The Screener
| The Screener | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jim Cummings PJ McCabe |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Michael J. McGarry Thomas Cross |
| External links | |
| [{{#property:P856}} Website] | |
Search The Screener on Amazon.
The Screener is a 2026 American comedy-drama limited series created, written, and directed by Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe.[1][2] Independently produced by Cool & Happy Limited, the five-episode series follows a queer Muslim indie filmmaker whose work leaks from a Hollywood talent agency, triggering a criminal investigation that escalates into a white-collar prosecution.[2][3] It had its world premiere in the Episodic program at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.[1][4]
Premise
Minnie (Shereen Lani Younes), a queer Muslim independent filmmaker, presents the explicit uncut version of her latest film to a talent agency in their private screening room. When the cut leaks online, she decides to press criminal charges. District attorney Tony Avaluto (Cummings) takes on the case, and his office moves to prosecute the agency as a white-collar crime syndicate. As the investigation builds toward trial, everyone involved—from agents to assistants to mailroom staff—becomes either a witness or a potential defendant.[2][3]
Each episode functions as a chapter in the investigation, with the first episode depicting the leak from the agency's perspective and subsequent episodes expanding to the DA's office and the legal proceedings.[3]
Cast
- Shereen Lani Younes as Minnie
- Jim Cummings as Tony Avaluto
- Jon Rudnitsky
- B.K. Cannon as Katherine
- Boni Mata
- Shaun Brown
- Bryan Casserly
- Nicolette Doke
- Daryl Sabara as Derek Kahn
- Creed Bratton
- Kumail Nanjiani as Parker
Production
Cummings and McCabe, who have collaborated for approximately 20 years, were inspired by a string of real-life industry leaks, including the circulation of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight screenplay, the pre-release upload of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and films leaking from festivals.[3] Cummings wrote the first 30 pages as a potential feature before the pair decided the scope of the story—spanning the leak, investigation, and trial—was better suited to a series format.[3]
The series was independently produced through Cool & Happy Limited, continuing Cummings and McCabe's approach of working outside the traditional studio system.[3] The duo co-wrote the scripts by workshopping dialogue aloud and performing scenes together, a method they described as essential to achieving naturalistic dialogue.[3]
Release
The Screener premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival (January 22 to February 1, 2026) as part of the festival's Episodic program, with the first three episodes screening in person.[1][4][5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "2026 Sundance Film Festival Unveils 97 Projects Selected for the Feature Film and Episodic Program". Sundance Institute. December 10, 2025. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Ghanem, Michel (February 4, 2026). "I Wish I Could Have a Screener of The Screener". The Cut. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Light, Jo (February 4, 2026). "'Show Up Late and Leave Early': Writing Advice from 'The Screener' Filmmakers Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe". Final Draft. Retrieved March 3, 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kay, Jeremy (December 10, 2025). "2026 Sundance Film Festival unveils final Park City lineup". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 30, 2025.
- ↑ "Sundance 2026 list: Here's all the movies that will screen at the festival's last Utah run — including 54 you can stream at home". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved 2025-12-30.
 | This article about a television show originating in the United States is a stub. You can help EverybodyWiki by expanding it. |
This article "The Screener" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:The Screener. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
