Carson Rowland has landed a lead role in NDA, a Bleecker Street-backed indie film now shooting in New York, opposite Rachel Zegler, Penn Badgley, and Amy Ryan. The casting marks a swift leap into features for the actor, who exited Netflix's Sweet Magnolias ahead of its fifth season to pursue other projects. (The Hollywood Reporter)

NDA centres on Dana, played by Zegler, who faces a single day of mediation after filing an office harassment claim. Audrey Ellis Fox makes her directorial debut from her own script, which landed on the 2024 Black List — the annual industry round-up of unproduced screenplays that circulates widely among producers and executives. Bleecker Street, the New York-based distributor behind films like We Need to Talk About Kevin and Leave No Trace, is backing the production.

Rowland played Ty Townsend on Sweet Magnolias for four seasons before choosing to leave the series. Season five debuted on Netflix in June 2025 without him. He has since shot a major recurring role in the pilot of NBC's The Rockford Files reboot starring David Boreanaz, which has been ordered to series. His other credits include Ryan Murphy's The Beauty, HBO Max's Pretty Little Liars reboot (where he played Chip), and the action-adventure film The Queen's Jewels opposite Katherine McNamara and Mike Vogel. He also co-executive produced The Testaments of Ann Lee, an Amanda Seyfried-led historical drama directed by Mona Fastvold and Brady Corbet.

The film is produced by Jared Ian Goldman and Zola Elgart Glassman for Mighty Engine, Keith Calder and Jess Wu Calder for SNOOT, Caitlin Gold for Tanbark Pictures, and Daniel Ginsberg for In The Cut Productions. Fox executive produces alongside Bleecker Street's Kent Sanderson, Tyler DiNapoli, and Miranda King, plus Christian Hall. Rowland is represented by CESD, Untitled Entertainment, and Skrzyniarz Mallean.

For Rowland, NDA sits at the centre of a packed stretch — a network series pickup, a feature lead, and a producing credit all arriving in the same window. For NDA, the casting rounds out a strong ensemble around a Black List script and a first-time director with heavyweight indie producers behind her.