Vertical has secured NA rights to mob thriller The Gemini Lounge, based on the true story of the Italian-American crime family known as “the DeMeo crew” who reigned over New York with bloodshed and violence in the ‘60s and ‘70s. Written by Kosta Kondilopoulos, and directed by and starring Danny A. Abeckaser, the film follows a recently demoted detective seeking redemption by taking on an undercover assignment to infiltrate an infamous crime family. Vertical will be releasing the film day-and-date later this year.
The film stars Hirsch, Greene, and Abeckaser along with Lucy Hale (The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry), Greg Finley (The Flash), Jake Cannavale (Paramount +’s The Offer), Bo Dietl (The Wolf of Wall Street), Vincent Laresca (Shades of Blue), and more.
Bobby Belucci’s (Emile Hirsch) life falls apart after he discovers his wife (Ashley Greene) is having an affair. After beating the Other Man to a pulp, his wife leaves him and he’s demoted at work, triggering Bobby’s determination to turn things around and prove to his wife and boss that he’s worthy of redemption. His plan? Go undercover as a grunt in the DeMeo Crew’s organized crime syndicate, with the goal of getting close with the head of the family — capo Roy DeMeo (Abeckaser). But the deeper Bobby sinks into the mob, the more bodies start dropping, and the price for absolution may be higher than he can pay.
The film is produced by Abeckaser along with Gustavo Nascimento and Kyle Stefanski (Gotti).
Director/producer and star Danny A. Abecksar commented, “From day one, I knew Vertical was the perfect home for The Gemini Lounge. I followed the success they had with Lansky and Capone and how passionate they were about this film from the start.”
Vertical’s SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi stated, “We are thrilled to be working on this film that tells the untold true story of the DeMeo Crew and their history. We’ve had great success with this genre in the past and look forward to building on that track record with this release which feels like an ode to mob films as a whole.”
Piantedosi negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical, while Abeckaser negotiated on behalf of the production.
