The Knife: Manny Jacinto, Asia Naomi King and More Join Nnamdi Asomugha’s Directorial Debut

Several new cast members have been set to star alongside Nnamdi Asomugha in his directorial debut The Knife.

Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Aja Naomi King (Sylvie’s Love), Manny Jacinto (Nine Perfect Strangers) and newcomers Amari Price and Aiden Price have joined the cast of the psychological thriller, Deadline reported exclusively on Tuesday.

One of The Knife‘s executive producers is Rao Meka, MovieMaker‘s Vice President of Marketing, though MovieMaker is not involved in the film.

Asomugha shares writing credit with Mark Duplass on the film, which follows a family “over the course of one night after a frightening event threatens to dismantle their household and uncover the illusions of their lives,” according to Deadline.

The Knife recently wrapped up filming in Los Angeles. Asomugha produced it under his iAm21 Productions banner alongside Jonathan T. Baker and Ami Werges. Other executive producers in addition to Meka include Mark and Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, and Chijioke Asomugha.

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Asomugha is a former NFL player-turned-actor and Emmy-nominated producer who played college ball for the University of California, Berkeley and was drafted in 2003 to the Oakland Raiders. He later played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. Recently, he has starred in films including Sylvie’s Love, Crown Heights, and Hello, My Name Is Doris. He’s been in shows including the Kroll Show and Friday Night Lights and will appear in Netflix’s The Good Nurse alongside Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne.

Asomugha not only starred in Sylvie’s Love and Crown Heights, but he produced them, too, along with Harriet (starring Cynthia Errivo as Harriet Tubman) and The Banker starring Anthony Mackie and Samuel L. Jackson. He also produced Beasts of No Nation and the Broadway production of American Son. His production company iAm21 has a first-look deal for film and television with Amazon Studios.

Main Image: Nnamdi Asomugha. Photo Credit: Shutterstock.