by FilmInk Staff
Film Adaptation of Ryan Leone’s Cult Novel Wasting Talent Set to Shoot in Los Angeles in March and April 2027
Indio Downey is set to star in LOVE IN VEIN, a new feature film written and directed by Will De Los Santos, adapted from the late Ryan Leone’s novel Wasting Talent. The film is being produced by Muse Productions in association with ArtHouse Gooning, with principal photography scheduled to take place entirely in Los Angeles in March and April 2027.
Chris Hanley, whose producing credits include American Psycho, Buffalo ’66 and Spring Breakers, will produce alongside Orson Oblowitz, Tricia van Klaveren and Ben D. Wallace.
The film is being financed by Jeffrey Gliwa through Blue Shark Pictures, with Gliwa serving as executive producer. Downey will play Damien, the central character in De Los Santos’ adaptation of Leone’s uncompromising novel. A musician as well as an actor, Downey brings a natural connection to the character’s creative and musical world, as Damien navigates addiction, love and self-destruction.
Set against the city’s underground landscape, LOVE IN VEIN follows Damien through a fragile collision of drugs, relationships, music and survival as the people around him struggle with their own versions of desire, dependency and escape.
The screenplay is adapted by De Los Santos from Wasting Talent, Leone’s raw, autobiographically inspired novel. De Los Santos previously co-wrote and produced the cult feature Spun.
“Ryan left behind a brutally honest novel about addiction, love and Los Angeles. Since his passing, making LOVE IN VEIN has taken on an even deeper meaning for me. I want to honour his voice and the rawness of the book without softening its edges,” said De Los Santos.
For Hanley, the production also marks a return to working with the Downey family. Hanley previously produced Two Girls and a Guy, starring Robert Downey Jr. “I’m thrilled to be making another film with a Downey. I produced Two Girls and a Guy with Robert many years ago, and now getting to work with Indio on LOVE IN VEIN feels like a wonderful full-circle moment. Indio brings exactly the vulnerability and authenticity this role needs,” said Hanley.
Additional casting is currently underway, with further announcements expected as the production moves toward principal photography.
LOVE IN VEIN is scheduled to begin principal photography in Los Angeles in early 2027, with the production currently planning a March/April shoot.
Written and Directed by: Will De Los Santos
Based on the novel Wasting Talent by: Ryan Leone
Starring: Indio Downey
Producers: Chris Hanley, Orson Oblowitz, Tricia van Klaveren, Ben D. Wallace
Executive Producer / Financier: Jeffrey Gliwa
Production Companies: Muse Productions, in association with ArtHouse Gooning
Financing: Blue Shark Pictures
