation.”