Written and directed by Casey Cooper Johnson, the sci-fi comedy film ‘The Lemurian Candidate’ centers on two friends who take their troubled buddy on a Mt. Shasta backpacking trip to reconnect. But when he upends their plans with a stash of hallucinogens and a wild theory, their weekend on the trail turns into a surreal quest for meaning… and contact with alien beings.
‘The Lemurian Candidate’ stars Dakota Shapiro as Tom, Oliver Cooper as Stan, and Ben Groh as Jesse.
Produced by Casey Cooper Johnson p.g.a, Antoneta Kastrati p.g.a, and Casey Fenton p.g.a, ‘The Lemurian Candidate’ is executive produced by Wilson Coolidge. Production companies are Crossing Bridges Films, in association with Visual Narrative Films, Velite Entertainment, and 100 Monkeys.
The film’s cinematography is by J. Connor Bjornson, music by Eric Salazar, Rob Funkhouser, and Fernando Perdomo, and editing by Antoneta Kastrati.
Additional cast includes Emily Hall, Sophia Masson, Barret O’Brien, Gigi Tasse, Kerry Wieder,
Dana Millican, Jack Trout, Will Cooper, and Dustin Wood.
Watch the trailer below:
‘The Lemurian Candidate’ will be released on Substack on March 27, 2026.
For more details on where to watch, visit the official website here:
https://www.thelemuriancandidate.com/
Dakota Shapiro is most recognized for his role as Billy Taupe in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.’ Oliver Cooper is known for his role as Wheeler in the series ‘Red Oaks.’ Ben Groh is best known for his role as Kalief in ‘Bunny.’
