Netflix has set the adult cast of their upcoming Australian family movie True Spirit with Oscar winner Anna Paquin, Avatar franchise star Cliff Curtis and Oscar nominee Josh Lawson.
True Spirit is based on the true story of Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old Australian who in 2010 became the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world. She accomplished what many thought impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of ocean and surviving seven knockdowns while at sea for 210 days. Watson will consult on the biopic.
The trio join previously announced Teagan Croft, who’ll portray Watson. Paquin is set to play Jessica’s mum, Julie Watson; Lawson is Jessica’s dad, Roger Watson, and Curtis is Jessica’s coach, Ben Bryant.
The movie will be shot in Queensland and Sydney later this year with a predominantly local cast and crew. The production is backed by...
True Spirit is based on the true story of Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old Australian who in 2010 became the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world. She accomplished what many thought impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of ocean and surviving seven knockdowns while at sea for 210 days. Watson will consult on the biopic.
The trio join previously announced Teagan Croft, who’ll portray Watson. Paquin is set to play Jessica’s mum, Julie Watson; Lawson is Jessica’s dad, Roger Watson, and Curtis is Jessica’s coach, Ben Bryant.
The movie will be shot in Queensland and Sydney later this year with a predominantly local cast and crew. The production is backed by...
- 7/21/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Josh Lawson, Anna Paquin, and Cliff Curtis have been added to the cast of Sarah Spillane’s True Spirit, which is set to begin filming for Netflix later this year.
They will join Teagan Croft in the adaptation of Jessica Watson’s memoir, with the story to detail the then 16-year-old’s 2010 journey to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the world.
Paquin and Lawson will play Watson’s parents, Julie and Roger Watson, while Curtis is set to portray her coach Ben Bryant.
Lawson most recently starred in New Line Cinema’s Mortal Kombat, while New Zealand actors Curtis and Paquin have also garnered international attention throughout their careers, most recently through roles in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and The Irishman, respectively.
For True Spirit, the trio is set to film on location in Queensland and Sydney, with the former to house the majority of production.
They will join Teagan Croft in the adaptation of Jessica Watson’s memoir, with the story to detail the then 16-year-old’s 2010 journey to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the world.
Paquin and Lawson will play Watson’s parents, Julie and Roger Watson, while Curtis is set to portray her coach Ben Bryant.
Lawson most recently starred in New Line Cinema’s Mortal Kombat, while New Zealand actors Curtis and Paquin have also garnered international attention throughout their careers, most recently through roles in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw and The Irishman, respectively.
For True Spirit, the trio is set to film on location in Queensland and Sydney, with the former to house the majority of production.
- 7/21/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Teagan Croft (The Osiris Child) will star as Jessica Watson in Sarah Spillane’s True Spirit, set to begin filming for Netflix later this year.
Adapted from Watson’s memoir of the same name, the story details the then 16-year-old’s 2010 journey to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the world.
Filming will take place in both Sydney and Queensland, but predominantly in the latter, where it is being backed by Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy.
Spillane (Around the Block), who has been attached to direct the project since 2015, penned the script with Cathy Randall, and will also executive produce with Shahen Mekertichian (Lion) for Sunstar Entertainment, and Brent Emery and Suzanne Farwell for Resonate Entertainment.
Netflix announced it was boarding the project in July last year.
Debra Martin Chase (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) will produce for Martin Chase Productions, alongside Susan Cartsonis (What Women Want) for Resonate,...
Adapted from Watson’s memoir of the same name, the story details the then 16-year-old’s 2010 journey to become the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop, and unassisted around the world.
Filming will take place in both Sydney and Queensland, but predominantly in the latter, where it is being backed by Screen Queensland’s Production Attraction Strategy.
Spillane (Around the Block), who has been attached to direct the project since 2015, penned the script with Cathy Randall, and will also executive produce with Shahen Mekertichian (Lion) for Sunstar Entertainment, and Brent Emery and Suzanne Farwell for Resonate Entertainment.
