Heat vision
Cary Parker’s hit horror film has raised the actor’s profile significantly as he continues to break box office records.
Logo text
Riding high from the box office maniaStar Michael Johnston is making moves in the world of agents. The actor signed Gersh in what is described as a competitive situation to land the star.
Johnston was without an agent in the midst of starting work maniawhich became a huge hit, earning him instant fame overnight. Focus acquired independent film from the Toronto International Film Festival in September, and since its withdrawal on May 15, it has become the specialty label’s highest-grossing film ever, both internationally and domestically, with global revenues of $234.5 million.
before maniaJohnston was relatively unknown, with credits in Teen Wolf,Independent feature cutAnd Lionsgate Endangered species. landed in mania After director Cary Parker struggles to find the right actor to play Bear, the protagonist makes an ill-fated wish to be loved by the person he admires more than anything else in the world.
But director Skyler Zorn remembered Johnston from auditions for other projects and showed Parker some old tape of the actor. The director called him in for a chemistry read with actresses vying for the role of Nikki, and when Johnston and eventual co-star Indie Navarrete read together, the casting was clear. No one knew how the $750,000 would go, as the film became the first blockbuster since 1982. ET: Extraterrestrial To have the second and third weekends larger than the first.
Johnston will continue to be repped by Tash Moseley Management, Atlas Talent Agency voiceover and imprint, and Johnson Shapiro.
THR Newsletters
Sign up to get THR news straight to your inbox every day
Subscribe subscription
