‘Carnage Park’ and ‘Darling’ Director Mickey Keating Wraps Production on Crime Movie ‘Crooks,’ Shares First Look (EXCLUSIVE)

Indie genre director Mickey Keating, who broke out with films such as 2015’s “Darling” and 2016’s “Carnage Park,” has wrapped shooting on his latest movie, the crime drama “Crooks.”

The film stars Keith Kupferer (“Ghostlight”), Angela Trimbur (“Quiz Lady”), Chase Williamson (“John Dies At the End”) and Melora Walters (“Magnolia”).

Per the logline, “Two small-time crooks rob a mob-run poker game in Chicago. Things immediately go wrong, resulting in a high-stakes adventure through the Midwest.”

“’Crooks’ is an incredible opportunity for me to break into the crime movie genre, which I’ve been hoping to do since I started my career,” Keating said in a statement. “This film is a highly stylized celebration of aesthetics ranging from noir to heist to western. I think anyone familiar with my work will see this as a natural progression from my previous films.”

Keating shot the movie in Chicago alongside producers Eddie Linker, Gregory Thomas and Veronica Barbosa. Linker is known for working with notable indie filmmakers, including Joe Swanberg (2017’s “Win It All”), Alex Ross Perry (2015’s “Queen of Earth”), Josephine Decker (2018’s “Madeline’s Madeline”) and Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan (this year’s “Ghostlight”).

It’s Keating’s eighth feature film, following this year’s “Invader,” 2021’s “Offseason,” 2017’s “Psychopaths,” “Carnage Park,” “Darling,” 2014’s “Pod” and 2013’s “Ritual.” Keating’s past films have been distributed by Lionsgate, Shudder, IFC and Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Keating was also the host of “The Core,” the Shudder talk show that pairs the director with other filmmakers, including Elijah Wood, Adam Green, Leigh Whannell and Rodney Ascher.

“Crooks” is currently seeking distribution.