Brandon Sklenar Makes His Producing Debut With Iron Jane
Brandon Sklenar is making his first move behind the camera as a producer, on a film called Iron Jane. Highland Film Group is presenting the picture to buyers at the American Film Market, the Los Angeles trade event where distributors shop for films before they reach cinemas or streaming services.
Sklenar talked about the project, and about how his career took off, in a Hollywood Reporter feature interview. He spoke by phone from Atlanta. He produces through his Vista Lane Pictures banner, and the film is his first credit as a producer.
The film is written and directed by Lissette Feliciano. Eiza Gonzalez plays Janie John, a woman who turns to competitive bodybuilding after a childhood marked by neglect. Sklenar plays a former bodybuilding champion who guides her through a physical transformation.
Highland Film Group expects the film to launch at a festival next year. Festivals are often where a film gets its first public screenings, and where sales agents begin to line up distribution. For U.S. rights, CAA Media Finance and WME Independent are handling the deals, according to the same interview.
Sklenar grew up in New Jersey and moved to Los Angeles straight after high school. His breakthrough came as Spencer Dutton in 1923, the Paramount+ series from Taylor Sheridan that serves as a prequel to Yellowstone. He has several projects lined up. He is in Paramount's The Rescue, and he is attached to Warner Bros.' F.A.S.T., which Sheridan scripted. He also stars opposite Maika Monroe in Ramin Bahrani's Vegas: A Love Story.
Taken together, the list shows a busy year for an actor who is now also putting his name on the business side of a film. Producing means taking part in choices that come before a single frame is shot, from the script to the people hired to make it. Iron Jane is the first of those choices to reach a sales market.
The film has no release date yet, and no distributor has been named. Buyers at the American Film Market will decide what happens next.
