Indie comedy COFFEE, KILL BOSS to cause a stir as Austin Film Festival opener

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Oct. 17, 2013 - PRLog -- Directed by first time feature helmer Nathan J. Marshall, Coffee, Kill Boss is set to make a major splash at the 20th Anniversary Austin Film, kicking off next week. The indie comedy follows the exploits of top executives at a failing American company as they are hunted down by a sadistic killer. Consistent with recent trends toward genre hybrids, Coffee, Kill Boss is described as a comedic thriller with a “Hitchcockian style” and is already turning heads as the World Premiere scheduled for opening night of this year’s Austin Film Festival, October 24-31, 2013.

Starring Eddie Jemison (Oceans 11-12-13, Hung) and Noureen DeWulf (Anger Management)in the leading roles of CEO and “Office Temp” respectively, the pic offers an unforgettable supporting performance from Oscar-nominee Robert Forster (The Descendents, Jackie Brown) and a seasoned supporting cast that includes Richard Riehle (Bridesmaids, Office Space), Peter Breitmayer (A Serious Man), Zibby Allen (Gray’s Anatomy), Chris Wylde (The Chris Wylde Show, Aim High), Denise Grayson (The Social Network) and Jack Wallace (Boogie Nights). “Everyone just clicked on set,” said Marshall of the veteran ensemble.

Penned by Sigurd Ueland, the script was a finalist in the 2011 Austin Film Festival, but originally caught Marshall’s eye while enrolled in a screenwriting class with Ueland at UCLA. “Sig’s writing was different. His characters exist in controlled chaos, but there’s an earnestness [to them],” Nathan shared. The duo worked for years to secure financing for the unconventional comedy, and picked up speed when they attached producers Scott van Dutton, Robert Mello and Gregor Habsburg. Attracted to the script’s joke-laden dialogue and unconventional roles, the producers brought on casting director Lisa Essary (The Artist), and soon after attached Jemison in the hero role. “Everyone really respects Eddie and he was also the only actor I could see playing this role,” said Marshall. “Once he was on board, the rest of the cast came together quickly.” On hiatus after her first season as Charlie Sheen’s co-star in “Anger Management,” Noureen DeWulf was not Nathan’s first choice to play the character only known in the film as “Temp.” “I never imagined Temp being as beautiful as Noureen. But that’s what’s so incredible about her as an actress. She’s able to get messy and go to some dark places, but at the end of the day she still looks like a super model. She’s crazy talented,” said Marshall.

Pulled from some of his own experiences while working at a corporate office, Coffee, Kill Boss is Sigurd Ueland’s first produced feature, and is being billed as an “Austin Film Festival success story.” Nathan Marshall directs television and has been twice nominated for commercial Emmy Awards, and was excited to work with his production “dream team” including cinematographer Gabriel Lewis and composer Scott van Dutton, who Marshall originally met a decade ago through Craigslist while shooting a short film. “I met Gabriel through Craigslist, too,” Marshall added. So does Craigslist get a “special thank you” in the end credits? “I already called Craig and thanked him personally,” he joked.

Coffee, Kill Boss premieres at The Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX, on Thursday, October 24th. Eddie Jemison and Noureen DeWulf are headlining the 7pm screening.