Joe Russo and Chris LaMont Bring Chilling Thriller ‘When A Stranger Venmos’ to Life, Inspired by Holly Riordan’s Viral Short Story, with Direction by Frank and Ivanna Borin

Joe Russo and Chris LaMont Adapt Viral Short Story for Upcoming Film

Joe Russo and Chris LaMont have acquired the rights to a viral short story by Holly Riordan, crafting a screenplay titled When a Stranger Venmos. The project will see Frank and Ivanna Borin in the director’s chairs, with producers Matt Smith and Dan Gedman joining under the banner of Highway 10.

The original story, “A Complete Stranger Sent Me 10k On Venmo — But There Was A Catch,” was published on Thought Catalog in 2022. It follows an assistant struggling to make ends meet in Los Angeles, who receives increasingly larger sums of money from an anonymous benefactor in exchange for undertaking bizarre challenges. This prompts her to weigh the lengths she is willing to go to manage her financial obligations.

“We’ve been obsessed with When a Stranger Venmos from the moment we read it,” Frank and Ivanna Borin expressed. “This horror thriller takes the anxiety of modern-day survival in America and transforms it into something sharp, fast, and terrifying. It resonates deeply with what young people are experiencing today, and that’s the unique strength of the genre.”

Producers Smith and Gedman added, “Russo and LaMont’s fast-paced thriller immediately excited us with its compelling mystery, franchisable villain, and the culturally relevant questions it poses regarding what Gen Z must navigate to succeed in today’s world. We have long desired to collaborate with Frank and Ivanna Borin; their style and connection to youth culture make them the ideal directors for this project.”

Holly Riordan, based in Long Island, has made a name for herself as a thriller author and spent eight years as a senior staff writer at Thought Catalog. Her work has garnered hundreds of millions of views, making the site a significant player in digital media since 2010. Riordan also has a following of over 90,000 across various platforms and has authored books including The Guilty Twin and Forget Her. She is represented by Helen Heller at the Helen Heller Agency.

It is noteworthy that this Joe Russo is different from the director famed for his work on the Avengers franchise. This Russo has also recently sold Portrait of God, a horror spec co-written with filmmaker Dylan Clark, to Universal Pictures, and will produce the film alongside Jordan Peele and Sam Raimi. As accomplished Blood List screenwriters, Russo and LaMont have credits that include The Inheritance, Hard Kill, The Locksmith, Soul Mates, and The Au Pair Nightmare, the latter of which Russo directed.

As a producer, Russo’s filmography includes the horror anthology Nightmare Cinema, starring Mickey Rourke, and The Greatest Beer Run Ever, featuring Zac Efron and Russell Crowe. In the podcast domain, he has produced seven seasons of the acclaimed horror series Post Mortem with Mick Garris, featuring in-depth discussions with genre legends like Stephen King and Quentin Tarantino. Russo and LaMont are represented by Untitled, Fictional Entity, and Yorn Levine.

Frank and Ivanna Borin, who co-direct, established UnderWonder Content, a prominent production company in the music video and commercial sector. Their recent achievements include directing major campaigns for artists like Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow, along with an ad campaign featuring Jeff Goldblum for the game Raid: Shadow Legends.

Highway 10, founded by veteran producer Matt Smith, known for his work on Maleficent and Valley Girl, and award-winning director Dan Gedman, is currently in post-production on the darkly comedic thriller The Saviors, featuring Adam Scott and Danielle Deadwyler, as well as a romantic comedy titled Wishful Thinking, starring Lewis Pullman and Maya Hawke.