LOS ANGELES—The conclusion of writer/director James Avalon’s feature Dark Is the Night—the second offering from Avalon and Wicked Pictures' new banner Wicked Noir—arrives today on Wicked.com.
Produced by four-time AVN Director of the Year Axel Braun, the new sequence showcases the movie's two leads—reigning AVN Best Leading Actress Kenna James and three-time-consecutive AVN Best Actor and Gamma contract performer Seth Gamble.
“Dark Is the Night is a true love letter to the film noir genre, and in my opinion it’s James Avalon’s masterpiece,” said Braun, who in his role as head of production has aimed to usher in a rebirth of the Wicked brand since he took charge in 2020. “We are not just looking at an adult movie anymore, this is a feature with so much emotional power and such a level of cinematic skill that it would easily rival many mainstream movies you see on Netflix today.
"Everything is outstanding: the cinematography, the set design, the acting," he continued, "and I couldn’t be more proud of Seth, Kenna, Nathan [Bronson], Kiara [Cole] and everybody in the crew, because they all came together as a team to help realize the director’s ambitious vision. It was an absolute labor of love, which James wrote, directed, shot, edited and scored, and I have to bow down to what he was able to achieve. Anybody thinking of ever having a career as an adult feature director should literally study this film and learn as much as possible from James Avalon, not only in terms of technical prowess, but also from the way he conducts himself as a human being. I am proud and honored to be working alongside him, and very excited about his upcoming projects!”
As promo materials for Dark Is the Night describe, "Avalon’s moody, tightly-plotted psychodrama follows a bored housewife (James) as she uses her arcane skills and feral sexuality to explore the troubled mind of a mysterious man (Gamble) to whom she's rented a room. On the surface, this enigmatic stranger appears to be the ideal new tenant. He’s soft-spoken and charming—everything her loutish, insensitive husband (Bronson) isn’t. The newely-released conclusion features James' and Gamble's climatic sex scene—and the twisted revelations that follow."
“It was a big day, and we covered a lot of ground, from dialogue and transitional material to the sex," Avalon said of the production's finale. "But there was never any doubt that we would not only succeed, but surpass expectations, as the actors were extremely prepared—Seth and Kenna both had very precise notes and thoughts about their characters. They really are the top actors in the industry and they were perfect for this type of feature. In each phase of a film’s production a group of people collaborate under intense budget and time pressures, but we came together as a real team to create something special. It became a reciprocal process. When I direct, I look for options, different ways of doing things to adjust aspects of the script based on the location, and Kenna and Seth were full of ideas that made things better. I valued their opinions, as well as their willingness to try things differently. A director’s principal job is managing the creative process, and it is all the more rewarding when you get to collaborate with such exceptional people."
Avalon is equally effusive about the support he received from Braun. "As a producer, Axel works on a movie from beginning to end, providing creative support and forging the needed connections," he observed. "He creates structure out of chaos and turns an idea into the best picture it can be. His genius lies in his pragmatism and realism—it creates a smooth and efficient production process.”
Avalon singled-out industry veteran Kylie Ireland as a contributor to the success of Dark Is the Night's final act. “As often happens, we had to switch out some locations just before filming began. But Kylie worked wonders to make locations match," he said. "Her art direction for this project was flawless, and as a result some scenes that could have posed challenges in the editing room cut together seamlessly.”
"I have to start off by saying thank you to Axel Braun for allowing us the opportunity to express ourselves so openly in all the films he produces," commented Gamble. "I truly believe Dark Is the Night is one of the best projects I’ve ever had the fortune of doing, and I’m very grateful to have a friend and colleague like James Avalon. It was an honor to help him bring this to life. I’ve learned so much from him over the years, and it’s been such a pleasure to be in front of his camera. In my opinion this is the best project that we’ve ever done together, and I’m happy that James had a chance to finally show his creativity at such a high level.”
Of his fellow actors, Gamble enthused, "It is impossible not to deliver an impactful performance when you get to work alongside Kenna James. She is one of the most talented women I’ve ever had the opportunity to collaborate with in this industry. I’m also grateful for my co-stars Nathan Bronson and Kiara Cole, who absolutely delivered 100 percent in their roles. Dark Is the Night is an instant classic and I hope everybody has the opportunity to watch it, because it’s one of the best pieces of adult cinema I’ve ever seen."
See the conclusion of Dark Is the Night now exclusively on Wicked.com.