Netflix announced it was boarding the project in July last year.
Debra Martin Chase (Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants) will produce for Martin Chase Productions, alongside Susan Cartsonis (What Women Want) for Resonate,...
- 5/21/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Sarah Spillane and Jessica Watson.
Sarah Spillane is set to direct a biopic for Netflix based on the true story of Jessica Watson, who in 2009 at 16 years old became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.
Spillane is writing the script, based on Watson’s memoir True Spirit, with Cathy Randall, and Watson will consult on the film.
The producers for the family film are Debra Martin Chase for Martin Chase Productions and Andrew Fraser (Lion) of Sydney’s Sunstar Entertainment, with Shahen Mekertichian and Spillane executive producers.
During her time at sea, Watson navigated some of the world’s most challenging stretches of oceans and survived seven knockdowns.
Her experiences were documented in her self-filmed documentary, 210 Days, which was narrated by Sir Richard Branson. It too was produced by Sunstar Entertainment, which also represents Watson via its talent management arm. The company has been...
Sarah Spillane is set to direct a biopic for Netflix based on the true story of Jessica Watson, who in 2009 at 16 years old became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world.
Spillane is writing the script, based on Watson’s memoir True Spirit, with Cathy Randall, and Watson will consult on the film.
The producers for the family film are Debra Martin Chase for Martin Chase Productions and Andrew Fraser (Lion) of Sydney’s Sunstar Entertainment, with Shahen Mekertichian and Spillane executive producers.
During her time at sea, Watson navigated some of the world’s most challenging stretches of oceans and survived seven knockdowns.
Her experiences were documented in her self-filmed documentary, 210 Days, which was narrated by Sir Richard Branson. It too was produced by Sunstar Entertainment, which also represents Watson via its talent management arm. The company has been...
- 7/16/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Netflix is setting sail with its latest biopic, about the remarkable true story of Jessica Watson, who at the age of 16 became the youngest person to sail solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world. Around the Block filmmaker Sarah Spillane is onboard to direct the pic, which is on based on Watson’s best-selling memoir, True Spirit. Spillane adapted the screenplay with Cathy Randall.
In 2009, Watson accomplished what many thought impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of oceans and surviving seven knockdowns while at sea for 210 days. Upon her arrival home, the Australian teen was met by then-Prime Minister KEvin Rudd, who declared her a national hero. In her speech, Watson countered that she didn’t consider herself a hero — just an “ordinary person, who had a dream, worked hard at it and proved that anything really is possible.” She was named Young Australian of the...
In 2009, Watson accomplished what many thought impossible, navigating some of the world’s most challenging stretches of oceans and surviving seven knockdowns while at sea for 210 days. Upon her arrival home, the Australian teen was met by then-Prime Minister KEvin Rudd, who declared her a national hero. In her speech, Watson countered that she didn’t consider herself a hero — just an “ordinary person, who had a dream, worked hard at it and proved that anything really is possible.” She was named Young Australian of the...
- 7/15/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is developing a feature film called “True Spirit” based on the life of Australian sailor Jessica Watson, who at age 16 became the youngest person to sail around the world solo.
Sarah Spillane will direct and co-wrote the screenplay with Cathy Randall based on Watson’s memoir “True Spirit,” in which she described her 2009 non-stop, unassisted journey around the world for 210 days while only a teenager.
Watson had self-filmed a documentary called “210 Days: Around the World With Jessica Watson,” which was released in 2010 and narrated by Sir Richard Branson. Watson will consult on the Netflix biopic.
Also Read: 'Maiden' Star Tracy Edwards Kept Her Story 'Messy' to Serve the Next Generation of Women Athletes (Video)
“Harriet” and “The Princess Diaries” producer Debra Martin Chase will produce for Martin Chase Productions along with Andrew Fraser for Sunstar Entertainment. Executive producers on “True Spirit” are Shahen Mekertichian for Sunstar Entertainment and Spillane.
