EXCLUSIVE: Evoke Entertainment and blink-182 frontman Tom DeLonge‘s To the Stars Media are teaming to develop and produce Bali Hai, a surf drama to be written and co-produced by Matt George, the former pro surfer who has been one of the most influential voices in surf journalism for more than three decades.
Set to shoot in Bali in Q4 2026, the film follows two estranged brothers who travel to Bali for an international surf competition, confronting long-buried wounds while immersed in one of the world’s most iconic surf destinations.
Stan Spry, Co-Founder and CEO of Evoke Entertainment, will produce on behalf of Evoke, alongside DeLonge through his company To The Stars.
Spry told Deadline, “Matt George isn’t just a great writer — he’s one of the definitive storytellers of surf culture.”
Referencing one of George’s past film projects, he added, “In God’s Hands was an iconic film for my generation, something my friends and I watched endlessly. To collaborate with Matt on a surf film that returns to that raw, soulful spirit — and to do it in Bali — truly feels like a dream come true.”
George’s feature articles and photographs have stood among the most influential works in the surfing world for over 35 years. He also wrote and co-produced the TriStar surfing thriller In God’s Hands and the NBC series Wind on Water. His book In Deep: The Surf Writings of Matt George, published by Di Angelo publications, is currently a bestseller. George is Editor-in-Chief of Surftime Magazine, southeast Asia’s leading surf culture magazine, and is a longtime contributor to both Surfer and Surfing Magazines.
DeLonge is a musician, filmmaker, and entrepreneur best known as the co-founder of the Grammy-nominated rock band blink-182. Through To the Stars, he develops and produces film, television, animation, and publishing projects with a focus on bold, creator-driven storytelling.
Spry has produced over 200 films and television series. Currently, he is producing the adult animated series Breaking Bear for Tubi and Forever Young with Dr. Pablo Prichard for NBC and Peacock as well as over 20 independent and TV movies a year. His previous credits include Creepshow (AMC), Day of the Dead (Syfy), Safehaven (Tubi), Twelve Forever (Netflix), and features such as Monsters of California, Christmas with the Campbells, Looking Through Water and Jeepers Creepers 3.
Evoke Entertainment, formerly known as Cartel Entertainment, was founded in 2011 and reps top-tier showrunners, show creators, writers, directors, producers, animators, and production companies in film, TV, and new media.
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