“Once Upon a Time” star Jennifer Morrison has found a home for her feature directorial debut. Deadline reports that Netflix snagged the rights to “Sun Dogs,” a drama about a man who is intellectually limited from an accident at birth. After his fourth failed attempt to join the Marines, Ned (Michael Angarano, “I’m Dying Up Here”) teams up with a runaway Tally (Melissa Benoist, “Supergirl”) in an effort to “protect the homefront” by snooping on a casino manager whom he suspects may be a terrorist. Allison Janney co-stars.
“The film sheds light on the idea that every person needs a purpose,” Morrison told us. “I believe that we are all misfits in one way or another. We feel misunderstood. We fail. We struggle. We hope. It’s what makes us unique in our search for meaning.” She explained, “In my mind, Ned Chipley is a mirror for us all. He represents every moment we feel like a failure. His journey is the miracle of everyday life. Some things are not what they seem. Some things are much more than we ever imagined. And sometimes, the simplest gesture can make the greatest impact.”
“Sun Dogs” premiered at this year’s LA Film Festival.
“It is a great privilege to have our film in the skilled, creative, and talented hands of Netflix,” Morrison said. “‘Sun Dogs’ is a story that is near to my heart not only as director, but also because I believe the characters will resonate so much with people: dreamers, outliers, lovers, and warriors.”
No word on when “Sun Dogs” will hit the streaming service.
“How I Met Your Mother,” “House,” and “Star Trek” are among Morrison’s acting credits. She was a series regular on ABC’s fairy tale-inspired “Once Upon A Time” until its sixth season. Season 7 of the show is currently airing.
Morrison made her directorial debut with short film “Warning Labels” at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. While she was proud that the project was female-centric, directed, and written, it wasn’t necessarily a conscious decision. “When you’re a driven, strong woman, you naturally gravitate to other driven strong women,” she explained. “So it was sort of just a natural flow of collaborating without even realizing that you’re heading in that direction.”