Sarah Spillane will direct and co-wrote the screenplay with Cathy Randall based on Watson’s memoir “True Spirit,” in which she described her 2009 non-stop, unassisted journey around the world for 210 days while only a teenager.
Watson had self-filmed a documentary called “210 Days: Around the World With Jessica Watson,” which was released in 2010 and narrated by Sir Richard Branson. Watson will consult on the Netflix biopic.
Also Read: 'Maiden' Star Tracy Edwards Kept Her Story 'Messy' to Serve the Next Generation of Women Athletes (Video)
“Harriet” and “The Princess Diaries” producer Debra Martin Chase will produce for Martin Chase Productions along with Andrew Fraser for Sunstar Entertainment. Executive producers on “True Spirit” are Shahen Mekertichian for Sunstar Entertainment and Spillane.
- 7/15/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Netflix is developing a feature film based on Jessica Watson’s sailing memoir “True Spirit,” with Sarah Spillane on board to direct.
Watson became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world in 2009, surviving seven knockdowns while at sea for 210 days on a 33-foot vessel. She returned Sydney, Australia, three days before her 17th birthday. Watson said she didn’t consider herself a hero and described herself as an “ordinary person, who had a dream, worked hard at it and proved that anything really is possible.”
“It’s quite humbling to have Netflix bring my story to life,” Watson said. “I hope that the film inspires people around the world to try sailing and to also pursue their own adventures. I’m thrilled that it will be directed by Sarah and supported by such a strong production team.”
Spillane, whose directing credits include “Around the Block” and “This Life,...
Watson became the youngest person to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around the world in 2009, surviving seven knockdowns while at sea for 210 days on a 33-foot vessel. She returned Sydney, Australia, three days before her 17th birthday. Watson said she didn’t consider herself a hero and described herself as an “ordinary person, who had a dream, worked hard at it and proved that anything really is possible.”
“It’s quite humbling to have Netflix bring my story to life,” Watson said. “I hope that the film inspires people around the world to try sailing and to also pursue their own adventures. I’m thrilled that it will be directed by Sarah and supported by such a strong production team.”
Spillane, whose directing credits include “Around the Block” and “This Life,...
- 7/15/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
'Patient 71' by Julie Randall..
When Sydney woman Julie Randall was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and told she did not have long to live just days after celebrating her 50th birthday, she embarked on the fight of her life.
Her remarkable story of survival against the odds is chronicled in her book Patient 71, published this week by Hachette.
Sunstar Entertainment.s Andrew Fraser and Shahen Mekertichian, the executive producers of Lion, have optioned the book and are highly encouraged by the initial responses to the project from Hollywood studios, producers, agents and financiers.
.A story like Julie.s needs to be told,. said Fraser, who engineered the publishing deal with Hachette and has collaborated with 60 Minutes reporter Allison Langdon for a segment which will air on the Nine Network on July 2.
Fraser has a close relationship with Hachette, which published Sunstar client Jessica Watson.s best-selling book True Spirit, the...
When Sydney woman Julie Randall was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and told she did not have long to live just days after celebrating her 50th birthday, she embarked on the fight of her life.
Her remarkable story of survival against the odds is chronicled in her book Patient 71, published this week by Hachette.
Sunstar Entertainment.s Andrew Fraser and Shahen Mekertichian, the executive producers of Lion, have optioned the book and are highly encouraged by the initial responses to the project from Hollywood studios, producers, agents and financiers.
.A story like Julie.s needs to be told,. said Fraser, who engineered the publishing deal with Hachette and has collaborated with 60 Minutes reporter Allison Langdon for a segment which will air on the Nine Network on July 2.
Fraser has a close relationship with Hachette, which published Sunstar client Jessica Watson.s best-selling book True Spirit, the...
- 6/25/2017
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Director Garth Davis and Harvey Weinstein to present the true life story in Zurich.
Garth Davis’ Lion, starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham and Nicole Kidman, is to open the 12th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 22-Oct 2).
