Warner Bros is getting back in business with The Color Purple director Blitz Bazawule, with the studio landing rights to the tentatively titled Black Samurai with Bazawule directing. He wrote the pic on spec and will also produce under his Inward Gaze banner.
The story will follow Yasuke, an African warrior who served under Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period of samurai conflict in 16th century Japan. Sources tell Deadline four studios were in the mix for the project, but ultimately Warners came in with best offer on top of the relationship that began following his work on the recent musical adaptation of The Color Purple.
While a number of Yasuke projects have existed in the past, insiders say the original approach from the the filmmaker is being compared to groundbreaking films like 300 and Mad Max (the exact approach still under wraps).
Besides The Color Purple, Bazawule...
The story will follow Yasuke, an African warrior who served under Japanese daimyo Oda Nobunaga during the Sengoku period of samurai conflict in 16th century Japan. Sources tell Deadline four studios were in the mix for the project, but ultimately Warners came in with best offer on top of the relationship that began following his work on the recent musical adaptation of The Color Purple.
While a number of Yasuke projects have existed in the past, insiders say the original approach from the the filmmaker is being compared to groundbreaking films like 300 and Mad Max (the exact approach still under wraps).
Besides The Color Purple, Bazawule...
- 4/10/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Jesse Williams has been cast in Season 3 of “Only Murders in the Building.”
Williams will recur as a documentarian with a particular interest in the case that Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short) are working on.
The series follows three unlikely friends who live in the same building in New York City and bond over their love of true crime when they find themselves in the middle of a real-life murder mystery and begin recording a podcast of their own. In Season 1, they investigate the death of their neighbor Tim Kono, while Season 2 saw them investigate after finding their building’s board president Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell) murdered. Along with Williams, Gomez, Martin and Short, Season 3 also stars Paul Rudd.
Williams is best known for starring in 12 seasons of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Jackson Avery, with other prominent credits including “The Cabin in the Woods,...
Williams will recur as a documentarian with a particular interest in the case that Mabel (Selena Gomez), Charles (Steve Martin) and Oliver (Martin Short) are working on.
The series follows three unlikely friends who live in the same building in New York City and bond over their love of true crime when they find themselves in the middle of a real-life murder mystery and begin recording a podcast of their own. In Season 1, they investigate the death of their neighbor Tim Kono, while Season 2 saw them investigate after finding their building’s board president Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell) murdered. Along with Williams, Gomez, Martin and Short, Season 3 also stars Paul Rudd.
Williams is best known for starring in 12 seasons of ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” as Dr. Jackson Avery, with other prominent credits including “The Cabin in the Woods,...
- 10/25/2022
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Former Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams is joining the cast for Season 3 of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building in the recurring role. He will play documentarian with a particular interest in the case that Selena Gomez’s Mabel Mora, Steve Martin’s Charles Haden-Savage and Martin Short’s Oliver Putnam are working on.
Williams is an actor/entrepreneur and former high school teacher. He earned a Tony Award nomination in his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning revival of Take Me Out this year and will next be seen in Your Place or Mine with Reese Witherspoon, as well as in his return to Broadway for the newly extended run of Take Me Out.
Related Story 'Only Murders In The Building' Adds Paul Rudd To Season 3 Cast Related Story FX's 'Never Let Me Go' Adaptation Lands Series Order At Hulu; Viola Prettejohn, Tracey Ullman...
Williams is an actor/entrepreneur and former high school teacher. He earned a Tony Award nomination in his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning revival of Take Me Out this year and will next be seen in Your Place or Mine with Reese Witherspoon, as well as in his return to Broadway for the newly extended run of Take Me Out.
Related Story 'Only Murders In The Building' Adds Paul Rudd To Season 3 Cast Related Story FX's 'Never Let Me Go' Adaptation Lands Series Order At Hulu; Viola Prettejohn, Tracey Ullman...
- 10/25/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: IFC Films has picked up worldwide rights to writer-director Nicole Riegel’s sophomore feature Dandelion. A theatrical release is planned for next year. Cameras roll this week on the romantic drama.
Dandelion stars KiKi Layne, who will executive produce. She plays a struggling but determined Cincinnati singer-songwriter in a downward spiral. She reluctantly takes a last-ditch-effort gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota where she meets Casey, a guitarist who walked away from his dream long ago. As Dandelion joins Casey’s eclectic and nomadic group of struggling musicians, the kindred spirits make music together and strike up an intoxicating whirlwind romance that moves Dandelion from an obsession with results and a narrow view of success to a deeper appreciation of her artistic journey and the discovery of a voice that is authentically her own.
“I’m very excited to bring forth a story about the resilience of...
Dandelion stars KiKi Layne, who will executive produce. She plays a struggling but determined Cincinnati singer-songwriter in a downward spiral. She reluctantly takes a last-ditch-effort gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota where she meets Casey, a guitarist who walked away from his dream long ago. As Dandelion joins Casey’s eclectic and nomadic group of struggling musicians, the kindred spirits make music together and strike up an intoxicating whirlwind romance that moves Dandelion from an obsession with results and a narrow view of success to a deeper appreciation of her artistic journey and the discovery of a voice that is authentically her own.
“I’m very excited to bring forth a story about the resilience of...
- 10/19/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Granderson Des Rochers is growing its upper ranks again.
Bejidé Davis has been promoted to partner of the boutique law firm.
“Bejidé Davis is one of the most dynamic lawyers I have encountered, from her days at Shearman & Sterling Llp to the formation of our law firm,” senior partner Damien Granderson told Deadline of the Emory University School of Law (J.D.) and Spelman College (B.A.) grad. “She continues to impress me with her ability to add value to each client deal. It is a great honor to welcome her to our Partnership.”
Speaking of partnership, fellow senior partner Andre Des Rochers added: “I have no doubt that Bejidé will continue to contribute to Granderson Des Rochers’ growth in the years to come in an incredibly meaningful way. Bejidé possesses everything we want in a Partner.”
Repping the likes of Ne-Yo, Aap Rocky, Power franchise scribe Lacey Herbert,...
Bejidé Davis has been promoted to partner of the boutique law firm.
“Bejidé Davis is one of the most dynamic lawyers I have encountered, from her days at Shearman & Sterling Llp to the formation of our law firm,” senior partner Damien Granderson told Deadline of the Emory University School of Law (J.D.) and Spelman College (B.A.) grad. “She continues to impress me with her ability to add value to each client deal. It is a great honor to welcome her to our Partnership.”
Speaking of partnership, fellow senior partner Andre Des Rochers added: “I have no doubt that Bejidé will continue to contribute to Granderson Des Rochers’ growth in the years to come in an incredibly meaningful way. Bejidé possesses everything we want in a Partner.”
Repping the likes of Ne-Yo, Aap Rocky, Power franchise scribe Lacey Herbert,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Sean Ryan Fox (Henry Danger) and Catherine Daddario (Oak) will lead the cast of the indie high school drama The Midway Point, marking the feature directorial debut of writer-director Lucca Vieira, which has wrapped production in Los Angeles. Others in the ensemble include 2019 Honorary Academy Award winner Wes Studi (The Last of the Mohicans), Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Thora Birch (Ghost World) and Julie Benz (Dexter).
The coming-of-age film said to be in the vein of Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade follows the introverted and highly creative high school senior Jake (Fox) as he experiences his first love with Alice (Daddario), a brash and outgoing classmate. As the two open up to one another, the seemingly opposite pair find they have more in common than meets the eye. Studi plays Jake’s teacher, with Birch as his mother, and Benz as the school’s guidance counselor who helps him with his social anxieties.
