EXCLUSIVE: Making his directorial debut on The Kid, Vincent D’Onofrio has found his title character. He has set newcomer Jake Schur to star as Rio in the Mimran Schur Pictures and Suretone Pictures co-production. He joins Ethan Hawke and Dane DeHaan in a Western that tells the story of the infamous gunfighter Billy the Kid, as seen through the eyes of a young boy who reaches out to his outlaw hero to help save his kidnapped sister.

Schur is the 13-year old son of producer Jordan Schur, and D’Onofrio handpicked him after first meeting the youth when D’Onofrio acted in Pawn Shop Chronicles, which the senior Schur also produced. The Andrew Lanham-scripted The Kid begins shooting September 29 in Sante Fe, NM, with DeHaan playing the notorious gunslinger. Lionsgate releases in the U.S. and UK, with Christian Mercuri of Capstone Group selling offshore.

Suretone

Jordan Schur is producing via his Mimran Schur Pictures/Suretone Pictures banner, along with Nick Thurlow and Sam Maydew. The exec producers are David Mimran, Carl Stubner, Dillon D. Jordan, Ricky Brickell, Mercuri, JoJo Chehebar, Samir Patel and Sejal Patel. Suretone/Mimran Schur is in post on the Kevin Sorbo-starrer One Nation Under God and is prepping the Jackie Chan starrer Five Against a Bullet with Columbia Pictures and Sparkle Roll, the CBS Films and Lionsgate pic Revenge Wedding and an adaptation of the David Morrell novel Creepers.

Jake Schur is represented by his manager Bonnie Liedtke at Principato Young Entertainment, and attorney Kevin Yorn of Morris Yorn Law.