Nearly two years after it was first announced, multi-hyphenate writer-director and actor Kestrin Pantera is nearing a return to the big screen with her first feature film since 2022’s Pretty Problems. Collider can exclusively reveal that her new indie comedy will be titled Backseat Drivers, and with the official title comes a few superpowered additions to the already stacked ensemble. We can also confirm that Superman stars Sean Gunn and Natasha Halevi have been brought aboard, alongside The Lost World: Jurassic Park‘s Vanessa Chester and Scarpetta‘s Alex Klein, both of whom appeared in Pretty Problems. The news comes shortly after an invitation-only screening last weekend at Vidiots featuring the cast and members of the rock-comedy group Middle Aged Dad Jam Band.
A frequent collaborator of his brother and DCU head, James Gunn, the younger Gunn was recently seen last year playing magnate Maxwell Lord on both the big and small screens alongside his wife, Halevi, who played LutherCorp employee Amanda McCoy. Chester, meanwhile, was most recently seen in the wine-centric comedy The Napa Boys, while Klein, outside his time in Prime Video’s Nicole Kidman-led crime drama, is also another Gunn regular, having appeared in Peacemaker and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. They join a cast led by Pantera, alongside a previously announced slate of comedy icons, including “Weird Al” Yankovic, Tia Carrere, Jackie Tohn, David Wain, and The Sklar Brothers. Pantera’s longtime collaborators, Breeda Wool and Sam Littlefield, will also star, with the ensemble rounded out by celebrity cameos from Tiffany Haddish, Sherry Cola, Paul James, and Grammy and Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter Aimee Mann.
Backseat Drivers is Pantera’s first production from her Pantera Pictures banner, which she launched to support and promote female-driven stories. It follows a former one-hit wonder rockstar as she moves her family to a picturesque little town for a fresh start. All the untapped ambition and rage she’s kept bottled inside over the years is soon channeled to a new medium — a fifth-grade science fair. However, the intensity she brings quickly ignites a parent rivalry that evolves into an all-out war. During the screening at Vidiots, Pantera shared how the idea was fleshed out based on a few key moments in her life, but began with a little joking nudge from a Project Hail Mary star.
“My first movie was about being afraid of having kids, then I got pregnant while filming. My second was about grief, and then my best friend died during production. At which point, Milana Vayntrub said: ‘How bout we make the next one about an Oscar-winning rockstar?'”
Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap
Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?
🕷️Spider-Man
😈Daredevil
🤖Iron Man
💀Punisher
⚡Thor
🛡️Cap
01
What drives you to do what’s right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.
02
It’s 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you’d think.
03
How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What’s yours?
04
How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.
05
You’ve lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.
06
What’s your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.
07
Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.
08
When you’re not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.
09
What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you’re honest about what you’re actually afraid of.
10
The battle is lost. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.
Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…
Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.
Queens, New York
🕷️ Spider-Man
You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.
You do the right thing not because it’s easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn’t a burden you choose — it’s one that finds you.
Whether it’s a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker’s lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn’t a slogan to you. It’s the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.
Hell’s Kitchen, New York
😈 Daredevil
You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.
You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You’ve looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock’s duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.
Stark Industries, Malibu
🤖 Iron Man
Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.
You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark’s arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you’re willing to give everything. Because in the end, you’re Iron Man.
New York City
💀 The Punisher
You’ve been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What’s left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.
You don’t ask for forgiveness, and you don’t expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you’ve decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle’s war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.
Asgard · Protector of the Nine Realms
⚡ Thor
Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.
You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You’re larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor’s story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it’s needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.
Brooklyn, New York · The Avengers
🛡️ Captain America
You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.
You don’t bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn’t become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn’t in your fists; it’s in your refusal to compromise what’s right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you’re the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.
‘Backseat Drivers’ Evolved From a Personal Vendetta Against Science Fairs
Pantera is coming off a couple of successes with her last two productions. Pretty Problems scored an audience award at SXSW back in 2022 and later became a streaming hit, soaring to #1 on Hulu following its debut. Her 2024 James Bond parody short, “Dr. No Means No,” is also being developed into a feature film at Pantera Pictures. With Backseat Drivers, she pulls once again from personal experiences and feelings she’s had while navigating her own science fair obsession. The off-the-wall combination of ideas all came together to make something that ended up being far more meaningful than she initially expected when approaching the concept. She explained:
“That was bouncing around my head after I moved to a fancier town, taking my child’s project to the school science fair after pulling an all-nighter helping my kid finish it. I found myself sizing up the other parents, judging them for doing their kids’ work (or not helping enough). I found myself thinking: I may not win an Oscar this year, but I can win the shit out of this science fair. At that moment, my manager, Evan Anglin, called. He said: ‘Science Fair ruined my life too! Let’s make a movie about it! I’ll produce it!’ I set out to make a film about a town unwinding because of the school science fair, but ended up making one about embracing fear and rediscovering creativity. If you’ve ever experienced intrusive thoughts, marveled at the collective unconscious, or pleasured yourself to Pride & Prejudice — then this movie is for you!”
A release date has yet to be set for Backseat Drivers. Stay tuned here at Collider for further updates as they come out.