The coming-of-age film said to be in the vein of Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade follows the introverted and highly creative high school senior Jake (Fox) as he experiences his first love with Alice (Daddario), a brash and outgoing classmate. As the two open up to one another, the seemingly opposite pair find they have more in common than meets the eye. Studi plays Jake’s teacher, with Birch as his mother, and Benz as the school’s guidance counselor who helps him with his social anxieties.
- 9/2/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicolas Cage is set to star in and produce a comedy set at A24 called “Dream Scenario” that will also be produced by “Midsommar” filmmaker Ari Aster, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Kristoffer Borgli, who directed the Cannes title from this year called “Sick of Myself,” will write and direct the film.
Plot details are being kept under wraps.
A24 will finance and produce “Dream Scenario.” Jacob Jaffke and Tyler Campellone will also produce alongside A24, and Aster and Lars Knudsen will produce for their Square Peg banner.
Also Read:
Phoebe Bridgers, Fred Durst and Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail to Appear in A24 Horror Movie ‘I Saw the TV Glow’
“Dream Scenario” marks the fourth time that A24 is teaming up with Aster’s Square Peg, including on his films “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” but also on the upcoming “Disappointment Blvd.” starring Joaquin Phoenix.
Nic Cage...
Kristoffer Borgli, who directed the Cannes title from this year called “Sick of Myself,” will write and direct the film.
Plot details are being kept under wraps.
A24 will finance and produce “Dream Scenario.” Jacob Jaffke and Tyler Campellone will also produce alongside A24, and Aster and Lars Knudsen will produce for their Square Peg banner.
Also Read:
Phoebe Bridgers, Fred Durst and Lindsey Jordan of Snail Mail to Appear in A24 Horror Movie ‘I Saw the TV Glow’
“Dream Scenario” marks the fourth time that A24 is teaming up with Aster’s Square Peg, including on his films “Hereditary” and “Midsommar” but also on the upcoming “Disappointment Blvd.” starring Joaquin Phoenix.
Nic Cage...
- 8/30/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Jesse Williams, Zoë Chao, Steve Zahn, Tig Notaro and Wesley Kimmel have joined the cast of Netflix’s upcoming romantic comedy “Your Place or Mine,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Ashton Kutcher.
Writer-director Aline Brosh McKenna saluted the new cast in a statement, saying, “Our entire ‘Your Place or Mine’ team is thrilled to welcome these wonderful actors to the movie. They are supremely brilliant and talented and we can’t wait to embark on this journey with them.”
Witherspoon and Kutcher star in the movie as Debbie and Peter, who are best friends and total opposites. She craves routine with her son in L.A. (Kimmel); he thrives on change in New York. When they swap houses and lives for a week, they discover what they think they want might not be what they really need. Details of how Williams, Chao, Zahn and Notaro work into the film’s plot are yet to be revealed.
Writer-director Aline Brosh McKenna saluted the new cast in a statement, saying, “Our entire ‘Your Place or Mine’ team is thrilled to welcome these wonderful actors to the movie. They are supremely brilliant and talented and we can’t wait to embark on this journey with them.”
Witherspoon and Kutcher star in the movie as Debbie and Peter, who are best friends and total opposites. She craves routine with her son in L.A. (Kimmel); he thrives on change in New York. When they swap houses and lives for a week, they discover what they think they want might not be what they really need. Details of how Williams, Chao, Zahn and Notaro work into the film’s plot are yet to be revealed.
- 10/5/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Judas and the Black Messiah writer-director-producer Shaka King is expanding his work in television, signing a first-look deal with FX Productions. Under the pact, King will develop new TV series for FX through his recently launched production company I’d Watch That, with the company’s co-founder Brandon Harris.
King is the director, co-writer and producer behind the Oscar-nominated feature Judas and the Black Messiah, starring Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya. The film, which marks his studio feature directorial debut, centers on Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O’Neal. The feature was nominated for six Academy Awards, including a Best Original Screenplay nom for King as well as Best Picture, marking the first time an all-Black producing team has been recognized in the category.
“We at FX have long been fans of Shaka King’s work and are honored to partner...
King is the director, co-writer and producer behind the Oscar-nominated feature Judas and the Black Messiah, starring Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya. The film, which marks his studio feature directorial debut, centers on Illinois Black Panther Party Chairman Fred Hampton and his fateful betrayal by FBI informant William O’Neal. The feature was nominated for six Academy Awards, including a Best Original Screenplay nom for King as well as Best Picture, marking the first time an all-Black producing team has been recognized in the category.
“We at FX have long been fans of Shaka King’s work and are honored to partner...
- 10/1/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Richard Greenberg’s Tony Award-winning play Take Me Out, about baseball and homophobia, is set to be adapted as a limited television series.
Grey’s Anatomy and Little Fires Everywhere star Jesse Williams will lead the adaptation, which comes from Anonymous Content.
Greenberg will adapt his play for the small screen with Broadway director Scott Ellis, who has directed episodes of shows including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Modern Family, will direct the pilot.
Set in the early 2000s, Take Me Out follows Darren Lemming, a mixed-race star center fielder for the fictional Empires. Darren’s decision to come out of the closet sparks controversy and soul searching for American’s favorite pastime, revealing long-held, unspoken prejudices both on and off the field. Facing some hostile teammates and fraught friendships, Darren is forced to confront the reality of being a gay person of color within the framework of a classic American institution.
Grey’s Anatomy and Little Fires Everywhere star Jesse Williams will lead the adaptation, which comes from Anonymous Content.
Greenberg will adapt his play for the small screen with Broadway director Scott Ellis, who has directed episodes of shows including The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Modern Family, will direct the pilot.
Set in the early 2000s, Take Me Out follows Darren Lemming, a mixed-race star center fielder for the fictional Empires. Darren’s decision to come out of the closet sparks controversy and soul searching for American’s favorite pastime, revealing long-held, unspoken prejudices both on and off the field. Facing some hostile teammates and fraught friendships, Darren is forced to confront the reality of being a gay person of color within the framework of a classic American institution.
- 8/9/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Hulu has ordered a one-hour drama pilot titled “Olga Dies Dreaming,” based on the yet-to-be-published novel of the same name. Author Xochitl Gonzalez and Alfonso Gómez-Rejón are attached to executive produce, with Gonzalez writing, and Gómez-Rejón directing. Twentieth Television will produce.
Per the logline, “Olga Dies Dreaming” is the story of a Nuyorican brother and sister from a gentrifying Sunset Park, Brooklyn, reckoning with their absent, politically radical mother and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Gonzalez will be making her small-screen debut as a writer and as an executive producer. A native Brooklynite and “proud public school graduate,” Gonzalez received her B.A. in fine art from Brown University and is currently an Mfa candidate in fiction at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she is an Iowa Arts Fellow and the recipient of the Michener Copernicus Award for Fiction.
Per the logline, “Olga Dies Dreaming” is the story of a Nuyorican brother and sister from a gentrifying Sunset Park, Brooklyn, reckoning with their absent, politically radical mother and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Gonzalez will be making her small-screen debut as a writer and as an executive producer. A native Brooklynite and “proud public school graduate,” Gonzalez received her B.A. in fine art from Brown University and is currently an Mfa candidate in fiction at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she is an Iowa Arts Fellow and the recipient of the Michener Copernicus Award for Fiction.
- 4/29/2021
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu has given a formal pilot order to Olga Dies Dreaming, a one-hour drama based on the forthcoming novel by Xochitl Gonzalez, from Gonzalez, Emmy-nominated and Sundance-winning filmmaker Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and 20th Television. In anticipation of the official green light, the pilot already has been casting.