The film will receive its European premiere on Sept 22 at the festival, with director Garth Davis and exec producer Harvey Weinstein expected to attend.
Adapted from Saroo Brierley’s memoir A Long Way Home, the film tells the true story of how a wrong train took a five-year-old Indian boy hundreds of miles from home.
He was placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by an Australian couple, Sue and John Brierley (played by Kidman and Wenham).
Patel plays the older Saroo, haunted by memories of his childhood, who set out to find his lost family using Google Earth technology.
Davis makes his feature directorial debut, having previously co-directed mini-series Top Of The Lake with Jane Campion.
Zff director...
Garth Davis’ Lion, starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham and Nicole Kidman, is to open the 12th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 22-Oct 2).
The film will receive its European premiere on Sept 22 at the festival, with director Garth Davis and exec producer Harvey Weinstein expected to attend.
Adapted from Saroo Brierley’s memoir A Long Way Home, the film tells the true story of how a wrong train took a five-year-old Indian boy hundreds of miles from home.
He was placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by an Australian couple, Sue and John Brierley (played by Kidman and Wenham).
Patel plays the older Saroo, haunted by memories of his childhood, who set out to find his lost family using Google Earth technology.
Davis makes his feature directorial debut, having previously co-directed mini-series Top Of The Lake with Jane Campion.
Zff director...
- 8/29/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Stars expected to attend UK premiere of true life survival story.
Garth Davis’ Lion, starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham and Nicole Kidman, is to screen as the American Express Gala at the 60th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 5-16).
The film will receive its UK premiere on Oct 12 at London’s Odeon Leicester Square, with Patel and Kidman expected to attend.
Adapted from Saroo Brierley’s memoir A Long Way Home, the film tells the true story of how a wrong train took a five-year-old Indian boy hundreds of miles from home.
He was placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by an Australian couple, Sue and John Brierley (played by Kidman and Wenham).
Patel plays the older Saroo, haunted by memories of his childhood, who set out to find his lost family using Google Earth technology.
Davis makes his feature directorial debut, having previously co-directed mini-series Top Of The Lake with Jane Campion.
Davis...
Garth Davis’ Lion, starring Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, David Wenham and Nicole Kidman, is to screen as the American Express Gala at the 60th BFI London Film Festival (Oct 5-16).
The film will receive its UK premiere on Oct 12 at London’s Odeon Leicester Square, with Patel and Kidman expected to attend.
Adapted from Saroo Brierley’s memoir A Long Way Home, the film tells the true story of how a wrong train took a five-year-old Indian boy hundreds of miles from home.
He was placed in an orphanage and eventually adopted by an Australian couple, Sue and John Brierley (played by Kidman and Wenham).
Patel plays the older Saroo, haunted by memories of his childhood, who set out to find his lost family using Google Earth technology.
Davis makes his feature directorial debut, having previously co-directed mini-series Top Of The Lake with Jane Campion.
Davis...
- 8/17/2016
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Rooney Mara will play the Australian girlfriend of Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born Australian who found his birth mother 25 years after they were separated, in Garth Davis. feature Lion. Her character, Lucy, was Saroo.s first significant love interest when he began the search for his Indian family, initially using a new technology known as Google Earth. It.s not a big role so Rooney, who starred in David Fincher.s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Social Network and in Todd Haynes' upcoming drama Carol with Cate Blanchett, must have sparked to the script by Luke Davies, adapted from Brierley.s memoir A Long Way Home. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.s Dev Patel is Saroo. As If reported last week, David Wenham is playing his adopted father alongside Nicole Kidman as his adopted mother.
Also new to the cast is Divian Ladwa as Saroo's adopted brother Mantosh.
Also new to the cast is Divian Ladwa as Saroo's adopted brother Mantosh.
- 4/7/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Stars of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and 300 join Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel in Saroo Brierley biopic, which The Weinstein Company acquired at Cannes 2014.
