Aaron Paul to Star in 'Hellion'

Aaron Paul (Photo via Gage Skidmore / Wikimedia Commons)

Aaron Paul has already proven his mettle on Breaking Bad again and again, and now a local filmmaker has laid claim to the Emmy-winning actor for one of her projects.

Deadline reported yesterday that Kat Candler's Hellion – based on the highly lauded short of the same name – now has two big names attached: Aaron Paul and Juliette Lewis (Whip It's Iron Maven).

The film's press release describes the story thus:

Written and directed by Kat Candler, HELLION follows a fractured family as they struggle to stay together in a small refinery town in Southeast Texas. …

In HELLION, Hollis Wilson (Paul) is an emotionally and physically absent father struggling to hold down his refinery job in the wake of his wife’s recent death. His motocross obsessed thirteen year-old son, Jacob’s (Wiggins) misguided and destructive actions push the family to the brink of collapse, leading to his younger brother, Wes (Garner), being taken away by CPS and placed with his Aunt Pam (Lewis).

But the team's strength doesn't stop there. The film's cast also includes Jonny Mars (who starred in Candler's more recent short, "Black Metal") and newcomers Josh Wiggins and Deke Garner. The producing lineup is solid as well: Kelly Williams, Jonathan Duffy, Jeff Nichols, and Sarah Green. Hellion is being shot by Brett Pawlak, who was also behind the lens for SXSW award-winning feature Short Term 12.

Earlier this year, Candler picked up a spate of awards for "Black Metal," as well as a pair of grants from the Austin Film Society.

We already had our eye on this Hellion, but now more than ever, you should too.