Actor and filmmaker Ryland Brickson Cole Tews is coming off of a tremendous year with the success of his second feature, the rollicking silent indie action comedy Hundreds Of Beavers which reteamed him with his Lake Michigan Monster co-scribe Mike Cheslik as director. To this, Tews is announcing his retirement from cinema as of Monday, and by some measure here he’s going out with a bang with his third and final film, Oriental Snatch.
Crowdfunding is already underway with the project reuniting Tews with select favorites from the festival scene and past projects, including and certainly not limited to fight choreographer extraordinare Jon Truei whose work on Hundreds Of Beavers won him Best Brawl at Vulture magazine’s 2025 Stunt Awards. Making his feature directing debut is Chris Tex, who most recently made headway with “Wind Princess,” his live-action shortfilm tribute to Hayao Miyazaki’s 1984 animated adventure, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind.
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Ryland Brickson Cole Tews Co-Creator and Star of Hundreds of Beavers Announces Final Film ORIENTAL SNATCH
D.B. Cooper “Action-Mystery-Horror-Romance” To Film in Brazil in Early 2026
Wisconsin filmmaker Ryland Brickson Cole Tews (Hundreds of Beavers, Lake Michigan Monster) has announced production on his third and final film, Oriental Snatch. Based on the true life case of “D.B. Cooper”, the only documented unsolved case of air piracy in the history of commercial aviation, the “action-adventure-mystery-horror-romance” will film in Brazil in early 2026.
Ryland Brickson Cole Tews began his career in 2017 with his longtime collaborator Mike Cheslik. The duo co-wrote the horror comedy Lake Michigan Monster, which Tews directed. Tews came to international attention as the star, co-creator and producer of the indie sensation Hundreds of Beavers. The frostbitten inventive epic, co-written by Tews, made its world premiere at Fantastic Fest in 2022 and went on to critical and audience acclaim as a return to physical comedy and a real life 8-bit video game, eventually being Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes and landing as the #1 Comedy on Letterboxd for 2024.
Tews is leaving the snow behind for his third and ultimately final film, returning as the star, writer and producer for Oriental Snatch. The film will tell the true story of the enigmatic air pirate, “D.B. Cooper”, and his infamous 1971 plane heist. Who was he? Where did he go? What really happened on that fateful day? All questions will be answered and several more raised in this sexy-action-adventure-mystery-horror-romance!
Oriental Snatch will be shot in and around São Paulo in early 2026, directed by Brazilian filmmaker and graphic novelist, Chris Tex (The Wind Princess). Brazilian actress Jessica Freytag will star alongside Tews. Several members of the Hundreds of Beavers team, including cinematographer Quinn Hester, sound designer and mixer Bobb Barito, and fight choreographer Jon Truei are returning for Oriental Snatch.
Funding is currently underway, with many fans opting to invest through the film’s Wefunder page. So far, $200,000 has been raised of the proposed $2 million budget.