Lifetime announced the greenlight and casting of Billy Zane (“True Story,” “MacGruber”) for the yet-to-be-titled new original movie based on the true story of Larry Ray, an ex-con who moved in with his daughter at Sarah Lawrence College and created a cult-like influence over her friends, wielding emotional, psychological, and physical abuse over them for a decade. With additional casting underway, the movie will be executive-produced and directed by Elisabeth Rohm, who is also an alum of Sarah Lawrence College. The movie begins production this month and will premiere as part of Lifetime’s Ripped from the Headlines summer slate.
When Larry Ray (Billy Zane), an ex-convict, unexpectedly moves into his daughter’s dorm, he enthralls her friends with conversations and promises to help them with personal transformations by preying on their insecurities and fears. Under Ray’s influence, the students uncover false memories of childhood trauma that Ray used to further alienate them from their families. As the students continued to fall under Ray’s control, he began to target their friends and family, extending his reach of emotional, financial, sexual abuse and mental manipulation. As the students got pulled deeper into the cult, Ray’s control moved from emotional and mental to sexual as well, creating a web of lies and deceit.
The Untitled Larry Ray Movie is executive produced by Stephen Tolkin, Dan Abrams, Rachel Stockman, Jonathan Baruch, and Howard Braunstein for Lifetime. Elisabeth Rohm also executive produces and will direct the movie, written by Waneta Storms.
Billy Zane is represented by Paradigm, Canopy Media Partners, and attorney Jared Bloch.
This film mark’s Rohm’s fourth directing role with the network. The other titles she directed for Lifetime include her directorial debut, “Girl in the Basement,” “Switched Before Birth” in 2021 and “Girl in Room 13” in 2022.
