Da'Vine Joy Randolph has signed on to star in "Dedicated to Morris Burke," an indie dark comedy now filming in New York City, Variety reported on 7 August 2026.

Randolph plays Judy Brooks, a widow who discovers that her late husband — a best-selling novelist — dedicated his final book not to her, but to a man named Morris Burke. The premise lays the groundwork for a dark comedy about grief, suspicion, and the secrets people leave behind. Jeremy Leder wrote the screenplay.

The ensemble surrounding Randolph runs deep in comedic talent. Kate McKinnon, Amy Sedaris, Janeane Garofalo, Alison Pill, Andrew Rannells, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jack Alberts, Brian d'Arcy James, Holmes, Tyrik Johnson, and Lauren Mei round out the cast, according to Variety.

Behind the camera is Will Ropp, an actor-turned-filmmaker making his sophomore directing feature. His debut, the coming-of-age comedy "Brian," premiered at the SXSW film festival in Austin earlier this year. Ropp shot that film in just 18 days, after a planned feature fell apart and he regrouped, as he told The Hollywood Reporter in March. "Dedicated to Morris Burke" is a step into a larger production: a New York shoot, a packed cast, and a sales operation with global reach.

Production began in late July in New York City. Andy Horwitz and Omri Bezalel produce for Big Swell Entertainment, alongside Casey Hanley for Act 4 Artists, Ropp himself for Endless Ropportunities, and Bunny Productions. UTA Independent Film Group — the indie sales arm of the United Talent Agency — is handling worldwide sales, meaning the film does not yet have a distributor locked for theatrical or streaming release. UTA will shop it to buyers at a market or festival once a cut is ready.

For Randolph, the role arrives on the heels of an awards-season breakthrough. The Philadelphia-born actor, repped by CAA, has built a career moving between stage and screen. A project like this — an indie dark comedy with a name cast and a sharp hook — is the kind of package that sales agents bring to festival markets such as Toronto or the AFM, where distributors decide what reaches theatres and streaming platforms months down the line.

Ropp is represented by Entertainment 360 and Gersh. No release date has been set.