THE SHIFT: Interview With Producer Brock Heasley

On Friday, December 1, a cool new romantic sci-fi movie premieres all over the world. It’s called The Shift and it’s a wild sci-fi ride that takes some getting used to. Remember how confusing Memento could be? It’s a fun play with the idea of parallel universes and alternate realities based on choices one makes. Now imagine the one behind the shifting and changing (or at least the ability to use its power) was none other than Satan himself. Beelzebub (aka The Benefactor) is adroitly played by actor Neal McDonough, who is plenty easy to hate with that nasty sneer of his.

The Shift is a modern-day retelling of the book of Job. The romantic side of this story is how Kevin Garner gets separated from Molly (portrayed by Elizabeth Tabish, who plays Mary Magdalen in The Chosen series), the love of his life, when a mysterious adversary known as The Benefactor sends him to an alternate dystopian reality. Will hope and faith be enough to find his way back?

Anyway, I jumped at the chance to talk to the creator of this movie, Director Brock Heasley. Grab some popcorn, watch the two trailers, and then check out this video interview.

Watch official trailer #1 here. Watch official trailer #2 here.

If you’re curious, here’s some stills and more background info on Heasley and his film:

Brock Heasley bio:
Brock Heasley is a writer, filmmaker, and artist. Early in his career, he launched the online comic The SuperFogeys, and then co-created the online comic Monsterplex in 2010, which went on to win the DC Comics Zuda competition. In 2018, Brock’s YA Contemporary novel Paper Bag Mask (Pen Name Publishing) was published, reaching the top of Amazon’s Young Adult Fiction New Release chart in the first week. Brock’s debut memoir, The Other Side of Fear: A True Coming-of-Age Story of Murder, Forgiveness, and the Peace Only Faith Can Bring, released in Fall 2020 from Cedar Fort Publishing.
In 2015, Brock entered the film world, working on and producing feature films for Tremendum Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, New Line Cinema, Warner Bros., and Lionsgate. In 2017 he released his directorial debut, “The Shift,” a short film about an ordinary man receiving a job offer from the Devil himself.  In early 2023, THE SHIFT, became a feature film to be released theatrically by Angel Studios in December 2023. Expanding on the story from the short, it stars Kristoffer Polaha, Neal McDonough, Elizabeth Tabish, John Billingsley, Rose Reid, Paras Patel, Jordan Alexandra, Jordan Walker Ross, and Sean Astin.

Brock lives with his wife, three daughters, two dogs, and one cat in California. Brock didn’t want another dog, but his girls made a pretty killer PowerPoint presentation and he didn’t want to look like a jerk.

When Brock was 12, his dad, who owned a pawn shop, was robbed and shot a dozen times and survived.
Eight years later, when Brock was 19 years old, was shot again and died. This set Brock on the course to write The Shift (which he explains in our interview).

Check out the law enforcement types in this movie:

And, yes, that’s the Matthew character from The Chosen, who plays a friendly role to our main character.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
The Shift is the result of an eight-year journey from a $500 short film to a feature film, but it’s
also the completion of a life journey I’ve been on that has had me asking time and again: What
is the point of suffering?

From the armed robbery that killed my father, to my wife and I unexpectedly having a child
with complicated disabilities, to the job loss that saw me out of work for many years, I’ve
experienced what everyone experiences—hardships not of my own making. As you get older,
you realize no one really has it better than anyone else. I’m not all that unique; we’re all
enduring or have endured something tremendous. No one escapes it.

Building a movie around wrestling with that idea—and infusing it with a little sci-fi because
that’s where my heart is as a storyteller—was not something so easily grasped by others at
first. But then, over the past few years and to my great surprise, audiences have opened
themselves up more and more to original stories. Soon, some terrific collaborators came on
board to help me like the good folks at Angel Studios, the incredible Producer Ken Carpenter,
Cinematographer Edd Lukas, Executive Producer Dallas Jenkins, Composers Dan Haseltine and
Matthew S. Nelson, and so many more. As a first-time Director, I can’t imagine a greater group
for support.

And, as a first-time director, I’m still pinching myself over the cast we were able to assemble.
Kristoffer Polaha. Neal McDonough. Elizabeth Tabish. Rose Reid. John Billingsley. Paras Patel.
And on and on. All of them giving some of the best performances of their careers. Somehow, I
went from unemployment to this. I know exactly how fortunate I am.

Stories are important—new stories, especially—and I don’t think there’s a better vehicle for
delivering them than the movies. I’m excited to now—finally—bring The Shift out into the
world.

• Instagram: @theshiftfilm and @angelstudios_inc
• Facebook: The Shift and Angel Studios
• Twitter: The Shift and Angel Studios
• TikTok: The Shift and Angel Studios
• YouTube: The Shift and Angel Studios
• To find a showing near you, visit angel.com/theshift

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