Teri Polo, James Udom, Davida Williams & Sa’Raya Paris Johnson To Star In Dramedy ‘Caroline’ From Morningstar Angeline

EXCLUSIVE: Teri Polo (Meet the Parents), James Udom (Judas and the Black Messiah), Davida Williams (Game, Set, Love), and Sa’Raya Paris Johnson (IF) are set to star in Caroline, a dramedy marking the feature directorial debut of Outer Range actress Morningstar Angeline.

The film follows 11-year-old Caroline (Johnson), a clever, sharp-eyed girl navigating a life of excitement and peril as a shoplifter with her mom Jocelyn (Williams). When Caroline’s estranged father Corey (Udom) — a charming, small-town con artist — gets out of prison and re-enters their lives, things briefly seem to settle. But when the family is threatened over a debt they can’t repay, their fragile peace falters. Desperation drives Caroline and her mom into one last, ill-fated heist.

Per Angeline, who directs from a script by novelist Daniel Blum (The Feet Say Run), “Caroline maintains a perspective from a young girl at the precipice of becoming a teenager. In our timeless small town where big city dreams aren’t even a thought, Caroline runs free, making this small world seem full and big. Even when the stakes feel high, the audience remains with Caroline, enduring her life through her naivety, curiosities, and ambitions.”

Rob Goodrich and Jason Armstrong are producing under their Walk Like A Duck Entertainment banner, along with Ellyn Vander Wyden (Voices Carry). Production kicks off in Syracuse at the end of May.

Best known her role of Pam Byrnes in the Meet the Parents films, Polo is set to return for the franchise’s fourth installment, a project we scooped which is in pre-production. Currently, she can be seen starring in the dramatic comedy Relative Control from director Dafna Yachin. She’s repped by Gersh and Bob McGowan.

Udom recently wrapped a series regular role in the upcoming Apple TV+ series Chief of War alongside Jason Momoa. Notable film credits include The Tragedy of Macbeth, Judas and the Black Messiah, and Crown Heights. On television, Udom has appeared in Echo 3, The Sandman, and Accused. He is repped by Gersh and Luber Roklin.

Wiliams starred on Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire before moving on to Hallmark’s Game, Set, Love. Recently, she’s guest starred on Season 5 of Tyler Perry’s All The Queen’s Men and appeared in Season 2 of The Irrational on Peacock. She is repped by Artists & Representatives and Authentic.

Credits for Johnson include John Krasinski’s IF starring Ryan Reynolds,the Netflix animated series Devil May Cry, NBC’s medical drama New Amsterdam, and the made-for-TV movie Death Saved My Life with Meagan Good. She is repped by Kia Todd Talent Agency and Sheila Legette Entertainment.

A queer Navajo, Chippewa, Blackfeet, Shoshone, and Latina actor and filmmaker, Angeline will next be seen starring in indies Radon’s Daughters and Sky Valley, as well as HBO’s IT: Welcome to Derry. Previously, she’s recurred on Marvel’s Echo, Westworld for HBO, Outer Range for Amazon, and Yellowstone for Paramount. She is repped by Gersh and Ronin Entertainment.