internet culture

Madison De La Garza to Direct Zoom Mystery Thriller Starring TikTokers

Madison De La Garza. Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for CBS Films

Madison De La Garza, Demi Lovato’s little sister and muse, is set to direct a team of TikTok influencers in a new thriller, per Variety. Written and produced by British filmmaker Max Marlow, Surprise takes place at a Zoom party that goes awry when the birthday girl’s friends seem to know more than she does. The cast is made up of five trained actors who’ve reached global success on TikTok: Laurel Toupal, Zach Cowan, Inka Magnaye from the Philippines, Jason van Tonder of South Africa, and Paige Evans from Canada. Together, they have a combined following of over 8.3 million on TikTok. Marlow says he was inspired by Rob Savage’s Host, about a group of friends who host a séance over Zoom. “It’s the first time anyone has assembled a cast of trained actors from TikTok to star in an exclusively POV-style film, as allowed by the Zoom layout on which it is set, similar to last year’s internet favorite Host,†says Marlow. “The project promises strength in encapsulating three of new media’s biggest evolutions — the rise of short-form, the found-footage genre migrating to mobile, and the star power of talent on social media.†Surprise is currently in postproduction, making its way to screens soon.

Madison De La Garza to Direct Zoom Thriller With TikTokers