Written by Gonzalez and to be directed by Gomez-Rejon, Olga Dies Dreaming is the story of a Nuyorican brother and sister from a gentrifying Sunset Park, Brooklyn, reckoning with the absent, politically radical mother and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Gomez-Rejon partnered with Gonzalez after reading her novel in manuscript form. Together, they developed the series from the ground up and will executive produce the pilot. 20th Television is the studio.
2020 Hulu Pilots & Series Orders-21
Gonzalez is an Mfa candidate in fiction at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop,...
Written by Gonzalez and to be directed by Gomez-Rejon, Olga Dies Dreaming is the story of a Nuyorican brother and sister from a gentrifying Sunset Park, Brooklyn, reckoning with the absent, politically radical mother and their glittering careers among New York City’s elite in the wake of Hurricane Maria.
Gomez-Rejon partnered with Gonzalez after reading her novel in manuscript form. Together, they developed the series from the ground up and will executive produce the pilot. 20th Television is the studio.
2020 Hulu Pilots & Series Orders-21
Gonzalez is an Mfa candidate in fiction at the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop,...
- 4/29/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Tessa Thompson is adding to her Viva Maude.
Kishori Rajan, exec producer of HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness, has joined Thompson’s production company. She joins as Vice President of Development and Production.
This comes after the Westworld star launched the business earlier this year with a two-year first-look deal at HBO and HBO Max and two book adaptations – Who Fears Death and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.
Rajan’s other credits include The Short History of the Long Road starring Sabrina Carpenter and Danny Trejo, The Price, American Fable, Four and Gimme the Loot as well as unscripted series including Hulu’s travel food show Eater’s Guide to the World hosted by Maya Rudolph and Topic Studios’ dance competition series Best Walk.
“Since our first meeting, it became immediately clear that Tessa and I were inspired by similar types of writers, artists and thinkers,” said Rajan.
Kishori Rajan, exec producer of HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness, has joined Thompson’s production company. She joins as Vice President of Development and Production.
This comes after the Westworld star launched the business earlier this year with a two-year first-look deal at HBO and HBO Max and two book adaptations – Who Fears Death and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies.
Rajan’s other credits include The Short History of the Long Road starring Sabrina Carpenter and Danny Trejo, The Price, American Fable, Four and Gimme the Loot as well as unscripted series including Hulu’s travel food show Eater’s Guide to the World hosted by Maya Rudolph and Topic Studios’ dance competition series Best Walk.
“Since our first meeting, it became immediately clear that Tessa and I were inspired by similar types of writers, artists and thinkers,” said Rajan.
- 4/6/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Ari Aster and Lars Knudsen have made a two-year first-look television deal at A24 for their Square Peg banner. The duo formed their company in 2019 after teaming on Hereditary, which Aster wrote and directed and Knudsen produced, and then Midsommar, on which they served the same roles. A24 released both films.
Emily Hildner has joined Square Peg as Head of TV, and will spearhead the effort to develop and produce projects across scripted, documentary and unscripted formats. Before joining Square Peg, Hildner served as Head of Television at Animal Kingdom, setting up projects with HBO, Hulu, FX, and A24. Square Peg has firmed up a new logo for the company, created by cartoonist Daniel Clowes.
On the film side, Square Peg is gearing up for a summer shoot on Aster’s next film, Disappointment Blvd., with Joaquin Phoenix starring, as well as two percolating other projects that will shoot...
Emily Hildner has joined Square Peg as Head of TV, and will spearhead the effort to develop and produce projects across scripted, documentary and unscripted formats. Before joining Square Peg, Hildner served as Head of Television at Animal Kingdom, setting up projects with HBO, Hulu, FX, and A24. Square Peg has firmed up a new logo for the company, created by cartoonist Daniel Clowes.
On the film side, Square Peg is gearing up for a summer shoot on Aster’s next film, Disappointment Blvd., with Joaquin Phoenix starring, as well as two percolating other projects that will shoot...
- 3/22/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Jeremy O. Harris’ Slave Play landed on various critics’ best-of lists after its Off Broadway production last December, and now the incendiary and brutally funny comedy-drama about race, sexual fetishes and the undying legacy of American slavery, is headed to Broadway.
With Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories production company as one of the producers, Slave Play, directed by Robert O’Hara, will begin previews of a 17-week engagement on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the Golden Theatre, with an opening night set for Sunday, Oct. 6.
Casting was not announced.
The Broadway production was announced by producers Greg Nobile and Jana Shea of Seaview Productions; Troy Carter; Level Forward; and Nine Stories, founded by Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker to develop and produce new works for theater, film and television. Nine Stories is a producer of Broadway’s upcoming Sea Wall/A Life starring Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge; performances begin July 26 at the Hudson Theatre.
With Jake Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories production company as one of the producers, Slave Play, directed by Robert O’Hara, will begin previews of a 17-week engagement on Tuesday, Sept. 10 at the Golden Theatre, with an opening night set for Sunday, Oct. 6.
Casting was not announced.
The Broadway production was announced by producers Greg Nobile and Jana Shea of Seaview Productions; Troy Carter; Level Forward; and Nine Stories, founded by Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker to develop and produce new works for theater, film and television. Nine Stories is a producer of Broadway’s upcoming Sea Wall/A Life starring Gyllenhaal and Tom Sturridge; performances begin July 26 at the Hudson Theatre.
- 7/11/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Reinaldo Marcus Green is on board to direct Warner Bros.’ “King Richard,” which centers on the father of tennis champs Venus and Serena Williams and stars Will Smith as their father.
WB won the rights in a heated bidding war earlier this year after Smith attached himself to the package to play Richard Williams.
The film is based on a script by Zach Baylin, following the true story of the hardscrabble but iron-willed father of Venus and Serena Williams who had a plan to make his daughters the greatest tennis players in the world.
Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, starting with the Us Open in 1999. Venus Williams has seven Grand Slam singles, starting with Wimbledon in 2000. The sisters have combined for 14 Grand Slam doubles championships.
Tim White and Trevor White will produce through their Star Thrower banner and James Lassiter will produce for Overbrook Entertainment. Jada Pinkett Smith,...
WB won the rights in a heated bidding war earlier this year after Smith attached himself to the package to play Richard Williams.
The film is based on a script by Zach Baylin, following the true story of the hardscrabble but iron-willed father of Venus and Serena Williams who had a plan to make his daughters the greatest tennis players in the world.
Serena Williams has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, starting with the Us Open in 1999. Venus Williams has seven Grand Slam singles, starting with Wimbledon in 2000. The sisters have combined for 14 Grand Slam doubles championships.
Tim White and Trevor White will produce through their Star Thrower banner and James Lassiter will produce for Overbrook Entertainment. Jada Pinkett Smith,...
- 6/13/2019
- by Justin Kroll
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Amazon Studios will release Ritesh Batra’s romance feature Photograph stateside on May 17, the weekend before the Memorial Day stretch. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
The pic follows a struggling Mumbai street photographer who is pressured to wed by his grandmother. He convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée during a family visit. Despite vast cultural differences, the pair develops a surprising connection that challenges their worldviews.
Photograph is screening as part of the official line-up at the Berlin International Film Festival. When the movie opens in May, it will be a limited release.
Pic stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, Akash Sinha and Saharsh Kumar Shukla. Producers are Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani, Ritesh Batra, Michael Weber, Viola Fügen and Michel Merkt. EPs are Smriti Jain, Gaurav Mishra, Arun Rangachari and Vivek Rangachari.
The pic follows a struggling Mumbai street photographer who is pressured to wed by his grandmother. He convinces a shy stranger to pose as his fiancée during a family visit. Despite vast cultural differences, the pair develops a surprising connection that challenges their worldviews.
