TYLER GALLANT TO STAR IN JOSHUA CASSAR GASPAR’S CRIME THRILLER ‘NATIVITY’

Jericho Dominion and Valletta Pictures today announced that Tyler Gallant (Maserati: The Brothers, Turnbuckle, Bring The Law) will star as Francis Battista in NATIVITY, the upcoming crime thriller written and directed by Joshua Cassar Gaspar.

NATIVITY is an original, character-driven crime thriller inspired by the disappearance of Caravaggio’s masterpiece, The Nativity with St. Francis and St. Lawrence, one of the most notorious unsolved art thefts in history.

“Bringing NATIVITY to the screen has been an incredibly meaningful journey, and I am thrilled to have Tyler leading the film,” said Joshua Cassar Gaspar, writer and director. “Tyler has the ability to bring compelling depth to Francis Battista, capturing the complexities of a man struggling with his past while fighting for a second chance. I am excited to explore this character and his world together.”

The film follows Francis Battista (Gallant), a washed-up boxer turned low-level criminal desperate to regain custody of his daughter. When Caravaggio’s long-lost masterpiece resurfaces in the criminal underworld, Francis accepts one final job in the hope of rebuilding his life. Instead, he is drawn into a dangerous world of organised crime, deception and an international investigation that forces him to confront the choices that destroyed his family.
Blending the tension and atmosphere of a Los Angeles crime thriller with a distinctly European cinematic sensibility, NATIVITY explores themes of identity, regret, family and the possibility of redemption.

The film is produced by Joshua Cassar Gaspar, Alon Michael Hattingh and Aaron Barnett, with support from Arts Council Malta. Cinematographer Daniel Cawthorne and composer Elton Zarb return to collaborate with Gaspar.

NATIVITY marks Gaspar’s second feature and the second chapter in a planned trilogy of standalone crime thrillers inspired by Caravaggio’s paintings. His directorial debut, The Theft of the Caravaggio, premiered in competition at the Mediterrane Film Festival in 2025. His work spans feature filmmaking, commercial directing and international productions, including collaborations with Formula One champion Kimi Räikkönen and football star Lionel Messi.

Production is scheduled to begin in January 2027 in Malta. Gallant is managed by Mark Holder at Wonder Street Entertainment.