Starring the late Bill Paxton, "Mean Dreams" hit theaters on March 17, Friday. The indie thriller was written by Kevin Coughlin and Ryan Grassby and directed by Nathan Morlando.
"It was brutal," Morlando told People about waking to a text message explaining the news about the death of one of the lead actors of "Mean Dreams." "I was filled with disbelief."
According to Morlando, Paxton had just taken him out for a beautiful lunch so their wives could meet and they were becoming really close. The late actor was married to Louise Newbury from 1987 to his death on Feb. 25 while the director is married to Allison Black, one of the producers of "Mean Girls."
Paxton was becoming like a big brother to Morlando, the latter said adding that he was very grateful for that. The director said he was really looking forward to the future with Paxton as a friend and a collaborator.
It is then understandable why Paxton's death caused Morlando much crying. The director said they "spent days crying actually, reflecting on him and his greatness and generosity."
Before "Mean Dreams," Paxton starred in another thriller titled "Term Life," which was released on April 29, 2016. His co-stars included Vince Vaughn, Hailee Steinfeld, Jonathan Banks, Jordi Molla, Terrence Howard, Taraji P. Henson, Mike Epps, Jon Favreau, William Levy and Shea Whigham.
In "Mean Dreams," Paxton played a dirty cop and abusive father named Wayne Caraway. His co-stars were Sophie Nelisse, Josh Wiggins, Colm Feore, Ryan Blakely, Joe Cobden, Tara Nicodemo and Vickie Papavs, among others.
On the small screen, Paxton played Det. Frank Rourke in the CBS series "Training Day." Airing Thursdays, the show struggled with its ratings, had a quick increase after Paxton's death but declined again.
This made CBS decide to move "Training Day" from 10:00 p.m. every Thursday to 9:00 p.m. every Saturday. The new time slot will start on April 8, Deadline has learned.
Watch Conan O'Brien as he remembers Paxton: