"The script and project changed into what people have been calling a 'black comedy'. It wasn't at all intentional at first, but I love that it ended up that way." Justin Kelly (Director)
Inspired by a truer-than-fiction story!
Based on a stranger-than-fiction true story, King Cobra is a deliciously dark, twisted plunge into the behind-the-scenes world of the pornography industry. It's 2006, YouTube is in its infancy, and internet porn is still behind a paywall. Taking the stage name Brent Corrigan, a fresh-faced wannabe adult video performer (Garrett Clayton) is molded into a star by Stephen (Christian Slater), a closeted gay-porn mogul who runs the skin-flick empire Cobra Video from his seemingly ordinary suburban home. But as the rising star's demands for more money put him at odds with his boss, he also attracts the attention of a rival producer (James Franco) and his unstable lover (Keegan Allen) who will stop at nothing to squash Cobra Video and steal its number-one star. Also featuring Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald, King Cobra is part delirious, tabloid-shocking satire, part American tragedy.
*Viewer discretion advised.
2016 TRIBECA, LONDON, TORINO
Justin Kelly is a writer-director living in Los Angeles who has wanted to be a filmmaker since childhood. His feature directorial debut, I Am Michael (2015, !f 2015), premiered at both Sundance and Berlin's 2015 festivals. Previously, he worked as an editor while making short films and music videos, and developing features.
