Evil Genius (film)
Evil Genius is an American independent crime thriller film directed and co-produced by Courteney Cox, based on the true-crime documentary series of the same name by Barbara Schroeder and Trey Borzillieri. The film stars Patricia Arquette and David Harbour with Michael Chernus, Garret Dillahunt, Danielle Macdonald, Tom McCarthy, Gregory Alan Williams, Ryan Eggold, Owen Teague, and Harlow
Overview
Evil Genius is an American independent crime thriller film directed and co-produced by Courteney Cox, based on the true-crime documentary series of the same name by Barbara Schroeder and Trey Borzillieri. The film stars Patricia Arquette and David Harbour with Michael Chernus, Garret Dillahunt, Danielle Macdonald, Tom McCarthy, Gregory Alan Williams, Ryan Eggold, Owen Teague, and Harlow Jane in supporting roles. The film will tell the story of the death of Brian Wells, a high-profile 2003 incident often referred to as the "collar bomb" or "pizza bomber" case. The FBI investigation into his death uncovered a complex plot described as "one of the most complicated and bizarre crimes in the annals of the FBI".
Cast
Patricia Arquette as Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong Harlow Jane as young Marjorie Diehl-Armstrong David Harbour as Bill Rothstein Michael Chernus as Ken Barnes Garret Dillahunt Danielle Macdonald as Justine Tom McCarthy as Brian Wells Gregory Alan Williams Ryan Eggold Owen Teague David Arquette Christine Taylor David Rasche Dascha Polanco
Production
In November 2025, the film's title Evil Genius was announced. Written by Courtenay Miles, it would be directed and co-produced by Courteney Cox and star Patricia Arquette and David Harbour, based on the true-crime documentary series of the same name by Barbara Schroeder and Trey Borzillieri. Deadline Hollywood confirmed that August Night would finance and produce the film with Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan, and John Buderwitz under their Aggregate Films banner. Michael Chernus, Garret Dillahunt, Danielle Macdonald, Tom McCarthy, Gregory Alan Williams, Ryan Eggold, Owen Teague, and Harlow Jane joined the cast in supporting roles. David Arquette and Christine Taylor were also set to appear. Principal photography began in November 2025, in New Jersey.
Release
Evil Genius premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 12, 2026.
Reception
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 58% based on 12 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
See also
PVC-1 (2007) 30 Minutes or Less (2011) – An action comedy film that garnered some controversy due to similarities with the death of Brian Wells. Despite the similarities to the case, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group said the filmmakers and cast had no prior knowledge of the incident, while the screenwriters were "vaguely familiar" with it.
External links
Evil Genius at IMDb
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