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EXCLUSIVE: David Ayer is squeezing a gritty indie crime thriller in between directing Bright and its sequel. Ayer has begun pre-production on Tax Collector, a crime thriller he wrote and will direct in Los Angeles this summer with Shia LaBeouf and Bobby Soto starring. Cross Creek Pictures is funding the film, which is a co-production between Cross Creek and Cedar Park Entertainment. Latter is led by Ayer and Chris Long, who just made a first look deal with eOne for television. Tax Collector harkens back to Ayer’s earlier gritty crime thrillers Training Day (which he wrote and Antoine Fuqua directed) and End of Watch, which Ayer directed. They are keeping plot under wraps. Cross Creek credits include Black Swan, Black Mass, American Made, and Hacksaw Ridge. Cross Creek has an overall deal at Sony.



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Ayer wrote Tax Collector and Long (Mr. Mercedes) will be the producer. Cross Creek is repped by CAA Media Finance and Schuyler Moore of Greenberg Glusker Fields. Cedar park, Ayer and Long are repped by CAA.