Sophie Bush and Jamie Chung will star together in a movie about the opioid crisis. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two have been cast in director Bryan Greenberg's upcoming film Junction.
The film will follow three characters who are connected to the crisis. One is a pharmaceutical company's CEO. The other two are a doctor and a patient. It will also look at the American health care system and the effect that big pharmaceutical companies have on it. Who Bush and Chung will play in the film has not yet been announced. Bush's previous work includes 2021's False Positive (directed by John Lee), 2020's Hard Luck Love Song (directed by Justin Corsbie), and 2018's Acts of Violence (directed by Brett Donowho). Chung's previous work includes 2021's The Misfits (directed by Renny Harlin), Batman: Soul of the Dragon (directed by Sam Liu), and 2020's Dangerous Lies (directed by Michael Scott). The film will also star Greenberg, Hilarie Burton, Michael Conlin, and Hill Harper.
Junction will be the first film directed by Greenberg. He also wrote the film's screenplay. As an actor, Greenberg's previous work includes 2016's Flock of Dudes (directed by Bob Castrone), 2015's Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (directed by Emily Ting), and 2013's A Year and Change (directed by Stephen Suettinger). Chad A. Verdi, Aaron Kaufman, Anthony Gudas, Michelle Verdi, Chad Verdi Jr., Paul Luba and Scott Annan will be producers for the film. "This film will change the minds of millions and show people just how greedy and corrupt our health system is," said Verdi. "It sickens me how Big Pharma gets away with murder."
Thomas Sandgaard, the founder and CEO of The Sandgaard Foundation will also be a producer. The foundation is working to try to end the opioid crisis. Verdi Productions and Public School Productions will produce the film. "This is a very personal story to me as I'm sure it will be for millions of people who have found themselves affected by this crisis," said Greenberg. "I'm honored to be working alongside the Verdi team, Aaron Kaufman, Anthony Gudas, and The Sandgaard Foundation to bring my vision to life."
Junction is one of a growing list of movies and television series that are addressing the opioid crisis. Hulu's series Dopesick and Netflix's upcoming series Painkiller both focus on the crisis. When ABC's sitcom The Conners replaced Roseanne in 2018, it was revealed that Roseanne Conner's death was from an opioid overdose.
No official release date has been announced for Junction. Filming is scheduled to being in this spring in Rhode Island.