Brand new cast members for American Muscle by director Joel Veach revealed

American Muscle is an upcoming crime thriller written and directed by Joel Veach. It's a gritty indie flick, which recently completed filming in Santa Clarita, California.

The cast of American Muscle includes David W. Thompson, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Lauren Glazier, Liana Wright-Mark, Brendan Sexton III, and Jorge Garcia. The film marks Veach's feature directorial debut. He has previously written the script for 2022's Old Man (helmed by Lucky McKee) in addition to writing and directing the 2014 short film, Guys with Guns.

Per Variety, the film's official synopsis reads:

"American Muscle follows a debt-ridden mechanic desperate to escape his violent past. When his estranged sister returns and two ruthless debt collectors come looking for payment, long-buried family secrets resurface, setting the stage for an explosive reckoning."

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American Muscle by Joel Veach: The entire cast list revealed so far

David W. Thompson

American Muscle stars David W. Thompson in the central role of a mechanic who reunites with his sister. The actor recently starred as Leo in Jesse Armstrong's Mountainhead. He played a central role in Greg Jardin's acclaimed Netflix dark comedy, It's What's Inside, about a group of friends reuniting after several years to learn each other's deepest and darkest secrets. His other credits include Fear Street: Part One - 1994 (2021) and shows like Panic and Gotham.

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Gbenga Akinnagbe

Gbenga Akinnagbe starred in the FX series Old Man, which centered around a former CIA agent (played by Jeff Bridges) who must return to his roots. He was also cast in The Thicket (2024) and Rob Peace (2024), and shows like Wu-Tang: An American Saga and Power Book II: Ghost.

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Lauren Glazier

Lauren Glazier played Kay Manz in David Fincher's Netflix series, Mindhunter. She was also seen in shows like Netflix's Ransom Canyon and Apple TV's See and is expected to star in Marvel's Wonder Man.

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Liana Wright-Mark

Liana Wright-Mark was a part of Rian Johnson's Poker Face, where she played Lonny. She previously collaborated with Veach on Old Man. Her other credits include Love Bomb (2024) and Ocean's Eight (2018).

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Brendan Sexton III

Brendan Sexton III has been in the cast of the Prime Video series Ballard, the Netflix series Russian Doll, and the Peacock series Poker Face. The rest of his credits also include Don't Breathe 2 (2021) and Shelby Oaks (2024).

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Jorge Garcia

American Muscle star Jorge Garcia was a central cast member of the ABC survival drama series, Lost, where he played Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes. He has since starred in shows like Hawaii Five-0 and Bookie.

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American Muscle: More details revealed

Writer-director Joel Veach also produced the project under his banner, RSL Films, along with Nathan Crooker from Ghost Gang Productions. Crooker has shared a statement praising Veach's artistic vision. He said,

“American Muscle is about broken people trying to survive a world that doesn’t forgive weakness. Joel’s writing is both gripping and emotionally raw; he crafts characters who bleed, speak carefully, and carry history in their silences. This is storytelling with grit and gravity, and it’s been a privilege to bring it to life.”

Veach also spoke about his inspirations behind this character-driven thriller that will follow a pair of siblings at a crossroads after a run-in with some debt collectors. Here's what Veach said,

“I’m just incredibly grateful to have worked with such a phenomenal group of actors, some of whom have been directedby filmmakers I deeply admire, like Martin McDonagh, David Fincher, Jeremy Saulnier, and Lucky McKee."

He further added,

"It’s also been an honor to work alongside Nathan Crooker. This film simply wouldn’t have gotten made without his belief in the story and the passion and precision he brought to every aspect of production from start to finish.”

Per Variety, Veach will follow this project with another feature film, which will take place in Texas. It will be a 1980s-set neo-Western titled The Ballad of Little John Wayne. Hopefully, we'll learn more details soon.