Steven Paul’s The Highest Stakes to Premiere at Beverly Hills Film Festival Continuing Run of Global Production Success
The Highest Stakes
Steven Paul builds momentum with a new thriller starring Seth Green, Kevin Dillon, and Charlie Weber
LOS ANGELES, CA, UNITED STATES, April 7, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- SP Media Group, led by veteran producer Steven Paul, today announced that its next feature film, The Highest Stakes, will premiere at the Beverly Hills Film Festival on April 13. The screening marks the latest milestone in a period of significant growth and global recognition for Paul and his expanding slate of film production.
Directed by Tony Dean Smith and written by Gary Preisler from a story by Paul, The Highest Stakes is a suspense-driven thriller starring Seth Green, Kevin Dillon, Charlie Weber, Dylan Walsh, Eloise Lovell Anderson, Chloe Fox, and Dan Bucatinsky. The film follows five strangers invited to a luxurious hotel for an exclusive poker game that quickly spirals into a dangerous fight for survival as secrets emerge and tensions escalate.
The film debuts amid a wave of production momentum for SP Media Group. The company’s recent release, Man with No Past, starring Adam Woodward and Academy Award-winner Jon Voight, has become the #1 film on Paramount+ in 18 countries worldwide. At the same time, Paul’s Los Angeles-shot drama The Last Firefighter, also starring Voight alongside Emmy Award-winner Kelsey Grammer, has wrapped production, further reinforcing SP Media Group’s commitment to domestic filmmaking.
“The Highest Stakes is exactly the kind of film we’re focused on right now, one that’s designed to connect with audiences in a direct and immediate way,” said Steven Paul, Chairman and CEO of SP Media Group. “Bringing the film’s premiere to the Beverly Hills Film Festival is special because it allows us to showcase such an exciting movie right in the heart of the industry that we love.”
The premiere of The Highest Stakes comes as SP Media Group continues to expand its production capabilities following Paul’s recent acquisition of Avenue Six Studios, a full-service production facility in Van Nuys, California. As part of its expanded offering, Avenue Six also provides a film incentive program that delivers production financing and additional support for projects that film on-site or utilize the studio’s full suite of services.
“The Highest Stakes reflects our approach to building an on-brand film for SP Media Group that balances commercial appeal with strong storytelling,” said Scott Karol, President of SP Media Group/Atlas Comics. “We’re thinking beyond any single project by focusing on how each release contributes to a broader ecosystem of gripping movies for audiences worldwide.”
In tandem with these efforts, Paul and Karol work directly with Voight, who was appointed Hollywood Ambassador by President Trump, to advocate for federal legislation supporting domestic film and television production, including the renewal and expansion of Section 181 incentives. These measures are designed to strengthen the U.S. production ecosystem by providing critical tax benefits that encourage studios to keep productions within the country.
About Steven Paul
Steven Paul is a leading independent film producer and chairman/CEO of SP MEDIA GROUP [SPMG] based on the Paramount lot in Hollywood, CA. SPMG maintains a co-financing agreement with Paramount Pictures to co-produce feature films and has financed and produced over twenty-three motion pictures in the past four years. Paul, who has a substantial real estate portfolio, including the Samuel Goldwyn building in Century City and a boutique art deco hotel in Miami (Casa Marela), recently acquired the Atlas Comics library, founded by Marvel Comics founder Martin Goodman. Atlas Comics relaunched at New York Comic Con in partnership with Walmart, while also celebrating its 50th anniversary. Paul is also the owner of leading independent distributor Echo Bridge, and recently acquired a substantial stake in JLTV – the largest Jewish network in the world, available in more than 65m households in North America. SPMG has a library of more than 3,000 films through its affiliated companies and supplies content to leading AVOD platforms like Pluto TV and more.
Kevin Pryor
Rubenstein Public Relations
kpryorrubensteinpr@gmail.com
+1 212-805-3057
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