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Indie feature "Across the Hall," helmed by tyro Alex Merkin, will begin lensing Wednesday.

Mike Vogel ("Cloverfield"), Brittany Murphy and Danny Pino (CBS' "Cold Case") star.

The noir thriller features a standoff between a young man, his best friend and his fiancee. Merkin expanded the 2005 short of the same name that he wrote with Jesse Mittelstadt; Adrian Grenier starred.

Insomnia Media Group's Jeff Bowler and Bret Saxon produce. NBA star Elton Brand is exec producer. William Morris is repping the film domestically, and Voltage Pictures is covering international.

Insomnia Media Group maintains an office on the Universal lot and late last year announced a cash infusion of $550 million from Borak Holdings, an Egyptian asset management firm. In mid-March, Insomnia will begin production on writer-helmer Barry Primus' "20% Fiction," exec produced by Robert De Niro.