Leighton Meester and Ashley Park have been cast in Chelsea Devantez's feature directorial debut film, Basic, which premiered at SXSW. The film, which originally originated as a three-minute short film of the same name, is currently seeking distribution. The cast includes Taylor John Smith, Nelson Franklin, Kandy Muse, Ashley Nicole Black, Amber Ruffin and Jon Gabrus. The project was initially conceived as a short film that was accepted into SXSW in 2020, but never actually screened in a theater due to the cancellation of the event due to a COVID pandemic. The casting process was initially a challenge, with Devantevez initially finding an unavailable actress.