Rooney Mara, David Wenham and Divian Ladwa have joined Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel in the cast of Lion, a film about Saroo Brierley, who was seperated from his mother in India aged five and found her after 25 years apart.
Also cast in the film are several of India’s best-known actors including Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Deepti Naval.
After several weeks on location in India, Lion begins filming in Australia - in Melbourne and Hobart - in mid-April.
The Weinstein Company acquired Lion at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where they closed the deal for worldwide distribution excluding Australia and New Zealand, where Transmission Films will distribute.
Adapted from true story “A Long Way Home” written by Brierley, Lion is directed by Garth Davis (Top of the Lake) from...
Rooney Mara, David Wenham and Divian Ladwa have joined Nicole Kidman and Dev Patel in the cast of Lion, a film about Saroo Brierley, who was seperated from his mother in India aged five and found her after 25 years apart.
Also cast in the film are several of India’s best-known actors including Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Deepti Naval.
After several weeks on location in India, Lion begins filming in Australia - in Melbourne and Hobart - in mid-April.
The Weinstein Company acquired Lion at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where they closed the deal for worldwide distribution excluding Australia and New Zealand, where Transmission Films will distribute.
Adapted from true story “A Long Way Home” written by Brierley, Lion is directed by Garth Davis (Top of the Lake) from...
- 4/7/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
David Wenham is in the frame to play the adopted father of Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born Australian who found his birth mother 25 years after they were separated, in Garth Davis. feature Lion. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.s Dev Patel is playing Saroo with Nicole Kidman as his adopted mother in the film produced by See-Saw Films. Emile Sherman and Iain Canning and Aquarius Films. Angie Fielder.
Davis and crew spent six weeks filming in India earlier this year and will start a three-week shoot in Melbourne and Tasmania at the end of this month. There is no official announcement yet of Wenham.s casting or of who will play Saroo.s Australian girlfriend, a role which a high-profile actress is understood to be circling.
Wenham will next be seen as Captain Arthur Phillip in the convict drama Banished, which premieres on BBC First in June. His recent credits include...
Davis and crew spent six weeks filming in India earlier this year and will start a three-week shoot in Melbourne and Tasmania at the end of this month. There is no official announcement yet of Wenham.s casting or of who will play Saroo.s Australian girlfriend, a role which a high-profile actress is understood to be circling.
Wenham will next be seen as Captain Arthur Phillip in the convict drama Banished, which premieres on BBC First in June. His recent credits include...
- 3/31/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Principal photography to begin in India this week.
Filming will begin in Kolkata, India, this week on new Australian feature film Lion, starring Nicole Kidman and Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel.
Adapted from the true story A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, Lion will be directed by Garth Davis (Top of the Lake) with a screenplay by Luke Davies (Candy, Life).
The project is being produced by See-Saw Films in association with Sunstar Entertainment and Aquarius Films. Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder are producing with Andrew Fraser, Shahen Mekertichian and Daniel Levin executive producing.
The film centres on five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
The Indian cast includes Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Deepti Naval.
Producer Sherman noted that Kidman would not be filming in India...
Filming will begin in Kolkata, India, this week on new Australian feature film Lion, starring Nicole Kidman and Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel.
Adapted from the true story A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, Lion will be directed by Garth Davis (Top of the Lake) with a screenplay by Luke Davies (Candy, Life).
The project is being produced by See-Saw Films in association with Sunstar Entertainment and Aquarius Films. Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder are producing with Andrew Fraser, Shahen Mekertichian and Daniel Levin executive producing.
The film centres on five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
The Indian cast includes Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Deepti Naval.
Producer Sherman noted that Kidman would not be filming in India...
- 1/15/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Principal photography to begin in India this week.
Filming will begin in Kolkata, India, this week on new Australian feature film Lion, starring Nicole Kidman and Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel.
Adapted from the true story A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, Lion will be directed by Garth Davis (Top of the Lake) with a screenplay by Luke Davies (Candy, Life).
