Ranch Productions Wraps Principal Photography on Quads & The Kicker
Ranch Productions has completed principal photography on its newest feature, Quads & The Kicker, a bold neo-noir thriller set inside the dangerous and seductive world of female poker grifters.
Written and directed by Heidi James, the film stars Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), Ashley Reyes (Walker), Jamie Neumann (The Deuce) and Ilia Isorelýs Paulino (The Sex Lives of College Girls) as four women whose once-unbreakable sisterhood begins to fracture under the pressure of shifting loyalties, buried resentments and an elaborate triple-con. The project is inspired by Andy Rooster Bloch’s Off-Broadway play Never The Same Rhyme Twice. (IMDb)
Blending crime, character drama, dark humor and original music, Quads & The Kicker expands the traditional poker movie by placing four complex women at the center of the con. The cards may bring them together, but ambition, betrayal and survival threaten to pull them apart.
A Major Ensemble Led by Four Distinct Performers
Tran, Reyes, Neumann and Paulino bring sharply different energies to the film’s central quartet, creating a volatile ensemble built around loyalty, rivalry and long-held history.
The supporting cast also includes Tia Carrere, Gilles Marini, Brad James, Annika Reese Franklin, Kayden Brenna Tokarski, Riley Vuong and Amina Alzouma. Collider announced the expanded cast following the completion of production in Flagstaff. (IMDb)
The film is produced by Michael Downey, Dave McVeigh and Heidi James, with Ranch Productions founder Dean Stoecker serving as executive producer.
“This marks our second film under the Ranch Productions banner,” Stoecker said. “We’re drawn to visceral, unique, hybrid-genre projects like Quads & The Kicker and have an exciting slate to follow.”
Filmed Across Flagstaff and Northern Arizona
Production took place in Flagstaff and throughout Northern Arizona, including inside Stoecker’s handcrafted cabin, which became one of the film’s principal environments.
The location offered the production a distinctive visual identity: isolated, textured and cinematic, with the surrounding forests, mountain landscape and historic Flagstaff locations helping create the film’s shadowy neo-noir atmosphere.
The production also worked closely with Arizona cast, crew, businesses and local creatives. The Arizona Daily Sun’s Flag Live covered the regional collaboration and the role Northern Arizona’s creative community played in bringing the film to life.
Music, Movement and a Hybrid-Genre Approach
Original songs for the film were written by Molly Venter of Goodnight Moonshine, while Keefus Ciancia, whose credits include True Detective, Killing Eve and The Fall, is composing the score. (Film Music Reporter)
The creative team also includes:
- Cinematographer Luka Bazeli
- Production designer Adri Siriwatt
- Choreographer Monika Felice Smith
- First assistant director Saro Bonnin
James approached the film with an extended rehearsal and preparation process designed to deepen the relationships among the central performers.
“The luxury of time—to really connect and explore—is something we don’t often allow ourselves anymore,” James said. “I wanted to build something that reflects a way of being before everything became immediate.”
That emphasis on collaboration helped shape a film that moves between intimate character drama, heightened noir, poker strategy, physical performance and original music.
Ranch Productions Continues Its Feature-Film Slate
Quads & The Kicker is the second feature produced under the Ranch Productions banner and represents the company’s commitment to distinctive, filmmaker-driven stories that combine strong commercial concepts with original voices.
The film is now in post-production.
Read the Coverage
Collider: Kelly Marie Tran’s Neo-Noir Poker Thriller Adds Tia Carrere and New Cast Members
Flagstaff’s Arizona Daily Sun: Local Creatives Help Make Quads & The Kicker