Dove Cameron thriller Cassi heads to Toronto buyers after re-shoots
VMI International is bringing the thriller Cassi to buyers at the Toronto International Film Festival, with Dove Cameron and RJ Mitte in the lead roles. The sales launch, reported by Deadline, covers the market that runs alongside the festival, where sales agents offer distribution rights to buyers territory by territory.
Buyers can pick up all rights for a country, or split them between cinemas, television and streaming. That market process decides where, when and how a film reaches audiences outside its home country. For Cassi, the pitch is for the rest of the world, with a release eyed for late 2026 or in 2027.
Cameron plays Cassi, a waitress at a local diner. Mitte plays Isaac, a reclusive young mortician. Their paths cross in a story earlier described by Variety as a dark romantic thriller. No plot details beyond that setup have been disclosed.
The film was written and directed by Josh Webber. It was produced by Webber Films in association with Ferrari Films, with Webber, Bastiano Ferrari, Mailene Carmona, Robert Robinson and Susan Prinz credited as producers. The supporting cast includes Casper Van Dien, Robert Lasardo and Bastiano Ferrai.
Cassi has had a long road to the market. The project was first announced in 2020 under the title Issac, when Deadline reported that Cameron would co-star opposite Mitte. It later became Love Me Dead, which was released in Germany in 2024.
For the rest of the world, the film-makers went back to work. They carried out re-shoots and added cast members ahead of the Toronto sales launch. Retitling after a local release is not unusual when a film is reworked for a wider audience.
Recording artist Dawn Richard joined the ensemble during the early Issac stage. At that point Cassi was described simply as a friendly waitress. Mitte has since also appeared in Standing Up for Sunny.
Cameron is known to many viewers from Disney Channel's Liv and Maddie and the Descendants films. Mitte is known for playing Walter White Jr in Breaking Bad. Both credits trace back to earlier Deadline reporting on the project.
What makes this stand out is the second act. A German release would usually close the book. Here the team has recut, reshot and retitled, then taken the new version to Toronto to find buyers elsewhere. The next step is a deal, or deals, that will set the date audiences elsewhere can see it.
