Poker Junkies

Directed, written, and produced by Mars Callahan, Poker Junkies is an upcoming film about the lengths to which people go to achieve greatness in the world of professional poker. A competitive poker player himself, Mr. Callahan recently placed 94th overall in the World Series of Poker, an event held annually in Las Vegas, Nevada. Mr. Callahan is collaborating with longstanding colleagues George Bours and John Hermansen as producers of Poker Junkies. The film is presently in its preproduction stage at Hollywood’s Raleigh Studios, the country’s largest independent film production company.

Before starting work on Poker Junkies, Mr. Callahan wrote and produced Poolhall Junkies, a 2002 film starring Christopher Walken, Chazz Palminteri, and Rich Schroder. Poolhall Junkies was nominated for the title of Best Sports Movie at the 2003 ESPY Awards. In 2011, Mars Callahan completed production on Spring Break ’83, a comedy starring John Goodman. He is also the writer of What Love Is, a romantic comedy featuring Sean Astin, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Anne Heche.

Prior to embarking on a career in directing, writing, and producing for films, including Poker Junkies, Mars Callahan worked as an actor. He was featured in 1990s movies, including That Thing You Do! and Kalifornia. At the onset of his acting career in the 1980s, Callahan appeared in a number of American television shows, including Cagney & Lacey, Growing Pains, The Facts of Life, and Knots Landing.