Noah Centineo launches production company with Our Hero Balthazar, marking a turning point in his career as the actor-turned-producer steps behind the camera with Arkhum Productions. The company’s first feature, Our Hero, Balthazar, premieres at the Tribeca Festival, signaling Centineo’s shift from familiar on-screen roles to bold new territory in film production.
Centineo, recognized for performances from The Fosters and the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before films as Peter Kavinsky, also appeared in action hits such as DC’s Black Adam and the real-life drama Warfare. His work as an executive producer on the Netflix thriller The Recruit offered his initial experience behind the scenes, changing his perspective on the business and his place within it.
Building Arkhum Productions: Centineo and Marc’s vision
Reflecting on his newfound producing skills, Centineo credited collaboration as a vital lesson from his producing debut.
“I learned how important it is to build a team around a project. To have the right individuals who have the same aligned vision,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer. He shares this production journey with Enzo Marc, his partner at Arkhum Productions, which came to life in 2023. The company’s name references Arkham Asylum, a nod to Batman comics, and as Centineo jokes,
“I think Enzo and I are both lunatics,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer. Despite the playful name, both are serious about creating impactful films with deeper meaning.
Their first joint effort, Our Hero, Balthazar, written and directed by Oscar Boyson, takes center stage at Tribeca. The film offers a biting black comedy around Balthazar Malone—a wealthy New York City teen who garners attention through dramatic videos calling for stricter gun laws. His activism, less about genuine conviction and more for social recognition and the affection of a passionate classmate, leads him to a dangerous meeting with an online troll in Texas who threatens a school shooting. Neither can foresee how their choices, tangled in violence and the search for online clout, will ultimately collide.
Teamwork and a commitment to social storytelling
Centineo not only appears in the film as Balthy’s “life coach” but played an instrumental part as a producer. He describes his and Marc’s hands-on approach:
“Wherever we could be of service,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer. He adds,
“It was the exact kind of project that we felt we wanted to make under our banner,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer. For Centineo and Marc, Arkhum was founded on the premise of producing innovative movies with strong social commentary. They name Wind River, Taylor Sheridan’s 2017 film on the crisis of missing Indigenous women, as an early shared inspiration.
Marc lays out their creative directive:
“We want to make the movies that we want to see,”
—Enzo Marc, Producer. He continues,
“And we like seeing movies that say something. Not just mindless entertainment,”
—Enzo Marc, Producer. Centineo echoes this belief:
“Enzo and I believe that art is representative of the times that we’re living in and it’s the artist’s job to accurately show the world, the culture, the people in it and how it’s taking form,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer.
In pursuit of authentic and original stories, Marc highlights their hands-on involvement:
“We actually spend hours reading everything,”
—Enzo Marc, Producer. Their goal is a diverse, socially driven portfolio of films.
Momentum is building rapidly for Arkhum.
“It’s awesome to see that the machine that Enzo and I have been building is working and starting to gain some traction and really get momentum,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer. Marc adds,
“After years of fielding and developing, it’s nice to see cameras finally rolling,”
—Enzo Marc, Producer.
Shaping ‘Our Hero, Balthazar’: A bold approach to urgent issues
Both Centineo and Marc describe a deep connection to Boyson’s script from their very first read. Marc recalls,
“Oh my God, this script is crazy,”
—Enzo Marc, Producer. The film’s starting scene, with its sudden tonal shift, grabbed both partners immediately. When Marc reacted audibly to the script, Centineo checked in and was told,
“You have to read the script,”
—Enzo Marc, Producer. The two producers, reading next to each other, traded reactions as they worked swiftly through the pages, cementing their shared excitement for the film’s unique voice.
Describing his response, Centineo mentions,
“That first page. Reading a young boy — a young man, but really a 16-year-old boy — having crocodile tears and having this obsession with virtue signaling was something that immediately connected with us. In today’s world, with social media and this disconnect that we have from each other in a world, where we want to be as active as we can politically and socially, sometimes that feels like opportunity for us to virtue signal and show versions of ourselves that we’d like to be, even if we’re not. That immediately resonated as something that was timely and contemporary and something that we wanted to be a part of. The ethos of the film connected very early with us, as far as it aligns with Arkhum,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer.
As for working with Oscar Boyson, Centineo expresses admiration for Boyson’s previous projects such as Uncut Gems, Good Time, and Frances Ha. They sought to engage with Boyson’s vision in his first directorial outing, seeing synergy in their approach to serious social content through artistic storytelling.
Expanding the Arkhum slate: Union County, Meta, and Listen
With Balthazar wrapped, Centineo and Marc have already embarked on more projects. Centineo recently finished work on Union County in Ohio, a co-production with Seaview Productions, featuring Will Poulter and a supporting role for Centineo. Marc indicates their growing roster since Balthazar. The film, directed by Adam Meeks, explores the journey of a young man caught in rural Ohio’s recovery court system, reflecting the social themes important to Arkhum.
Another upcoming project is Meta, an animated short by Bozo Balov, about a lonely photographer connecting unexpectedly with an artificial intelligence. Inspired by Balov’s creative videos discovered on Instagram, Centineo recounts Enzo’s encouragement:
“You gotta reach out to him and see if he wants to do a film,”
—Enzo Marc, Producer. Balov responded with a proposal:
“We actually have a short film that I’m developing with Prime Render and Sacrebleu,”
—Bozo Balov, Filmmaker.
Arkhum’s range was further tested with Brian Birch’s Listen, produced by Will Smith’s Westbrook. Centineo describes being pitched the script by Bound Entertainment’s Samuel Ha during production in South Korea. Although slightly outside their previous genres, the project fit the team’s expanding vision as they took on new creative and international partnerships.
Navigating indie film financing and creative risk
Despite rising excitement and a growing reputation, Centineo and Marc have faced the familiar challenges of independent film funding. Marc notes the hurdles: assembling strong casts does not guarantee financial backing. Centineo lays out the central question asked by funders:
“Hey, we want to do this movie for $7 million and it’s an indie film, and it’s a first-time, up-and-coming filmmaker, and the subject matter is intense and niche,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer, and highlights the skepticism from financiers:
“Well, how are we going to make money? How are we going to drive people to go see this movie on a mass scale?”
—Generic Financier (as recounted by Centineo).
In response to these challenges, the Arkhum approach is strategic. The team aims to produce films for under $5 million, focusing on securing actors who not only carry name recognition but also share the film’s vision and intensity. Their aim is to partner with backers whose values match their intent on telling stories that resonate.
Centineo emphasizes the importance of shared mission in funding:
“Finding the individuals who believe in the messaging of the film and have the money and the desire to champion those stories. It’s like matchmaking. Turning over every stone you can,”
—Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer.
Looking ahead: Arkhum’s future and influence
Marc expresses a clear ambition for Arkhum’s place in the industry:
“I see a future where we’re the go-to home for the next generation of auteurs. They trust us. They know us. They come to us first. And we make films that make people think and hopefully consider all sorts of points of view,”
—Enzo Marc, Producer. Centineo succinctly aligns with this vision: “Ditto,” —Noah Centineo, Actor/Producer.
With Our Hero, Balthazar making its Tribeca debut and several promising films in their pipeline, Arkhum Productions is positioned to become a production house where authentic voices are nurtured, and socially relevant stories are told. The company’s journey, spearheaded by Noah Centineo and Enzo Marc, reflects a growing movement in film where personal conviction, artistry, and collaborative effort come together to shape culture and conversation in meaningful ways.
