Zack Gottsagen and Anna Enger Ritch Cast as Siblings in "A Reason to Stay"
Zack Gottsagen and Anna Enger Ritch will play brother and sister in a new film called "A Reason to Stay," Variety reported on 10 November 2026. The film is directed by Rippin Sindher and has recently finished principal photography, the main stretch of filming, in Ohio.
Gottsagen plays Zach, a young man with Down syndrome who helps run his family's struggling animal shelter. Ritch plays Sophie, who comes home after her mother dies. Spencer Neville also stars.
Sindher co-wrote the script with Melanie Forchetti. It is Sindher's first feature as a director. Sindher previously directed the 2025 short "Flight 182," and in April was named one of seven fellows in the Sundance Institute's Cultural Impact Residency, a programme that supports film-makers working on socially driven projects.
The film marks a reunion for Gottsagen with Davied Thiews of TVACOM Films, who worked with him on "The Peanut Butter Falcon." That film was Gottsagen's big-screen debut, and he starred alongside Shia LaBeouf and Dakota Johnson. His most recent film credit is the 2025 Netflix thriller "Night Always Comes," which starred Vanessa Kirby.
Ritch is best known on television. She played Zoe Powell on CBS' "S.W.A.T." and Joey on Netflix's "The Haunting of Hill House." Her last big-screen role was in the 2023 Prime Video drama "On a Wing and a Prayer," opposite Dennis Quaid and Heather Graham.
Behind the camera, Kelli A. White of With-An-i Productions is a producer on the film, working alongside Promised The Moon Productions. Amy Russ, Melanie Forchetti, William Thies and Katie Cassidy are also credited as producers. Ridley Scott, Archie Panjabi, Sonein Noack and Emik David are executive producers.
The casting puts two lead performers on screen together for the first time in a story about siblings who must decide what to do with a family business. For Gottsagen, it continues a run that began with a single film and has grown into a steady presence in the industry. For Ritch, it is a return to a leading role on the big screen after a gap of several years.
