Mystery Thriller 'The Anchor in Us' Sets 12-Day Feature Shoot in Kent, CT for September 2026

A new mystery-thriller feature is taking shape in Connecticut, and with a September 2026 production window now confirmed, crew and casting professionals in the Northeast have a genuine lead worth tracking. "The Anchor in Us" is currently in casting and pre-production, with principal photography scheduled to run September 14 through 25, 2026, in Kent, Connecticut. That is a tight, focused twelve-day shoot, and with the film still more than a year out, this is precisely the window when key department heads and supporting crew begin to make their moves.

Director Adam Levine helms the project from a screenplay by Ben Friedman, who also serves as a producer alongside Jaycee Brill and Antonio Ducrot. The film's central premise is a compelling one: when the host of a college reunion is found dead in the pool of his family's Connecticut mansion, the narrative unspools through a series of flashbacks that gradually expose the secrets, private regrets, and hidden motivations of those closest to him. The structure, moving between the present-tense mystery and a layered network of character backstories, suggests a production that will demand strong editorial instincts during prep and a director and writer in close creative alignment. The fact that Friedman is both writing and producing is worth noting for prospective crew. Writer-producers frequently have a more direct and hands-on relationship with creative decisions on set, which tends to shape the working environment in meaningful ways.

Antonio Ducrot pulls double duty here as both a producer and the film's casting director, a role combination that is not unusual on tighter independent productions and signals that the casting process is being managed in-house with a close eye on the budget. Agents and managers representing talent in the mystery-thriller or prestige drama space should be circling this one now. The reunion-weekend format with a large ensemble of characters whose backstories are explored through flashbacks typically requires a well-calibrated cast with strong chemistry, and casting decisions on a production like this are often made earlier in the timeline than the shoot date might suggest.

The production is filming entirely on location in Kent, Connecticut, a small Litchfield County town in the northwestern corner of the state that has quietly become a favored setting for independent films and prestige projects drawn to its photogenic New England architecture, wooded estates, and old-money aesthetic. For this particular story, a college reunion set in a family mansion, Kent is an intuitive choice. The area is rich with exactly the kind of large, privately held properties that fit the film's visual premise, and the town's relative insularity makes it well-suited for a contained shoot. Connecticut has maintained a competitive film tax credit program that offers qualified productions a transferable credit of up to 30 percent on eligible expenditures, which is a meaningful incentive for an independent feature operating on a lean twelve-day schedule. Productions shooting in northwestern Connecticut often base out of nearby Litchfield or draw crew from the Hartford and New Haven markets, though proximity to New York City means the production can realistically draw from the broader tri-state crew pool without relocation costs for most department heads.

The compressed twelve-day production window is one of the most important signals in this listing for working crew. A shoot of this length on a mystery-thriller with a mansion setting and a flashback-heavy structure suggests a production that is carefully budgeted and likely operating in the independent space, rather than at a major studio tier. That said, the genre and visual demands are real. A story built around a mansion, a pool, multiple time periods, and ensemble character work implies meaningful contributions from the production design and art departments, costume and wardrobe teams (given the dual timelines), and a locations department capable of securing and managing a private estate. Depending on how the flashback structure is lit and staged, the cinematography approach could be a defining creative element, making the director of photography hire particularly consequential for the production's look. The film's mystery-thriller DNA also opens the door for some degree of tension-based staging that benefits from experienced camera and grip-electric teams. Union status has not been confirmed in available information, but independent features of this scale in the Northeast frequently operate as SAG-AFTRA New Media or Low Budget Agreement productions.

With principal photography still well over a year away, the production is in that valuable early window where department heads are being identified, key vendor relationships are being established, and the groundwork for a smooth shoot is being laid. For crew based in Connecticut, New York, or the broader Northeast, getting in front of the production team now is the smart play rather than waiting until closer to cameras up. ProductionList.com carries the full listing for "The Anchor in Us," including production contacts, office information, and crew details as they are confirmed. Bookmark the listing, check back regularly for updates as pre-production advances, and make sure your credits are current if this one aligns with your work.

Click here for production info or to contact producers