EXCLUSIVE: Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) and My Old Ass breakout Maisy Stella have signed on to star in Tumor, a psychological thriller from filmmaker Will Bridges (All of You), based on the graphic novel written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon.
Tumor delves into the story of a low-level Los Angeles private investigator. When the daughter of a wealthy politico goes missing, the PI embarks on a mission into the world of L.A.’s young, privileged elite to track her down. Battling the debilitating symptoms of a late-stage brain tumor, his grasp on reality becomes increasingly fragile, and as the unlikely duo sets out on the run, old memories blur with the present, dredging up dark secrets from his past.
Selected to receive the California Tax Credit, the film will be produced by Daniela Taplin Lundberg for Stay Gold Features. UTA Independent Film Group and WME Independent are co-repping U.S. sales, with AGC International handling rights in the rest of the world, launching sales at AFM.
News of the project follows the unveiling of Bridges’ debut feature All of You, a romantic drama starring Brett Goldstein and Imogen Poots that anthem No. 1 on Apple TV.
Bridges said that when he first encountered Tumor, the graphic novel, “I was struck by its raw emotional intensity and the way it explores memory, mortality, and redemption through the lens of a gripping psychological thriller. The idea of a man unraveling his own past while racing against time — questioning what is real, what is his own mind and whether he can truly make amends — felt deeply compelling to me.
“This is a story about regret, second chances, and the way our past never really lets us go,” the filmmaker added. “To tell it with Sam Rockwell — a one-of-a-kind actor I’ll movie in anything and everything — and Maisy Stella, whose performance in My Old Ass made it my favorite film of that year, feels like a dream collaboration. I can’t wait to bring it to life on screen.”
Producer Taplin Lundberg said, “Will has crafted an electrifying duo in Frank Armstrong and Evie Gibson — two combustible forces colliding in a relentless fight for survival. With Sam Rockwell and Maisy Stella bringing them to life, their dynamic is raw, unexpected, and utterly gripping. But what makes them truly special is the sharp, dark humor that cuts through the tension. Not since Jean Reno and Natalie Portman in The Professional have we seen a pairing this electric.”
Co-creator of AMC anthology series Soulmates alongside All of You‘s Goldstein, Bridges is also known for his writing work on Stranger Things and Black Mirror, including the latter’s “USS Callister” — one of the most acclaimed episodes of the entire series, which brought him an Emmy — and the recent follow-up USS Callister: Into Infinity. He is represented by Untitled and WME.
Fialkov and Tuazon are Harvey- and Eisner-nominated authors of graphic novels including Tumor and the cult anthem Elks Run. Fialkov’s other comics work includes The Bunker, The Life After, and Echoes, as well as multiple works for Marvel and DC. He’s also an Emmy-nominated television and animation writer on series including Afro Samurai, Young Justice, and Chicago Med. Fialkov is repped by WME, Industry Entertainment, and attorney Leslie Abell.
Coming off his third Emmy nomination for his unforgettable supporting role in the third season of HBO’s The White Lotus, Rockwell will next be seen starring in Gore Verbinski’s Good Luck, Have Fun, Don’t Die, out via Briarcliff on January 30, 2026. He is repped by Gersh, Untitled, and JKKS.
Stella won Critics Choice and Independent Spirit Awards for her starring turn in retailer MGM’s My Old Ass, the coming-of-age dramedy from Megan Park, where she starred opposite Aubrey Plaza. She’s part of the cast of Maude Apatow’s feature directorial debut Poetic License, which new distributor Row K snapped up out of TIFF for release on May 15, 2026, and will also be seen next summer in David Robert Mitchell’s Warner Bros. sci-fi pic Flowervale Street. She is repped by CAA, Entertainment 360, and attorney McKuin Frankel Whitehead.
Taplin Lundberg has most recently produced lauded titles including Goodrich, Nanny, and Together Together. She is repped by UTA.
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