Whiplash Oscar winner J.K. Simmons is attached to star in director Mark Palansky’s dark comedy/heist thriller My Only Sunshine from Circle of Confusion and Patriot Pictures. John Cusack is also in talks to join.

In the film, written by J.T. Petty and K. Reed Petty, Cusack plays one half of a passionately dysfunctional couple, who orchestrate a bank robbery as an unconventional act of bloodthirsty marriage counseling. Trying to make peace with the shocking mystery of their relationship throughout a violent hostage situation, is a cop hostage negotiator (Simmons), who previously investigated a past related murder.

Circle of Confusion‘s Matt Smith and Lawrence Mattis, and Michael Mendelsohn from Patriot Pictures are producing. Mendelsohn’s Union Patriot Capital Management, LLC is fully financing the project. J.T. Petty, Natalie Perrotta, and Jim Steele will be executive producing. XYZ Films and Patriot are handling global sales now at Berlin. Expected production start is this spring or summer.

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Cusack is a Golden Globe, SAG and BAFTA nominee best known for his parts in High Fidelity, Being John Malkovich, Say Anything and Love & Mercy. Mendelsohn’s previous financing/collaboration with Cusack was the 4x Oscar nominated 1990 Stephen Frears movie The Grifters. Simmons won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Whiplash. Palansky is known for directing Penelope, starring Christina Ricci, Richard E. Grant and Catherine O’Hara, and Rememory, starring Peter Dinklage.

Said Mendelsohn, “The combination of Circle of Confusion, John Cusack and J.K. Simmons lead this original, riveting, and vampire dark comedy storyline which will captivate buyers and audiences in true Circle of Confusion Walking Dead style.”

Cusack is repped by ICM Partners and Ziffren Brittenham. Simmons is repped by Gersh’s Stephen Hirsh. Palansky is repped by ICM Partners and McKuin Frankel Whitehead LLP. JT Petty and K. Reed Petty are repped by Circle of Confusion and Sloss Eckhouse Law Co LLP, and Michael Mendelsohn’s Patriot Pictures is represented by Anne Jordan, ESQ.