Buffalo 8 has acquired worldwide rights to sci-fi fantasy thriller Devil’s Play (fka The Wheels of Heaven), starring Oscar nominee Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler).
Directed by Ben Charles Edwards, inspired by Mark Twain’s The Mysterious Stranger, the film explores themes of faith, destiny, and the duality of good and evil.
Starring alongside Rourke are Dessy Tenekedjieva (The Profession of Arms), who also produced the movie via Black Sea Films and Nova Film, Gary Stretch (Alexander, Dead Man’s Shoes), and Geoff Bell (RocknRolla). The cast features rising Bulgarian actors Eleonora Ivanova and Dimitar Nikolov in lead roles, with special appearances by Lee Ryan (The Heavy) and Nicky Whelan (Hall Pass).
Devil’s Play follows Iva (Ivanova), a troubled teenager trapped between an abusive stepfather (Stretch) and a distant, deaf mother (Tenekedjieva). She finds unexpected salvation in a mysterious boy claiming to be Lucifer (Nikolov), a fallen angel sent to guide her. As she wrestles with faith, madness, and destiny, she is trained for a chilling mission: to assassinate a powerful American televangelist (Rourke) hiding a sinister truth beneath his holy image.
The film began its festival run under its original title, The Wheels of Heaven, landing four awards at the Capri Hollywood International Film Festival. It saw theatrical distribution in Bulgaria via No Blink Film.
Devil’s Play was produced by Dessy Tenekedjieva of Black Sea Films and Nova Film, with Goldfinch UK as co-producer. Mike Shilliam penned the screenplay from a story by Edwards and Tenekedjieva. Principal photography took place in Bulgaria, with additional filming in Los Angeles and London. Executive Producers include Gary Stretch, Yosif Kambarev, Neli Beshirova, Phil McKenzie, Kirsty Bell, Kimberly Hines, Ian Stack, along with Buffalo 8 Executive Producers Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, and Nikki Stier Justice.
Dessy Tenekedjieva & Mickey Rourke
“We’re thrilled that our passion project has found its home with Buffalo 8,” said Tenekedjieva. “Devil’s Play is a unique and unconventional film that asks serious questions — and that’s what makes it meaningful.”
The deal was arranged by Buffalo 8’s Head of Distribution, Nikki Stier Justice, who called Devil’s Play “a visually striking and thematically bold thriller that explores power, faith, and transformation through a uniquely stylized lens.”
