Year: 2025
Director: James McAvoy
Writers: Archie Thomson and Elaine Gracie
Producers: Danny Page, Michael Mendelsohn, Paul Aniello and Simon Kay
Co-Producers: Barry Hutchison, Fiona Hutchison and Isabelle Georgeaux
Executive Producers: Natalie Perrotta, Jim Steele, Naysun Alae-Carew, Nic Crum, Lauren Lamarr, Steven Little, Kieran Hannigan, Stephen Kelliher and Yana Georgieva
Production Companies: Blazing Griffin, Homefront Productions, Patriot Pictures, Tartan Bridge, Zertex Media, Pont Neuf Productions
Main Cast: Séamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley
Sales Agent: Bankside Films (International), UTA Independent Film Group (North America)
Screen Scotland support: The film accessed funding through Screen Scotland’s Film Development and Production Fund.
Synopsis
California Schemin’ is based on Gavin Bain’s autobiography of the same name, which was later re-printed as Straight Outta Scotland. The story was later adapted into 2013 SXSW documentary The Great Hip Hop Hoax.
In the late 90’s, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd had their musical ambitions consistently ridiculed for having the ‘wrong’ accents, so they went for broke and reinvented themselves as Californian rappers. ‘California Schemin’ shows how the duo re-recorded their own tracks with fake accents and turned up in London claiming to be an established duo on the California scene as well as childhood friends with Eminem. They quickly bagged themselves a record deal, a hefty sum in advances, and an appearance on MTV…until it all came crashing down.
California Schemin’ is directed by BAFTA Award winner and Golden Globe nominee James McAvoy, who will take a supporting role alongside Screen Daily Rising Star Scotland 2024 & Guildhall graduate Séamus McLean Ross, and BAFTA Award and BIFA Award nominee Samuel Bottomley.
More information
Image credits: Still courtesy of Bankside Films