Jennifer Esposito Tapped To Direct ‘Shake’, Female-Centric Crime Drama From Ryan Binaco

Valerie Complex
·1-min read

EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of her directorial and writing debut with Fresh Kills, SAG Award-winning actress, director and producer Jennifer Esposito has signed to direct Shake, which is written by Ryan Binaco (To Leslie).

The synopsis: Shake was nobody when she made her name in Philly. That name was the mob boss’ lady. It brought money, power and respect. Then life went to hell, and she vanished. Twenty years later, she’s back. But when she returns to the world she helped build, it wants nothing to do with her. So she’s back to where she started: a nobody. But this time Shake’s not going anywhere and aims to navigates a dark and violent world ruled by men, as she fights to get what she’s owed.

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The film is set in a similar world as Fresh Kills is inspired by character-driven ’70s crime dramas like The Killing of a Chinese Bookie and The French Connection as well as recent thrillers like Drive and Uncut Gems. Shake is produced by Kelsey Law of Clair de Lune and John Finemore of Lost City (Watcher), with James Hoppe of Lost City as executive producer, and Arlie Day and Mike Page serving as co-producers.

Esposito directed, wrote and starred in Fresh Kills, which opens Friday and premiered at last year’s Tribeca Festival. She is represented by Echo Lake Entertainment, WME and 42West.

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