Photograph is screening as part of the official line-up at the Berlin International Film Festival. When the movie opens in May, it will be a limited release.
Pic stars Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Jim Sarbh, Akash Sinha and Saharsh Kumar Shukla. Producers are Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani, Ritesh Batra, Michael Weber, Viola Fügen and Michel Merkt. EPs are Smriti Jain, Gaurav Mishra, Arun Rangachari and Vivek Rangachari.
- 2/12/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
“American Honey” actress Sasha Lane will star on “Sharp Objects” author Gillian Flynn’s upcoming Amazon series “Utopia,” TheWrap has learned.
“Utopia” follows a group of young adults, who meet online, and “are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come in to possession of a near-mythical cult underground graphic novel — they discover the conspiracy theories in the comic’s pages may actually be real and are forced in to the dangerous, unique and ironic position of saving the world.”
Lane has been cast as one of the drama’s leads, Jessica Hyde, who is described as “tough and feral after a life on the run from a mysterious and dangerous group, Jessica believes all the answers about her perplexing life story may be hidden in the graphic novel ‘Utopia’.”
Also Read: Amazon Orders 'Utopia' Series From 'Gone Girl' Writer Gillian Flynn
Flynn...
“Utopia” follows a group of young adults, who meet online, and “are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come in to possession of a near-mythical cult underground graphic novel — they discover the conspiracy theories in the comic’s pages may actually be real and are forced in to the dangerous, unique and ironic position of saving the world.”
Lane has been cast as one of the drama’s leads, Jessica Hyde, who is described as “tough and feral after a life on the run from a mysterious and dangerous group, Jessica believes all the answers about her perplexing life story may be hidden in the graphic novel ‘Utopia’.”
Also Read: Amazon Orders 'Utopia' Series From 'Gone Girl' Writer Gillian Flynn
Flynn...
- 1/29/2019
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Sasha Lane (American Honey) is set to lead the cast of Utopia, Amazon’s adaptation of the British series, written by Gone Girl author and screenwriter Gillian Flynn.
Utopia follows a group of young adults who meet online that are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come into possession of a near-mythical cult underground graphic novel. Within the comic’s pages, they discover the conspiracy theories that may actually be real and are forced into the dangerous, unique and ironic position of saving the world.
Lane will play Jessica Hyde. Tough and feral after a life on the run from a mysterious and dangerous group, Jessica believes all the answers about her perplexing life story may be hidden in the graphic novel ‘Utopia’.
“As I’ve been writing Utopia and trying to imagine the actor who could possibly embody Jessica Hyde, Sasha Lane has...
Utopia follows a group of young adults who meet online that are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come into possession of a near-mythical cult underground graphic novel. Within the comic’s pages, they discover the conspiracy theories that may actually be real and are forced into the dangerous, unique and ironic position of saving the world.
Lane will play Jessica Hyde. Tough and feral after a life on the run from a mysterious and dangerous group, Jessica believes all the answers about her perplexing life story may be hidden in the graphic novel ‘Utopia’.
“As I’ve been writing Utopia and trying to imagine the actor who could possibly embody Jessica Hyde, Sasha Lane has...
- 1/29/2019
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Sasha Lane has been cast in a lead role in the upcoming Amazon series “Utopia,” Variety has learned.
Based on the British series of the same name created by Dennis Kelly, “Utopia” follows group of young adults who meet online and are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come in to possession of a near mythical cult underground graphic novel. They discover the conspiracy theories in the comic’s pages may actually be real and are forced in to the dangerous, unique and ironic position of saving the world.
Lane will play Jessica Hyde. Described as tough and feral after a life on the run from a mysterious and dangerous group, Jessica believes all the answers about her perplexing life story may be hidden in the graphic novel “Utopia.”
“As I’ve been writing ‘Utopia’ and trying to imagine the actor who could possibly embody Jessica Hyde,...
Based on the British series of the same name created by Dennis Kelly, “Utopia” follows group of young adults who meet online and are mercilessly hunted by a shadowy deep state organization after they come in to possession of a near mythical cult underground graphic novel. They discover the conspiracy theories in the comic’s pages may actually be real and are forced in to the dangerous, unique and ironic position of saving the world.
Lane will play Jessica Hyde. Described as tough and feral after a life on the run from a mysterious and dangerous group, Jessica believes all the answers about her perplexing life story may be hidden in the graphic novel “Utopia.”
“As I’ve been writing ‘Utopia’ and trying to imagine the actor who could possibly embody Jessica Hyde,...
- 1/29/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Anya Taylor-Joy, who broke onto the scene with her lauded performance in A24’s The Witch, has been tapped as the title character in Weetzie Bat, the film adaptation of Francesca Lia Block’s cult favorite 1980s novel that Justin Kelly is directing. Love, Simon star Nick Robinson, American Honey standout Sasha Lane, Theodore Pellerin (Boy Erased) and Keiynan Lonsdale also will star in the pic, which is described as a neon-lit fairy tale.
Weetzie (Taylor-Joy) is an ethereal pixie living in 1980s Los Angeles, where she grew up the child of an alcoholic starlet mother and a junkie screenwriter father. She teams up with her Mohawked best friend Dirk (Pellerin) to find love, leading her to mysterious trenchcoat-wearing filmmaker Max (Robinson) and platinum-haired surfer Duck (Lonsdale). But when their bliss is threatened by deaths, breakups and Max’s witchy and bitter ex-girlfriend Vixanne (Lane...
Weetzie (Taylor-Joy) is an ethereal pixie living in 1980s Los Angeles, where she grew up the child of an alcoholic starlet mother and a junkie screenwriter father. She teams up with her Mohawked best friend Dirk (Pellerin) to find love, leading her to mysterious trenchcoat-wearing filmmaker Max (Robinson) and platinum-haired surfer Duck (Lonsdale). But when their bliss is threatened by deaths, breakups and Max’s witchy and bitter ex-girlfriend Vixanne (Lane...
- 7/11/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Sasha Lane, who starred in Andrea Arnold’s 2016 Cannes-winning pic American Honey in her first feature role, has signed with Wme. The part earned her a Best Actress British Independent Film Award.
Lane currently appears in a pair of Sundance 2018 films: Hearts Beat Loud opposite Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons in theaters now, and grand prize winner The Miseducation of Cameron Post starring Chloë Grace Moretz. The latter pic bows August 3 via FilmRise.
Most recently, Lane starred in the SXSW film Shotgun, and she’s next up in Lionsgate’s Hellboy reboot opposite David Harbour and Milla Jovovich which hits screens January 11.
Lane, who had been based at Gersh, remains repped by The Long Run’s Amy BonFleur and attorney André Des Rochers.
Lane currently appears in a pair of Sundance 2018 films: Hearts Beat Loud opposite Nick Offerman and Kiersey Clemons in theaters now, and grand prize winner The Miseducation of Cameron Post starring Chloë Grace Moretz. The latter pic bows August 3 via FilmRise.
Most recently, Lane starred in the SXSW film Shotgun, and she’s next up in Lionsgate’s Hellboy reboot opposite David Harbour and Milla Jovovich which hits screens January 11.
Lane, who had been based at Gersh, remains repped by The Long Run’s Amy BonFleur and attorney André Des Rochers.
- 7/3/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Jack Johnson, the first black heavyweight boxing champion who recently was pardoned by President Donald Trump from his conviction for violating the Mann Act in 1910 at the height of the Jim Crow era, has suddenly become a prized film property. Reinaldo Marcus Green, who wrote and directed the Sundance film Monsters and Men, will helm The Big Blow, which Oren Moverman adapted from a Joe Landsdale novella that is inspired by Johnson’s own story. Giannina Scott and Ridley Scott are producing at Scott Free.