The project is being produced by See-Saw Films in association with Sunstar Entertainment and Aquarius Films. Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder are producing with Andrew Fraser, Shahen Mekertichian and Daniel Levin executive producing.
The film centres on five-year-old Indian boy gets lost thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
The Indian cast includes Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Deepti Naval.
Producer Sherman noted that Kidman would not be filming in India...
Filming will begin in Kolkata, India, this week on new Australian feature film Lion, starring Nicole Kidman and Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel.
Adapted from the true story A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley, Lion will be directed by Garth Davis (Top of the Lake) with a screenplay by Luke Davies (Candy, Life).
The project is being produced by See-Saw Films in association with Sunstar Entertainment and Aquarius Films. Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder are producing with Andrew Fraser, Shahen Mekertichian and Daniel Levin executive producing.
The film centres on five-year-old Indian boy gets lost thousands of kilometers from home. He survives many challenges before being adopted by a couple in Australia. 25 years later, he sets out to find his lost family.
The Indian cast includes Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Priyanka Bose, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Deepti Naval.
Producer Sherman noted that Kidman would not be filming in India...
- 1/15/2015
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Shooting on Australian feature film Lion will commence in Kolkata, India, this week.
Starring Nicole Kidman (The Railway Man, Paddington) and Dev Patel (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Slumdog Millionaire), Lion follows the story of Saroo Brierley, a five-year-old boy who, after taking a wrong train, gets lots in Northern India and can.t find his way home. Eventually ending up in an orphanage, he is adopted by a Tasmanian couple and goes on to enjoy a happy childhood growing up in Hobart. However, as a young adult he develops a passion to relocate his Indian family, and sets out to do so using the help of a new technology . Google Earth.
The true story is adapted from Brierley.s memoir A Long Way Home and will be directed by Garth Davis (Top of the Lake). The screenplay is written by Luke Davies (Candy, Life) and is being produced by...
Starring Nicole Kidman (The Railway Man, Paddington) and Dev Patel (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Slumdog Millionaire), Lion follows the story of Saroo Brierley, a five-year-old boy who, after taking a wrong train, gets lots in Northern India and can.t find his way home. Eventually ending up in an orphanage, he is adopted by a Tasmanian couple and goes on to enjoy a happy childhood growing up in Hobart. However, as a young adult he develops a passion to relocate his Indian family, and sets out to do so using the help of a new technology . Google Earth.
The true story is adapted from Brierley.s memoir A Long Way Home and will be directed by Garth Davis (Top of the Lake). The screenplay is written by Luke Davies (Candy, Life) and is being produced by...
- 1/15/2015
- by Emily Blatchford
- IF.com.au
Sarah Spillane will direct True Spirit, a feature about teenager Jessica Watson's solo, around-the-world sailing adventure.
The producer, Sunstar Entertainment.s Andrew Fraser, tells If that casting is underway and the aim is to start shooting on the Gold Coast in July.
Watson was 16 when she became the youngest person ever to navigate around the world solo and unassisted in 2010.
Fraser contacted the Los Angeles-based Spillane after being impressed with Around the Block, which starred Christina Ricci, Hunter Page-Lochard, Matt Nable, Daniel Henshall and Jack Thompson.
He started looking for a new director after parting ways with Soul Surfer.s Sean McNamara. Sunstar manages Watson, who is consulting on the project.
Nable and Cathy Randall wrote the first drafts of the screenplay, based on Watson.s memoir True Spirit, and Spillane penned the final draft. Arc Entertainment is co-producing.. Paramount Pictures will distribute in Australia and New Zealand.
Fraser...
The producer, Sunstar Entertainment.s Andrew Fraser, tells If that casting is underway and the aim is to start shooting on the Gold Coast in July.
Watson was 16 when she became the youngest person ever to navigate around the world solo and unassisted in 2010.
Fraser contacted the Los Angeles-based Spillane after being impressed with Around the Block, which starred Christina Ricci, Hunter Page-Lochard, Matt Nable, Daniel Henshall and Jack Thompson.
