EXCLUSIVE: Tech-driven deepfakes will turn teen classmate photos into weapons in the feature Disconnected, starring Kayla Ewell (The Vampire Diaries) and Brian Dietzen (NCIS).
The drama will explore the societal impact of AI, cyberbullying, and digital addiction with production underway on location in West Virginia.
The film brings together a trio of actors from animated series Everybody Still Hates Chris: Gunnar Sizemore (Nashville), Terrence Little Gardenhigh (Danger Force), and Tim Johnson Jr. (Potential). Cassidy Naber (Barbie Dreamhouse) and Kevin Sizemore (The Staircase) also star.
Directed by Joanne Hock (When We Last Spoke), Disconnected “centers around the Walker family as they navigate personal loss and the consequences of online manipulation. Set against the backdrop of a school system heavily reliant on technology, the Walker’s and a group of courageous students challenge a corrupt administration as they fight to reclaim their community and their lives.”
“Disconnected is a wake-up call for our hyper-connected world,” said Hock. “It’s a story about how one family and a group of brave students in small-town West Virginia fight back against the toxic grip of AI surveillance, deepfakes, and social media manipulation to reclaim their humanity, their school, and their future.”
The project is being produced by Kevin Sizemore and Gina Lombardi under the GKg Productions banner. Garrett Z. Sutton (Kangaroo Kids) serves as executive producer.
Kayla Ewell is best known for her role as Vicki Donovan on The Vampire Diaries and for her work on The CW’s Roswell. Her credits also include The Bold and the Beautiful and Freaks and Geeks. Dietzen portrayed Jimmy Palmer on 23 seasons of the hit CBS drama series NCIS and wrote several episodes of the long-running procedural.
Ewell is represented by Artists & Representatives and managed by Untitled Entertainment. Dietzen is represented by James Feldman at LGNLaw.