This comes just after Sylvester Stallone launched Balboa Productions with plans to start the shingle off partnered with MGM on a biopic of Johnson, whose story was told on screen in a slightly fictionalized form in the 1970 film The Great White Hope.
The Big Blow is set against the backdrop of a giant hurricane that flattened Galveston, Texas in 1900. Local black champion Little Arthur...
This comes just after Sylvester Stallone launched Balboa Productions with plans to start the shingle off partnered with MGM on a biopic of Johnson, whose story was told on screen in a slightly fictionalized form in the 1970 film The Great White Hope.
The Big Blow is set against the backdrop of a giant hurricane that flattened Galveston, Texas in 1900. Local black champion Little Arthur...
- 5/31/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Rodrigo Teixeira’s Rt Features and Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Prods. are re-teaming to produce and finance a pair of feature debuts: Danielle Lessovitz’s “Port Authority” and Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s “Murina.”
Rt Features launched a joint venture in 2014 with Scorsese’s Sikelia Prods. in order to discover emerging talents from around the world and produce their
Rt and Sikelia Prods. had “A Ciambra” in Directors’ Fortnight last year. Other recent Rt credits include Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning “Call Me By Your Name” among its recent credits.
“Port Authority” is a love story set in New York’s underground ballroom culture. The film follows Paul, a midwestern teenager, who arrives at the central bus station and quickly catches feelings for Wye, a 22 year old girl voguing on the sidewalk. When he discovers Wye is trans, crisis occurs and he is forced to confront his own identity and what it means to belong.
Rt Features launched a joint venture in 2014 with Scorsese’s Sikelia Prods. in order to discover emerging talents from around the world and produce their
Rt and Sikelia Prods. had “A Ciambra” in Directors’ Fortnight last year. Other recent Rt credits include Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning “Call Me By Your Name” among its recent credits.
“Port Authority” is a love story set in New York’s underground ballroom culture. The film follows Paul, a midwestern teenager, who arrives at the central bus station and quickly catches feelings for Wye, a 22 year old girl voguing on the sidewalk. When he discovers Wye is trans, crisis occurs and he is forced to confront his own identity and what it means to belong.
- 5/9/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
“Most Beautiful Island”
A short, stressful, and utterly spellbinding debut that transforms the immigrant experience into the stuff of an early Polanski psychodrama, “Most Beautiful Island” was a worthy winner of the SXSW Grand Jury Prize for best narrative feature, and might prove to be a breakthrough moment for a major new talent: Spanish actress Ana Asensio not only wrote, directed, and produced this fraught metropolitan thriller, she also appears in just about every frame.
It would be criminal to reveal too much about what happens to her character, a Manhattan immigrant who’s struggling to make a life for herself in the big city and in for the longest night of her life, but it’s thrilling to watch the anxiety of neo-realism as it slowly bleeds into something that resembles the suspense of the orgy sequence from “Eyes Wide Shut.” Creating a lucid sense of reality only so...
A short, stressful, and utterly spellbinding debut that transforms the immigrant experience into the stuff of an early Polanski psychodrama, “Most Beautiful Island” was a worthy winner of the SXSW Grand Jury Prize for best narrative feature, and might prove to be a breakthrough moment for a major new talent: Spanish actress Ana Asensio not only wrote, directed, and produced this fraught metropolitan thriller, she also appears in just about every frame.
It would be criminal to reveal too much about what happens to her character, a Manhattan immigrant who’s struggling to make a life for herself in the big city and in for the longest night of her life, but it’s thrilling to watch the anxiety of neo-realism as it slowly bleeds into something that resembles the suspense of the orgy sequence from “Eyes Wide Shut.” Creating a lucid sense of reality only so...
- 3/18/2017
- by Chris O'Falt, David Ehrlich, Eric Kohn, Kate Erbland and Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Film supported by the Un to be released on World Refugee Day.
A film highlighting the refugee crisis, starring Jack O’Connell (Starred Up, Money Monster) and Holliday Grainger (Great Expectations, Cinderella), has been set for release across the UK on World Refugee Day - June 20, 2016.
Home, a 20-minute short that was shot in three countries, is supported by the Unhcr, the United Nations’ Refugee Agency.
Written and directed by Daniel Mulloy, who won a BAFTA in 2005 for short film Antonio’s Breakfast, the film centres on a comfortable English family who experience a life-changing journey.
Mulloy said: “We want to address the disconnect with refugees and do something to rip down the sense of them and us.”
Artists including Coldplay, Dizzee Rascal and Wiley donated music for the soundtrack.
The project is further supported by augmented reality and visual discovery app Blippar. For the first time ever on World Refugee Day, users will be...
A film highlighting the refugee crisis, starring Jack O’Connell (Starred Up, Money Monster) and Holliday Grainger (Great Expectations, Cinderella), has been set for release across the UK on World Refugee Day - June 20, 2016.
Home, a 20-minute short that was shot in three countries, is supported by the Unhcr, the United Nations’ Refugee Agency.
Written and directed by Daniel Mulloy, who won a BAFTA in 2005 for short film Antonio’s Breakfast, the film centres on a comfortable English family who experience a life-changing journey.
Mulloy said: “We want to address the disconnect with refugees and do something to rip down the sense of them and us.”
Artists including Coldplay, Dizzee Rascal and Wiley donated music for the soundtrack.
The project is further supported by augmented reality and visual discovery app Blippar. For the first time ever on World Refugee Day, users will be...
- 6/2/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The Film Arcade has acquired Us rights to Sundance feature Unexpected.
Kris Swanberg directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Megan Mercier. The film stars How I Met Your Mother actress Cobie Smulders alongside Gail Bean and Anders Holm of Comedy Central’s Workaholics.
Unexpected tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a pregnant teacher at an inner-city Chicago high school and her most promising student, who is expecting as well.
“Unexpected was one of our favorite films at Sundance, where it was praised by both audiences and critics. Kris Swanberg is an incredibly talented film-maker and anyone who isn’t already in love with Cobie Smulders will be after seeing Kris’s film,” said The Film Arcade’s Andy Bohn.
The Film Arcade negotiated the deal with Animal Kingdom’s David Kaplan and attorney Andre Des Rochers who represented the film-makers.
The distribution company has earmarked a summer release.
Kris Swanberg directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay with Megan Mercier. The film stars How I Met Your Mother actress Cobie Smulders alongside Gail Bean and Anders Holm of Comedy Central’s Workaholics.
Unexpected tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a pregnant teacher at an inner-city Chicago high school and her most promising student, who is expecting as well.
“Unexpected was one of our favorite films at Sundance, where it was praised by both audiences and critics. Kris Swanberg is an incredibly talented film-maker and anyone who isn’t already in love with Cobie Smulders will be after seeing Kris’s film,” said The Film Arcade’s Andy Bohn.
The Film Arcade negotiated the deal with Animal Kingdom’s David Kaplan and attorney Andre Des Rochers who represented the film-makers.
The distribution company has earmarked a summer release.
- 2/10/2015
- ScreenDaily
[Exclusive Update 12:45 p.m.: Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has bought international rights to “Digging for Fire,” which means the film will be distributed worldwide.]
Earlier Exclusive
The Orchard is acquiring North American rights to Joe Swanberg’s “Digging for Fire,” which Swanberg co-wrote with star Jake Johnson. The duo also produced the movie with Alicia Van Couvering.
An individual with knowledge of the negotiations told TheWrap that the deal is worth around $2 million.
The film, which made its world premiere earlier this week at Sundance, co-stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Mike Birbiglia. The supporting cast includes Sam Elliott, Judith Light, Ron Livingston, Melanie Lynskey Jenny Slate, Timothy Simons and Jane Adams.