He started looking for a new director after parting ways with Soul Surfer.s Sean McNamara. Sunstar manages Watson, who is consulting on the project.
Nable and Cathy Randall wrote the first drafts of the screenplay, based on Watson.s memoir True Spirit, and Spillane penned the final draft. Arc Entertainment is co-producing.. Paramount Pictures will distribute in Australia and New Zealand.
Fraser...
- 1/13/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman will star in Lion, a drama based on the true story of Saroo Brierley, an Indian-born Australian who found his birth mother 25 years after they were separated. Patel will play the lead with Kidman as his adopted mother in the film to be directed by Garth Davis, who co-directed Top Of the Lake with Jane Campion. The Hollywood Reporter broke the casting news. Negotiations are underway with an Australian actor to play Brierley.s adopted father. Another key role is Saroo's Aussie girlfriend. Luke Davies, the screenwriter on Anton Corbijn's upcoming Life produced by See-Saw Films, has adapted Brierley.s memoir A Long Way Home. The producers are See-Saw Films. Emile Sherman and Iain Canning and Aquarius Films. Angie Fielder. The executive producers are Sunstar Entertainment's Andrew Fraser and Shahen Mekertichian. Shooting starts in India in January. The Weinstein Co. paid $US12 million for worldwide rights excluding Australasia,...
- 10/30/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
In the end, it didn.t come down to a choice between New Zealand and Australia as the location for The Light Between Oceans, a Hollywood adaptation of Australian author M.L. Stedman.s debut novel set on an island off the coast of Wa in 1918. The producers have decided to shoot most of the film in the Marlborough and Otago regions of New Zealand plus a week in Tasmania. The Tassie location is Stanley on the north-west coast, an area which writer-director Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines). visited during a recent recce. Produced by David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford,. the DreamWorks film will star Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz. Shooting starts at the end of September. Stedman.s novel revolves around a lighthouse keeper and his wife who find a 2-month-old girl and a dead body in a rowboat and decide to raise the baby as their own.
- 8/13/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Weinstein Company (TWC) has paid what is believed to be in the region of $12m for world rights excluding Australia and New Zealand to Lion.
See-Saw Films, TWC’s partner on The King’s Speech, is producing in association with Sunstar Entertainment and Aquarius Films.
Garth Davis will direct Lion from Luke Davies’ adapted screenplay of Saroo Brierley’s novel A Long Way Home, about an adopted boy who grows up and uses Google Earth to relocate the mother he thought he had lost.
Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder produce while Andrew Fraser and Shahen Mekertichian are executive producers.
Screen Australia is co-financing the film and production is scheduled for August.
TWC negotiated with Craig Emanuel of Loeb and Loeb on behalf of Cross City Sales and the producers.
See-Saw Films, TWC’s partner on The King’s Speech, is producing in association with Sunstar Entertainment and Aquarius Films.
Garth Davis will direct Lion from Luke Davies’ adapted screenplay of Saroo Brierley’s novel A Long Way Home, about an adopted boy who grows up and uses Google Earth to relocate the mother he thought he had lost.
Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder produce while Andrew Fraser and Shahen Mekertichian are executive producers.
Screen Australia is co-financing the film and production is scheduled for August.
TWC negotiated with Craig Emanuel of Loeb and Loeb on behalf of Cross City Sales and the producers.
- 5/19/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Weinstein Company (TWC) has paid what is believed to be in the region of $12m for world rights excluding Australia and New Zealand to Lion.
See-Saw Films, TWC’s partner on The King’s Speech, is producing in association with Sunstar Entertainment and Aquarius Films.
Garth Davis will direct Lion from Luke Davies’ adapted screenplay of Saroo Brierley’s novel A Long Way Home, about an adopted boy who grows up and uses Google Earth to relocate the mother he thought he had lost.
Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder produce while Andrew Fraser and Shahen Mekertichian are executive producers.
