Daniel Zolghadri to Replace Charles Melton in Elijah Bynum’s Crime Thriller ‘My Darling California’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Charles Melton has dropped out of Elijah Bynum’s L.A. crime thriller “My Darling California” and “Lurker” actor Daniel Zolghadri is stepping in as his replacement, Variety can exclusively reveal.

Zolghadri will play Kent, a young man “who is caught in an escalating conflict that quickly spirals beyond his control,” and “forced to confront long-buried questions” after a figure from his past unexpectedly reemerges, according to an official description. Reps for Melton did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the exit.

“My Darling California,” which will be shot entirely in California, boasts a stacked cast of Jessica Chastain, Chris Pine, Chris Evans, Mikey Madison and Don Cheadle. An official logline for the film reads, “In 1980 Los Angeles, a televangelist (and his newscaster wife) struggle to contain a multi-faceted scandal that could ruin their careers.”

Zolghadri held small roles in films like Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade“ and HBO’s “Fahrenheit 451” before breaking out as the lead of Prime Video’s sci-fi drama series “Tales from the Loop.” On the film side, he recently had supporting roles in “Y2K,” “If I Had Legs I’d Kick You” and “Lurker.” His most recent credit was for Alexandrea Pechman’s drama “Magazine,” which premiered earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival. Zolghadri will soon star in “The Temple” from directors Yonah Lewis and Calvin Thomas, and Annie Baker’s “Ancient History” for A24.

Bynum got his break writing and directing the A24 drama “Hot Summer Nights” with Timothée Chalamet. He followed up that film with “Magazine Dreams” in 2023 with Jonathan Majors.

“My Darling California” is produced by David Hinojosa, Alex Coco and Sébastien Raybaud, with Scott Budnick and Ameet Shukla of 1Community and Emily Blavatnik and Danny Cohen of Access Entertainment. Len Blavatnik, owner of Access Entertainment, and Zach Nutman of 2AM will serve as executive producers.

The film was produced, backed and sold by Anton, which also handled international sales. Anton and CAA Media Finance co-represent U.S. and global rights.

Zolghadri is repped by UTA and Circle Management + Production.