Mel Gibson and Tye Sheridan will co-star in the indie Black Flies, which is based on Shannon Burke’s novel.
The script was penned by Ryan King and was featured on this year’s Black List.
Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, who directed the critically acclaimed A24 film “A Prayer Before Dawn,” will helm the picture.
In Black Flies, Sheridan plays a young paramedic, Ollie Cross, navigating his first year on the job.
He’s partnered with Rutkovsky (Mel Gibson), an experienced medic who thrusts Ollie into the harsh realities of New York’s inner-city streets.
Amidst high crime rates, homelessness, and widespread drug use, Ollie finds his perspective on life and death shifting.
Mad River Pictures is financing and producing alongside Christopher Kopp, Lucan Toh & Babak Anvari, and Anthony Katagas.
Sheridan will also be a producer on the film, which is slated to begin production during the second quarter of 2019.