“Digging for Fire” follows the discovery...
Earlier Exclusive
The Orchard is acquiring North American rights to Joe Swanberg’s “Digging for Fire,” which Swanberg co-wrote with star Jake Johnson. The duo also produced the movie with Alicia Van Couvering.
An individual with knowledge of the negotiations told TheWrap that the deal is worth around $2 million.
The film, which made its world premiere earlier this week at Sundance, co-stars Rosemarie DeWitt, Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick and Mike Birbiglia. The supporting cast includes Sam Elliott, Judith Light, Ron Livingston, Melanie Lynskey Jenny Slate, Timothy Simons and Jane Adams.
“Digging for Fire” follows the discovery...
- 1/30/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
Drafthouse Films has sprung for Amira & Sam, an indie dramedy romance starring Martin Starr (Silicon Valley, Freaks and Geeks) and newcomer Dina Shihabi as an Army vet and an illegal Iraqi immigrant whose love is put to the test when she’s faced with deportation. Writer-director Sean Mullin helmed the pic, which is executive produced by The Spectacular Now‘s James Ponsoldt and also stars The Vampire Diaries’ Paul Wesley, Laith Nakli, and David Rasche. Drafthouse has slated a cross-platform limited theatrical, VOD, digital, and home video release for early 2015.
The Austin-based distributor snapped up Amira & Sam following its premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival earlier this year. It’s scheduled to screen at the Drafthouse’s upcoming femme-centric Forever Fest this Fall. The Five By Eight Productions picture is produced by Terry Leonard from Strongman and Erich Lochner and Matt Miller from Vanishing Angle. Meg Montagnino-Jarrett and Peter...
The Austin-based distributor snapped up Amira & Sam following its premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival earlier this year. It’s scheduled to screen at the Drafthouse’s upcoming femme-centric Forever Fest this Fall. The Five By Eight Productions picture is produced by Terry Leonard from Strongman and Erich Lochner and Matt Miller from Vanishing Angle. Meg Montagnino-Jarrett and Peter...
- 8/28/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Exclusive: Gillian Robespierre made a splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival with the comedy Obvious Child. Her directorial debut about a Brooklyn comedian (Jenny Slate) who gets dumped, fired and pregnant just in time for the most chaotic Valentine’s Day of her life was acquired by A24 for low seven figures in one of the biggest deals of the festival. Now UTA has signed Robespierre as the NY-based filmmaker’s first agency representation; she continues to be repped by attorney Andre Des Rochers. Obvious Child will be released June 6.
- 3/5/2014
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
IFC Films has taken Us rights to recent Sundance world premiere Camp X-Ray starring Kristen Stewart.
Peter Sattler wrote and directed the story of a rookie guard at Guantanamo Bay who strikes up a friendship with a detainee. nPayman Maadi and Lane Garrison round out the key cast.
Gina Kwon produced and Emmy Ellison, Lindsay Williams, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, David Gordon Green and Sophia Lin served as executive producers.
IFC brokered the deal with UTA Independent Film Group and André Des Rochers.
Peter Sattler wrote and directed the story of a rookie guard at Guantanamo Bay who strikes up a friendship with a detainee. nPayman Maadi and Lane Garrison round out the key cast.
Gina Kwon produced and Emmy Ellison, Lindsay Williams, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, David Gordon Green and Sophia Lin served as executive producers.
IFC brokered the deal with UTA Independent Film Group and André Des Rochers.
- 2/6/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Electric Entertainment has acquired international rights and IFC has taken the Us on John Slattery’s feature directorial debut. Separately, Kinology has acquired international sales on A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, IFC also acquired Cold In July and Spc picked up Land Ho!.
The God’s Pocket deal marks the first international pick-up for Dean Devlin’s fledgling sales agency and sales head Sonia Mehandjiyska will introduce the comedic crime story at the Efm in Berlin next month.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro and Caleb Landry Jones star in the Peter Dexter adaptation about a man caught up in a lie following the death of his stepson on a construction site.
God’s Pocket premiered on January 17 in the Us Dramatic section and is a Park Pictures Film in association with Cooper’s Town Productions and Shoestring Pictures.
Electric and IFC separately negotiated rights with Gersh Agency and law firm Cowan...
The God’s Pocket deal marks the first international pick-up for Dean Devlin’s fledgling sales agency and sales head Sonia Mehandjiyska will introduce the comedic crime story at the Efm in Berlin next month.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro and Caleb Landry Jones star in the Peter Dexter adaptation about a man caught up in a lie following the death of his stepson on a construction site.
God’s Pocket premiered on January 17 in the Us Dramatic section and is a Park Pictures Film in association with Cooper’s Town Productions and Shoestring Pictures.
Electric and IFC separately negotiated rights with Gersh Agency and law firm Cowan...
- 1/22/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Electric Entertainment has acquired international rights and IFC has taken the Us on Mad Men star John Slattery’s feature directorial debut. Separately, Kinology has acquired international sales rights to A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, IFC also acquired Cold In July and Spc picked up Land Ho!
The God’s Pocket deal marks the first international pick-up for Dean Devlin’s fledgling sales agency and sales head Sonia Mehandjiyska will introduce the comedic crime story at the Efm in Berlin next month.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro and Caleb Landry Jones star in the Peter Dexter adaptation about a man caught up in a lie following the death of his stepson on a construction site.
God’s Pocket premiered on January 17 in the Us Dramatic section and is a Park Pictures Film in association with Cooper’s Town Productions and Shoestring Pictures.
Electric and IFC separately negotiated rights with Gersh Agency...
The God’s Pocket deal marks the first international pick-up for Dean Devlin’s fledgling sales agency and sales head Sonia Mehandjiyska will introduce the comedic crime story at the Efm in Berlin next month.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks, John Turturro and Caleb Landry Jones star in the Peter Dexter adaptation about a man caught up in a lie following the death of his stepson on a construction site.
God’s Pocket premiered on January 17 in the Us Dramatic section and is a Park Pictures Film in association with Cooper’s Town Productions and Shoestring Pictures.
Electric and IFC separately negotiated rights with Gersh Agency...
- 1/22/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired world rights to Land Ho! while IFC has moved on Us rights to God’s Pocket.
Martha Stephens directed Land Ho!, the Next entry that premiered on January 20 and follows two retirees as they embark on a road trip through Iceland. Paul Eenhoorn and newcomer Earl Lynn Nelson star.
Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy and Christina Jennings produced the first feature from Gamechanger, which launched to finance only films directed and co-directed by women.
Spc plans a 2014 release and brokered the deal with Andrew Herwitz of Film Sales Company and Andre Des Rochers of Gray Krauss Stratford Sandler Des Rochers.
IFC has moved on God’s Pocket, Mad Men star John Slattery’s feature directorial debut that premiered in the Us Dramatic section on January 17.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks and John Turturro star in the crime saga.
IFC negotiated the deal with Gersh Agency and law firm Cowan DeBaets Abrahams...
Martha Stephens directed Land Ho!, the Next entry that premiered on January 20 and follows two retirees as they embark on a road trip through Iceland. Paul Eenhoorn and newcomer Earl Lynn Nelson star.
Mynette Louie, Sara Murphy and Christina Jennings produced the first feature from Gamechanger, which launched to finance only films directed and co-directed by women.
Spc plans a 2014 release and brokered the deal with Andrew Herwitz of Film Sales Company and Andre Des Rochers of Gray Krauss Stratford Sandler Des Rochers.
IFC has moved on God’s Pocket, Mad Men star John Slattery’s feature directorial debut that premiered in the Us Dramatic section on January 17.
Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins, Christina Hendricks and John Turturro star in the crime saga.
IFC negotiated the deal with Gersh Agency and law firm Cowan DeBaets Abrahams...
- 1/22/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
After making his narrative feature directorial debut at Sundance three years ago with the brilliant Another Earth, Mike Cahill has returned to Park City for his sophomore follow-up, I Origins.
The film has opened to positive early buzz amongst festivalgoers, and it’s now officially amongst the early acquisitions. Fox Searchlight has announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to the existential drama, with Deadline hearing that the deal impressively closed around the $3m. mark.
Ian Gray, a PhD student studying molecular biology with a specialty in eye evolution, leaves his lab to go to a party and has an intense, but fleeting, encounter with a mysterious, masked model who escapes into the night. With only a picture of her stunning and iconic eyes, he tracks her down, and they fall in love. Their fundamentally different beliefs about life only serve to intensify their connection, and they vow to spend forever together.
The film has opened to positive early buzz amongst festivalgoers, and it’s now officially amongst the early acquisitions. Fox Searchlight has announced that it has acquired worldwide rights to the existential drama, with Deadline hearing that the deal impressively closed around the $3m. mark.
Ian Gray, a PhD student studying molecular biology with a specialty in eye evolution, leaves his lab to go to a party and has an intense, but fleeting, encounter with a mysterious, masked model who escapes into the night. With only a picture of her stunning and iconic eyes, he tracks her down, and they fall in love. Their fundamentally different beliefs about life only serve to intensify their connection, and they vow to spend forever together.
- 1/21/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sundance: Amid a flurry of Park City announcements, Fox Searchlight has paid around $3m for world rights to I Origins. Separately, RADiUS-twc has picked up The Night Comes For Us and A24 has closed its second deal of the festival.
Fox Searchlight struck the I Origins deal with Wme Global and Andre des Rochers on behalf of the film and Shelley Surpin on behalf of the director following the January 18 world premiere.
Cahill’s follow-up to his directorial debut and Sundance 2011 premiere Another Earth stars Michael Pitt, Brit Marling and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and tells of an eye research scientist who makes a profound discovery.
Cahill, Hunter Gray and Alex Orlovsky served as producers on the Verisimilitude / WeWork Studios Production and Searchlight plans a 2014 release.
RADiUS-twc has paid low seven figures for North American rights to The Night Comes For Us. Timo Tjahjanto will direct and Gareth Evens of The Raid fame will produce the film and handle...
Fox Searchlight struck the I Origins deal with Wme Global and Andre des Rochers on behalf of the film and Shelley Surpin on behalf of the director following the January 18 world premiere.
Cahill’s follow-up to his directorial debut and Sundance 2011 premiere Another Earth stars Michael Pitt, Brit Marling and Astrid Bergès-Frisbey and tells of an eye research scientist who makes a profound discovery.
Cahill, Hunter Gray and Alex Orlovsky served as producers on the Verisimilitude / WeWork Studios Production and Searchlight plans a 2014 release.
RADiUS-twc has paid low seven figures for North American rights to The Night Comes For Us. Timo Tjahjanto will direct and Gareth Evens of The Raid fame will produce the film and handle...
- 1/20/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Sony Pictures have announced that they have acquired the worldwide rights to Tze Chun’s Cold Comes the Night, and along with the announcement comes a very promising first trailer.
Alice Eve and Bryan Cranston look to be great in the joint leads, with Cranston taking much more of a central role than the more frequent supporting roles we’ve seen from him in recent years. And that can only be good news.
Cold Comes the Night tells the story of a struggling motel owner (Eve) who, along with her daughter (Parker), is taken hostage by a career criminal (Cranston) as he attempts to retrieve his cash package from a crooked cop (Marshall-Green). Everyone gets in over their heads, and a series of double-crosses leaves a string of dead bodies in this pulse-pounding story about desperation and survival.
Eve and Cranston star alongside Logan Marshall-Green and Ursula Parker.
Chun is making his sophomore feature,...
Alice Eve and Bryan Cranston look to be great in the joint leads, with Cranston taking much more of a central role than the more frequent supporting roles we’ve seen from him in recent years. And that can only be good news.
Cold Comes the Night tells the story of a struggling motel owner (Eve) who, along with her daughter (Parker), is taken hostage by a career criminal (Cranston) as he attempts to retrieve his cash package from a crooked cop (Marshall-Green). Everyone gets in over their heads, and a series of double-crosses leaves a string of dead bodies in this pulse-pounding story about desperation and survival.
Eve and Cranston star alongside Logan Marshall-Green and Ursula Parker.
Chun is making his sophomore feature,...
- 7/26/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (Spwa) has acquired all worldwide rights to Tze Chun’s Cold Comes The Night starring Alice Eve, Bryan Cranston and Logan Marshall-Green.
Chun co-wrote the screenplay with Osgood Perkins and Nick Simon about a motel owner and her daughter who are taken hostage by a career criminal.
Ursula Parker and Leo Fitzpatrick round out the key cast. Chun’s follow-up to Children Of Invention is in post and Spwa vp of production Lauren Craniotes oversees for the studio.
Mynette Louie of Syncopated Films and Trevor Sagan of Sasquatch Films produced and the financiers are Three Point Capital, Whitewater Films and Cherry Sky Films.
Scott Halle, Rick Rosenthal, Nick Morton, Jacob Pechenik, and Ali Jazayeri served as executive producers.
UTA Independent Film Group and Andre Des Rochers of Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers represented the filmmakers in the deal with Spwa’s evp of business affairs Michael Helfand.
Chun co-wrote the screenplay with Osgood Perkins and Nick Simon about a motel owner and her daughter who are taken hostage by a career criminal.
Ursula Parker and Leo Fitzpatrick round out the key cast. Chun’s follow-up to Children Of Invention is in post and Spwa vp of production Lauren Craniotes oversees for the studio.
Mynette Louie of Syncopated Films and Trevor Sagan of Sasquatch Films produced and the financiers are Three Point Capital, Whitewater Films and Cherry Sky Films.
Scott Halle, Rick Rosenthal, Nick Morton, Jacob Pechenik, and Ali Jazayeri served as executive producers.
UTA Independent Film Group and Andre Des Rochers of Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers represented the filmmakers in the deal with Spwa’s evp of business affairs Michael Helfand.
- 7/25/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions (Spwa) has acquired all worldwide rights to Tze Chun’s Cold Comes The Night starring Alice Eve, Bryan Cranston and Logan Marshall-Green.
Chun co-wrote the screenplay with Osgood Perkins and Nick Simon about a motel owner and her daughter who are taken hostage by a career criminal.
Ursula Parker and Leo Fitzpatrick round out the key cast. Chun’s follow-up to Children Of Invention is in post and Spwa vp of production Lauren Craniotes oversees for the studio.
Mynette Louie of Syncopated Films and Trevor Sagan of Sasquatch Films produced and the financiers are Three Point Capital, Whitewater Films and Cherry Sky Films.
Scott Halle, Rick Rosenthal, Nick Morton, Jacob Pechenik, and Ali Jazayeri served as executive producers.
UTA Independent Film Group and Andre Des Rochers of Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers represented the filmmakers in the deal with Spwa’s evp of business affairs Michael Helfand.
Chun co-wrote the screenplay with Osgood Perkins and Nick Simon about a motel owner and her daughter who are taken hostage by a career criminal.
Ursula Parker and Leo Fitzpatrick round out the key cast. Chun’s follow-up to Children Of Invention is in post and Spwa vp of production Lauren Craniotes oversees for the studio.
