The Return Information

The Return is a 2010 independent film produced by LPT Productions, LLC. It stars Christopher "Play" Martin of the popular late 1980s/early 1990s hip hop duo Kid n' Play, and features appearances by actor Phillip Burgess who played Security in the fourth season the HBO series The Wire, and comedian Charles Pickett. The film also stars newcoming actors Jeff Shell, Quentin Das, Nigel Kelly, Je T'aime, Gogo Lomo-David, Just Nick, Randall Baldwin, E.J. Lewis, Sheena Marie, Carlos Massey and Ricky Cotton

The film was written by Edwin E. Lewis and directed by Thomas Scott, Jr and Edwin E. Lewis. Production for "The Return" began on March 1, 2010 and ended on June 10, 2010. It was filmed on location throughout Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Burlington and Jamestown, North Carolina. As of September 14, 2010, The Return is in post-production.

Plot

Under fire from his superior John Roberts (Parker), Special Agent-in-Charge of the Atlanta Division of the DEA and Earl (Galbreath), a risk management consultant hired by Agent Roberts, Charles Hinley (Shell), head of DEA Field Operations in North Carolina has six months to resolve the problem of the Whitesnake drug organization. After conferring with his field liaison, John (Lanier), Charles sends for Nate Parker (Martin), an informant. When Nate arrives at Charles' office in Raleigh, Charles and John offer Nate the possibility of becoming an undercover agent in which Nate immediately expresses interest. To his surprise, Nate discovers that he would have to return to his hometown of Greensboro to infiltrate a drug operation headed by his childhood friend, Rito Jackson (Das) and cousin, Terry Martin (Kelly), both suspected of being part of a larger network controlled by the anonymous kingpin, Whitesnake.

After a twenty-five year absence, Nate returns to Greensboro and visits his high-school mentor, Ms. Hoskins (Je T'aime) who, stricken with cancer, awaits her death in a hospice. At her bedside, Nate confides in Ms. Hoskins that he is a federal agent and has been offered an assignment to help the DEA bring down Rito. With her final breath, Ms. Hoskins urges Nate to accept the assignment, accusing Rito and Terry of destroying the city though their proliferation of drugs.

From that point, the story makes a detour into the fall of 1982, in which Young Nate (Lomo-David), a high-school student in his junior year, sits in a garage with Young Rito (Just Nick), Young Terry (Baldwin) and Bernard (Lewis) who share a joint of marijuana. Rito decides that the boys can make money selling weed in school to which Nate, at first, objects. Realizing how adamant Rito is about the idea, Nate devises a plan on how they can procure the drugs on credit. Nate mediates a deal between Rito and Jahboo (Cottrell), a small-time drug dealer and club owner, who agrees to advance the boys the drugs in order to attract teenage customers.

Meanwhile, Ms. Hoskins, Nate's English teacher, discovers that Nate's underperformance in class is intentional and confronts him with the fact that he purposely gives the wrong answers to questions on his tests. She encourages Nate to continue what he is doing so that his friends may see the grade his wants them to see, but explains that she will record the grade that he deserves in her grade book. Later in the school year, Nate becomes smitten by Sharon, a new student who joins Ms. Hoskins' class. As he begins dating Sharon, Nate, for the first time, becomes at ease with who he truly is. Both Ms. Hoskins and Sharon, however, try discourage Nate from his association Rito who, along with Terry and Bernard, becomes more dangerously entrenched in the drug game.

By the following school year, Rito and his crew outsell their supplier Jahboo who instantly views them as a possible threat. The competition between the two sides turns deadly, causing Nate to re-evaluate his friendship with Rito. As the violence escalates, Ms. Hoskins intervenes by confronting Rito and pressuring him to urge Nate to go to college. Reluctantly, Rito encourages Nate to pursue his college studies, insisting that he cannot guarantee him full protection. After only three years, Nate graduates from college and subsequently joins the Marine Corps and later the DEA which puts him at dangerous odds with his childhood friend.

Cast

• Christopher "Play" Martin — Nathaniel (Nate) Parker
• Quentin Das — Rito Jackson
• Nigel Kelly — Terry Martin
• Jeff Shell — Charles Hinley
• George Galbreath — Earl
• Je T'aime — Ms. Hoskins
• Gogo Lomo-David — Young Nate
• Just Nick — Young Rito
• Randall Baldwin — Young Terry
• E.J. Lewis — Bernard
• Sheena Marie — Sharon
• Ray Cottrell — Jahboo
• Carlos Massey — Tyrone
• Ricky Cotton — Teddy
• Phillip Burgess — Pastor
• Charles Pickett — Club MC

Minor Cast

• Scott Parker — (John) Roberts
• Patricia Jackson — Lillian
• Eric Lanier — John (Milovich)
• Ben Wallace — Otis
• Pudgy Miller — Terio
• Michael Mike — Carlos
• Dave Garrett — Juan
• Shayne Artis — Valerie
• Trudi-Kaye Edmund — Patricia
• Sonya Brodnex — Sylvia
• Nichole Howell — Veronica
• Lauren Crawford — Renita
• Pharrah Crawford — Angela
• Josh Smith — Josh (drug dealer)
• Maria Good — Maria (Castillo)
• Steve Bell — Agent Moody