California Schemin' to Release New Trailer and Poster Ahead of US Debut
Seamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday and Rebekah Murrell star alongside McAvoy in the film.
James McAvoy's directorial debut CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN' is set for a theatrical release in US theaters nationwide on October 9, 2026, with a theatrical expansion following on October 16 & 23, 2026.
The film is directed by McAvoy and stars McAvoy alongside Seamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday, and Rebekah Murrell. The film premiered at TIFF to strong reviews and is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
McAvoy issued the following statement about the project:
'I've wanted to direct since I was 16. After 30 years of working with and learning from some of the best in the business, that desire has only grown.
All this gave me the opportunity to do two things I cared about as a first-time director:
1. Tell a story about people from a background like mine: lower-income, council estate kids, with talent, hopes, dreams - and a desire to transcend their limited horizons.
2. Entertain.
CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN' is about two people who don't just break through a glass ceiling, they completely ignore it and find a way around. That might sound like a straightforward success story, but if it were, I wouldn't be telling it.
We celebrate those who dare to dream in the face of failure, who kick down closed doors with unapologetic, gallus self-belief.
For me, the heart of the story is if their friendship and sanity could survive the journey: could they stay healthy and true to themselves while adopting personas the industry deemed acceptable, and forsaking the Scottish culture that made them?'
Logline: Based on the improbably true story, CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN' follows two aspiring Scottish MCs who devise an audacious scheme to achieve their dream of a record deal by posing as Californian hip-hop artists. As fame beckons and the lies pile up, their friendship is put to the test.
Film Details
Genre: Biography, Drama, Comedy
Distributor: Magenta Light Studios
Director: James McAvoy
Written By: Elaine Gracie, Archie Thomson
Starring: Seamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday, Rebekah Murrell, James McAvoy
Producers: Danny Page, Paul Aniello, Simon Kay, Michael Mendelsohn
Executive Producers: James McAvoy, Natalie Perrotta, Naysun Alae-Carew, Shahin Sobhani, Kieran Hannigan, Steven Little, Nicholas Crum, Lauren Lamarr, Stephen Kelliher, Yana Georgieva, Mehran Yazdani, Nizam Missaghi, Alistair Wood, Stuart Daly, Joel Michaely, Gavin Bain
Runtime: 107 minutes
Rating: R