Mynette Louie of Syncopated Films and Trevor Sagan of Sasquatch Films produced and the financiers are Three Point Capital, Whitewater Films and Cherry Sky Films.
Scott Halle, Rick Rosenthal, Nick Morton, Jacob Pechenik, and Ali Jazayeri served as executive producers.
UTA Independent Film Group and Andre Des Rochers of Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers represented the filmmakers in the deal with Spwa’s evp of business affairs Michael Helfand.
- 7/25/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
These Sundance films keep raking it in. Content has acquired foreign rights to Concussion, a drama about a fortysomething wealthy, married, lesbian housewife who gets beaned by a baseball and strangely reflects on a life that she realizes is wanting and leads her to lead a secret life on the side. As Deadline revealed late Monday evening, Radius-twc spent a 7-figure sum for North American rights, for a multi-platform release in a deal brokered by Paradigm. Here’s the Content release: Sundance – Content is delighted to announce the acquisition of all international rights to Concussion. The controversial but beautiful film premiered last weekend at the Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic section and has also been selected in Berlin’s Panorama, where it will screen next month. Directed and written by Stacie Passon, the cast includes breakout performances by Robin Weigert (The Sessions, Sons of Anarchy), Maggie Siff (Michael Clayton,...
- 1/24/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
TWC proudly announced that it has acquired North American rights to Concussion, one of the most provocative and well received films at this year’s Festival that is drawing endless comparisons to Belle De Jour. Written and directed by Stacie Passon in an auspicious directing debut effort, and produced by Rose Troche, Concussion is a poignant sexual examination of Abby (Robin Weigert in a star making breakout turn), a forty something married wealthy, lesbian housewife who, after suffering a blow to the head from getting smacked by her son’s baseball—walks around every corner of her suburban life to confront a mounting desire for something else. She takes on a new project and purchases a pied-à-terre in Manhattan. Walking around the city streets reminds Abby what it feels like to be sexy, and her pent-up libido shakes off its inhibitions. Her newfound desire though is not a take-home item,...
- 1/22/2013
- by vmblog@hollywoodnews.com (Vitale Morum)
- Hollywoodnews.com
Magnet Releasing is the genre division of Magnolia Pictures and previously acquired such films as The Innkeepers and V/H/S. They have recently announced that their latest acquisition is the vampire film Kiss of the Damned:
The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired world rights to writer/director Xan Cassavetes’ Kiss Of The Damned, an erotic vampire film that will make its world premiere as the closing night film of International Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival this Friday, September 7th.
Starring Joséphine de La Baume (One Day), Milo Ventimiglia (Rocky Balboa, “Heroes”), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber) and Riley Keough (Jack and Diane, The Runaways), Kiss Of The Damned is a DeerJen/Verisimilitude production in association with Bersin Pictures. Produced by Jen Gatien and Alex Orlovsky, executive producers were Adam S. Bersin, Jacob Pechenik, Riaz Tyab and Jon Vinnik.
The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired world rights to writer/director Xan Cassavetes’ Kiss Of The Damned, an erotic vampire film that will make its world premiere as the closing night film of International Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival this Friday, September 7th.
Starring Joséphine de La Baume (One Day), Milo Ventimiglia (Rocky Balboa, “Heroes”), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber) and Riley Keough (Jack and Diane, The Runaways), Kiss Of The Damned is a DeerJen/Verisimilitude production in association with Bersin Pictures. Produced by Jen Gatien and Alex Orlovsky, executive producers were Adam S. Bersin, Jacob Pechenik, Riaz Tyab and Jon Vinnik.
- 9/6/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
I feel like it's been a long while since we spoke about a new vampire flick coming our way, but alas, the good folks over at Magnet have secured the rights to one, and it sounds like a winner. Read on for details and a still!
From the Press Release
The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired world rights to writer/director Xan Cassavetes’ Kiss Of The Damned, an erotic vampire film that will make its world premiere as the closing night film of International Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival this Friday, September 7th.
Starring Joséphine de La Baume (One Day), Milo Ventimiglia (Rocky Balboa, “Heroes”), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber) and Riley Keough (Jack and Diane, The Runaways), Kiss Of The Damned is a DeerJen/Verisimilitude production in association with Bersin Pictures. Produced by Jen Gatien and Alex Orlovsky,...
From the Press Release
The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today they have acquired world rights to writer/director Xan Cassavetes’ Kiss Of The Damned, an erotic vampire film that will make its world premiere as the closing night film of International Critics’ Week at the Venice Film Festival this Friday, September 7th.
Starring Joséphine de La Baume (One Day), Milo Ventimiglia (Rocky Balboa, “Heroes”), Roxane Mesquida (Rubber) and Riley Keough (Jack and Diane, The Runaways), Kiss Of The Damned is a DeerJen/Verisimilitude production in association with Bersin Pictures. Produced by Jen Gatien and Alex Orlovsky,...
- 9/5/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Movie studios, take note. Here’s how you announce a film is being made available to an audience. With today’s announcement that Tribeca Films have picked up Bob Byington’s comedy Somebody Up There Likes Me for a March 2013 video-on-demand and theatrical run, some of the stars of the film (and other acquaintances) got together to celebrate, or something to that effect.
In the below video one can find star Nick Offerman (Parks & Recs‘ Ron Swanson) with wife Megan Mullally and Community‘s Alison Brie (the latter is not involved in the film) partaking in some celebratory festivities and trying to remember details of said film. It’s hilarious and best of all, a bit different from most stale announcements. We quite liked the film, also starring Keith Poulson and Jess Weixler, at SXSW saying, “Byington is fully in control and has crafted the most detached comedy of the year thus far.
In the below video one can find star Nick Offerman (Parks & Recs‘ Ron Swanson) with wife Megan Mullally and Community‘s Alison Brie (the latter is not involved in the film) partaking in some celebratory festivities and trying to remember details of said film. It’s hilarious and best of all, a bit different from most stale announcements. We quite liked the film, also starring Keith Poulson and Jess Weixler, at SXSW saying, “Byington is fully in control and has crafted the most detached comedy of the year thus far.
- 7/25/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Tribeca Film has acquired the North American rights to Bob Byington’s SXSW premiere "Somebody Up There Likes Me." The film -- which stars Keith Poulson, Nick Offerman and Jess Weixler -- will have a Spring theatrical release. In Indiewire's SXSW review, Eric Kohn called the film "consistently silly and poignant at once," giving it a rare "A" letter grade. The deal was negotiated for Tribeca Film by Nick Savva, Director of Acquisitions, and on behalf of the filmmakers by attorney Andre Des Rochers from Gray Krauss Stratford Des Rochers Llp. Full press release below. New York, NY – July 24, 2012 – Tribeca Film today announced it has acquired all North American rights to indie director Bob Byington’s deadpan comedy Somebody Up There Likes Me, starring Keith Poulson, Nick Offerman, and Jess Weixler. Produced by Hans Graffunder (Knight of Cups, To the Wonder) and Nick Offerman (“Parks and...
- 7/25/2012
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
For its fourth acquisition of the Sundance Film Festival, Fox Searchlight has picked up domestic rights to Mike Cahill's "Another Earth." Closing just after midnight on Wednesday, the deals includes all other English-speaking territories and is believed to be worth $1.5 million - $2 million, with an aggressive P&A commitment as well. Following a 24-hour auction after the film's Monday night premiere, Wme's Graham Taylor and Preferred Content's Kevin Iwashina negotiated the deal with Fox Searchlight's Tony Safford, Megan O'Brien and Ray Strache, along with the producer's attorney Andre DesRochers. Searchlight is said...
- 1/26/2011
- The Wrap
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