James McAvoy’s First Movie as Director Gets Release Date

James McAvoy is stepping behind the camera for the first time, and his directorial debut is already locked in for a theatrical rollout in the United States. The film follows a real-life inspired story rooted in music, identity, and reinvention, and it also features McAvoy in front of the camera. The project now has an official release timeline for audiences in the U.S.

California Schemin’ gets October release date

The film California Schemin’ will open in theaters on October 2 in New York and Los Angeles before expanding nationwide on October 9 (via Deadline). The movie marks the first feature directing effort from James McAvoy, who also appears in the cast. The film is being released through Magenta Light Studios.

The story is set in the late 1990s and is based on Gavin Bain’s autobiography. It follows two aspiring musicians, Bain and Billy Boyd, who struggle to break into the industry because of their Scottish accents. Frustrated by constant rejection, they create a new identity for themselves as American rappers. They even re-record their music with American accents and build a fake backstory linking them to the U.S. hip-hop scene.

Their strategy works at first. The duo lands a record deal, earns advances, and even gains exposure on MTV. But as their success grows, so does the pressure to sustain the act, and the lies. The fabricated identity becomes harder to protect, and the risk of being exposed starts to threaten everything they have built.

The cast includes Séamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, and Lucy Halliday in key roles. The screenplay comes from Archie Thomson and Elaine Grace. The film already premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year and was later released in the U.K. and Ireland in April.

McAvoy described the story as one centered on ambition and identity, noting how fitting it feels to bring it to American audiences, given the characters’ original deception. McAvoy said, “There’s something brilliantly fitting about bringing this true story to America, considering that’s where the boys claimed to be from all along.” He continued, “At its heart, it’s a story about reinvention, ambition, and identity, inspired by a love of American music and culture.”

Source: Comingsoon.net