Marcus Anthony Thomas, who completed a directing mentorship on “House of the Dragon,” has started production on his directorial feature debut.

Now shooting in London, psychological thriller “Cast Me!” will be led by rising star IIniki Mariano in her debut feature role, with Samuel Adewunmi (“The Last Tree”), Stella Gonet (“Spencer”), Dean-Charles Chapman (“1917,” “Game of Thrones”) and Clare Holman (“Inspector Morse,” “Lewis”) rounding out the principal cast. The film is being produced by Jordi Morera for 2020Films.

Written and directed by Thomas, “Cast Me!” follows Aanya, a young actor who believes she has landed the role of a lifetime after an audition with a famous actor-turned-first-time director. But when the studio overturns the casting decision, her search for answers spirals into obsession, blurring the line between ambition, performance and reality.

Thomas was selected for Warner Bros. Discovery’s full-time, 16-month directing mentorship programme, where he shadowed directors on the first season of HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” including showrunner Miguel Sapochnik. “Cast Me!” marks his move into feature filmmaking following a body of short-form work that has screened and won awards at BAFTA- and Oscar-qualifying festivals globally.

“I’m exceptionally grateful to have had the opportunities to witness the process of so many directors working at the highest possible level and to marry that observation with my own exploration of who I am as a storyteller, it really feels like the perfect time to be directing my debut feature,” said Thomas.

“‘Cast Me!’ explores the psychological cost of pursuing one’s dreams in the modern age, a core idea that transcends disciplines into universality. So much so, that we have managed to attract an exceptional cast and crew who all really believe in this story. The energy on set is exciting and I can’t wait for an audience to experience the end result!”

“Cast Me!” marks the first feature from Morera’s 2020Films banner to go into production. Morera has produced more than 30 short films across fiction and animation, including “Do Not Feed the Pigeons,” which won the BAFTA for Best British Short Animation in 2022.

“Marcus and I have been making films together since 2019, and I’ve seen first-hand the distinctive voice and ambition he brings to his work,” said Morera. “Given how challenging the landscape for independent filmmaking has become, we made the decision to take the leap and find a way to get ‘Cast Me!’ made. It feels like the natural next step in that journey and is an important milestone for 2020Films as the first feature from our slate to enter production. I’m incredibly proud of what we’re building together, and of the incredible team we have both in front of and behind the camera.”

Behind the camera, the creative team includes co-production designers Freddie Burrows (“The Thursday Murder Club,” “The Crown,” “Crime 101”) and Eve Finnie; cinematographer Adam Singodia; casting director Xanthe Spencer-Davidson (“Steal,” “Dragonfly”); production manager Ewelina Dziedzic; first assistant director Daniel Pachalski; costume designer Haden Holme; hair and makeup designer Tillie Robinson Smith; composer Oliver Wegmüller; producer Srimon Jeevanantham; stunt coordinator Ermar Alexander; VFX supervisor Lee Watson; sound mixer Domantas Jakubauskas; and intimacy coordinator Borbála Anna Veszelák and script supervisor Sofia Ciocan.

Thomas also co-hosts the filmmaking podcast The Directors’ Take with fellow writer-director Oz Arshad, exploring the craft and career pathways of film and television directors. His most recent short, the Disney UK and NFTS-backed sci-fi “Space Plug,” which also starred Mariano, premiered at the BFI London Film Festival.