Screen Australia is co-financing the film and production is scheduled for August.
TWC negotiated with Craig Emanuel of Loeb and Loeb on behalf of Cross City Sales and the producers.
See-Saw Films, TWC’s partner on The King’s Speech, is producing in association with Sunstar Entertainment and Aquarius Films.
Garth Davis will direct Lion from Luke Davies’ adapted screenplay of Saroo Brierley’s novel A Long Way Home, about an adopted boy who grows up and uses Google Earth to relocate the mother he thought he had lost.
Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Angie Fielder produce while Andrew Fraser and Shahen Mekertichian are executive producers.
Screen Australia is co-financing the film and production is scheduled for August.
TWC negotiated with Craig Emanuel of Loeb and Loeb on behalf of Cross City Sales and the producers.
- 5/19/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Candy director Neil Armfield will adapt gay memoir Holding The Man, one of five projects backed in Screen Australia’s latest funding round.
Screen Australia will invest in Holding The Man, an adaptation of a popular gay memoir from director Neil Armfield (Candy), and A Long Way Home, from Garth Davis, Jane Campion’s co-director on the series Top Of The Lake.
The government agency also decided this week to put finishing funds into Infini, a follow-up to debut film Gabriel for writer/director/producer Shane Abbess, and into two feature-length documentaries.
“It is ultimately a love story about gay soulmates and we haven’t seen much of that in cinema,” Holding The Man producer Kylie du Fresne (The Sapphires) told ScreenDaily. “We think it’s good timing because of the worldwide debate on gay marriage. It’s not what the film is about but it is part of why Tim (Conigrave) wrote his memoir.”
That memoir...
Screen Australia will invest in Holding The Man, an adaptation of a popular gay memoir from director Neil Armfield (Candy), and A Long Way Home, from Garth Davis, Jane Campion’s co-director on the series Top Of The Lake.
The government agency also decided this week to put finishing funds into Infini, a follow-up to debut film Gabriel for writer/director/producer Shane Abbess, and into two feature-length documentaries.
“It is ultimately a love story about gay soulmates and we haven’t seen much of that in cinema,” Holding The Man producer Kylie du Fresne (The Sapphires) told ScreenDaily. “We think it’s good timing because of the worldwide debate on gay marriage. It’s not what the film is about but it is part of why Tim (Conigrave) wrote his memoir.”
That memoir...
- 3/28/2014
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Candy director Neil Armfield will adapt gay memoir Holding The Man, one of five projects backed in Screen Australia’s latest funding round.
Screen Australia will invest in Holding The Man, an adaptation of a popular gay memoir from director Neil Armfield (Candy), and A Long Way Home, from Garth Davis, Jane Campion’s co-director on the series Top Of The Lake.
The government agency also decided this week to put finishing funds into Infini, a follow-up to debut film Gabriel for writer/director/producer Shane Abbess, and into two feature-length documentaries.
“It is ultimately a love story about gay soulmates and we haven’t seen much of that in cinema,” Holding The Man producer Kylie du Fresne (The Sapphires) told ScreenDaily. “We think it’s good timing because of the worldwide debate on gay marriage. It’s not what the film is about but it is part of why Tim (Conigrave) wrote his memoir.”
That memoir...
Screen Australia will invest in Holding The Man, an adaptation of a popular gay memoir from director Neil Armfield (Candy), and A Long Way Home, from Garth Davis, Jane Campion’s co-director on the series Top Of The Lake.
The government agency also decided this week to put finishing funds into Infini, a follow-up to debut film Gabriel for writer/director/producer Shane Abbess, and into two feature-length documentaries.
“It is ultimately a love story about gay soulmates and we haven’t seen much of that in cinema,” Holding The Man producer Kylie du Fresne (The Sapphires) told ScreenDaily. “We think it’s good timing because of the worldwide debate on gay marriage. It’s not what the film is about but it is part of why Tim (Conigrave) wrote his memoir.”
That memoir...
- 3/28/2014
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
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