Craig Kilborn to Direct ‘The Life Golden’ With Lauren German, Tom Byrne

Former late night host Craig Kilborn has set his directorial debut, “The Life Golden,” starring Lauren German (“Lucifer”) and Tom Byrne (“The Crown”), Variety has exclusively learned.

In an official plot description, the film is said to be an “independent stylish murder mystery” that follows Griffin Fairhurst Gates, also known as The Golden Griff, “a reclusive and eccentric former television personality whose meticulously curated life in the Hollywood Hills is upended by a shocking crime that pulls him out of self-imposed isolation and into an unexpected mystery.”

Kilborn is producing alongside Ryan Snovel (“Out of Exile”). The cast is rounded out by Kevin Pollak (“A Few Good Men”), Rainey Qualley (“Love in the Time of Corona”), Ryan Francis (“Hook”), Matthew Wolf (“The Quick and the Dead”) and Thomas Dekker (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”).

Kilborn’s behind-the-camera venture into film comes over a decade after penning and executive producing “The Kilborn File” in 2010, and hosting “The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn” on CBS from 1999-2004. He most recently appeared in an episode of “United We Fall” in 2020.

“Griffin Gates is a unique voice with a rare combination of winsome self-absorption coupled with innate leadership skills. The Golden Griff lives above the fray, steadfastly refusing to participate in society’s dysfunction…until he’s forced to,” Kilborn said in a statement. “To bring ‘The Life Golden’ to the silver screen is incredibly satisfying. And remember, well-dressed and charming is the only way to go through life.”

The film has been in development for years. It recently finished filming in Los Angeles and Oklahoma City and is currently in post-production, targeting a 2027 release.