Hollywood’s New Power Trio: Kathryn Newton, Storm Reid and Dove Cameron Lead a Coming-of-Age Revenge Thriller

So, if you like your thrillers with a side of genre-mashup—and if 'messy female friendships in extreme circumstances' sounds like an A24 pitch made just for you—there's a new one worth keeping an eye on. The movie is called 'Hot Year,' and it brings together three young actors who already have their own mini-fanbases: Kathryn Newton, Storm Reid, and Dove Cameron. All three are signed on to star in this coming-of-age revenge story, which also serves as the feature directing debut of Roxy Sophie Sorkin. (And yes, that's Sorkin as in the daughter of Aaron Sorkin, who wrote everything from 'The Social Network' to 'The West Wing'—in case you like movie trivia.)

What's Actually Going On in 'Hot Year'?

So here's the gist: you’ve got two childhood best friends in a small Pacific Northwest town, and it’s hot—like, literal heatwave hot. The two girls cook up a revenge plan against one of their ex-boyfriends, but things spiral way past what anybody expected, fast. One violent act later and their friendship—plus their sanity, I’m guessing—gets seriously stress-tested. The rest of the film plays out over one feverish night where they try to clean up the mess, all while dealing with old trauma, shifting loyalties, and some serious identity baggage. You can already picture the midnight neon lighting, right?

The Cast: Young, Famous, and (Mostly) Used to the Weird Stuff

• Kathryn Newton – You’ve seen her getting chased by monsters, vampires, or worse ex-boyfriends in 'Freaky,' 'Abigail,' and she's set to appear in 'Ready or Not 2.'
• Storm Reid – She's one foot in prestige TV ('Euphoria'), one foot in tense thrillers ('Missing,' 'The Last of Us,' 'The Invisible Man,' and 'The Nun II'). Basically, if you need a compelling Gen Z lead, she's on the shortlist.
• Dove Cameron – The former Disney star has been taking on more adult, darker projects, including the recent '56 Days' on Prime Video.
• J. Smith-Cameron ('Rectify') and Owen Painter ('Wednesday') are also joining the chaos.

Who's Making It?

The director, Roxy Sophie Sorkin, is making her jump to features after building a reputation with shorts that landed at Sundance, Tribeca, and Beyond Fest. No small feat, even if she does have a famous dad. But don’t expect Sorkin-lite—she seems to be carving out her own niche. This isn’t another walk-and-talk political drama.

Behind the scenes, it’s a real indie mix: Jordan Wagner for Wagner Entertainment and Christine Vachon for Killer Films (she’s one of the most respected indie producers around, if you know your ’90s cinema) are producing. Entertainment 360, Hype Studios, and a slew of other companies are also in the mix. Kathryn Newton’s even pulling double duty as an executive producer.

Production is set to start in Oklahoma this May, even though the movie takes place in the Pacific Northwest. Not the strangest choice. Maybe Oregon was booked?

What's the Word from the Team?

'Hot Year is an exploration into brutal honesty and boiling, seething, grotesque womanhood. It’s a movie I wish I had held dear when I was 18. It’s a forehead kiss and a spit in the face. Be prepared to wear fairy wings and bring Fireball.'

That’s from Sorkin herself. If you needed any more hints that this isn’t your average small-town thriller—well, there you go.

The producers are also pretty amped. Jordan Wagner raves about Sorkin’s unique perspective and how the script is 'bold, emotional, but also fun and unpredictable.' Christine Vachon says they’re drawn to filmmakers who take risks on both tone and character, and that 'Hot Year' lives in an exciting, weird, specific space that she finds unsettling and compelling.

Why You Should Bother

Squarely in the 'one to watch' category, 'Hot Year' has all the ingredients: buzzy cast, first-time feature director with festival cred, and a premise that leans into messy friendships and the kind of consequences you can’t easily run from. If it lands, it could easily become a breakout for everyone involved.

Production kicks off in May, so we’ll probably see the first creepy promo shots by the end of the year. If ‘revenge thriller’ plus 'Pacific Northwest sweatbox' sounds good to you, keep this on your radar.