The Black List is the annual round-up of feature film screenplays that have yet to be produced.
Hollywood’s annual round-up of most popular screenplays yet to be produced has been topped by Travis Braun’s Bad Boy.
The Black List is compiled from the suggestions of more than 375 film executives, each contributing the names of up to 10 favourite feature film screenplays that were written in, or associated with, 2023, and will not have begun principal photography during this calendar year.
It was founded by Franklin Leonard in 2005.
This year, scripts had to receive at least seven nominations to be included.
Hollywood’s annual round-up of most popular screenplays yet to be produced has been topped by Travis Braun’s Bad Boy.
The Black List is compiled from the suggestions of more than 375 film executives, each contributing the names of up to 10 favourite feature film screenplays that were written in, or associated with, 2023, and will not have begun principal photography during this calendar year.
It was founded by Franklin Leonard in 2005.
This year, scripts had to receive at least seven nominations to be included.
- 12/12/2023
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Rounding up the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood, as voted on by hundreds of film executives, The Black List has been a strong resource to clue one in on projects to potentially anticipate, but first, to kickstart Hollywood on bringing them to screen. Today we have this year’s edition, as voted on by more than 375 film executives.
Topping the 2023 edition is Travis Braun’s Bad Boy, which follows a rescue dog who suspects his loving new owner is a serial killer. Other scripts include The Great Pretender, a drama which imagines the kidnapping of Tom Hanks; the Super Bowl-set sniper drama The Nest; the Area 51 thriller 10/24/02; a Hans Christian Andersen meets Charles Dickens fantasy; plus films about Patsy Cline, Didier Drogba, Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan, Ftx’s downfall, and more.
See the list below via Deadline (and Pdf here), ranked from top to bottom by number of votes.
Topping the 2023 edition is Travis Braun’s Bad Boy, which follows a rescue dog who suspects his loving new owner is a serial killer. Other scripts include The Great Pretender, a drama which imagines the kidnapping of Tom Hanks; the Super Bowl-set sniper drama The Nest; the Area 51 thriller 10/24/02; a Hans Christian Andersen meets Charles Dickens fantasy; plus films about Patsy Cline, Didier Drogba, Arthur Miller and Elia Kazan, Ftx’s downfall, and more.
See the list below via Deadline (and Pdf here), ranked from top to bottom by number of votes.
- 12/11/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
At the close of a particularly fraught year for Hollywood screenwriters, Monday saw the release of the annual Black List – a ranking of the top unproduced scripts in show business.
Voted on by nearly 400 creative executives, this year’s favorite project that has yet to receive a greenlight is “Bad Boy” by Travis Braun, described simply as the tale of a rescue dog who suspects his loving new owner is a serial killer. C2 Motion Picture Group is financing the project and meeting with potential distribution partners imminently.
The list includes 76 titles and covers wide narrative ground. Kirill Baru and Eric Zimmerman’s “The Great Pretender” is the story of America’s sweetheart Tom Hanks getting kidnapped, and the doppelgänger who must step in to save him. Hunter Toro’s “Boy Falls From Sky” tells of an anxious playwright whose world is turned upside down by lies and bone-crushing accidents...
Voted on by nearly 400 creative executives, this year’s favorite project that has yet to receive a greenlight is “Bad Boy” by Travis Braun, described simply as the tale of a rescue dog who suspects his loving new owner is a serial killer. C2 Motion Picture Group is financing the project and meeting with potential distribution partners imminently.
The list includes 76 titles and covers wide narrative ground. Kirill Baru and Eric Zimmerman’s “The Great Pretender” is the story of America’s sweetheart Tom Hanks getting kidnapped, and the doppelgänger who must step in to save him. Hunter Toro’s “Boy Falls From Sky” tells of an anxious playwright whose world is turned upside down by lies and bone-crushing accidents...
- 12/11/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The Black List has revealed its 2023 list of best unproduced screenplays, with scripts that include a biopic of country singer Patsy Cline, the rise and fall of Sam Bankman-Fried crypto empire Ftx, and an action-comedy about Tom Hanks and his doppelganger.
Topping this year’s list is a feature script from Travis Braun titled Bad Boy, with a logline that reads: “A rescue dog suspects his loving new owner is a serial killer.”
Elsewhere on the list is a screenplay about the Broadway playwright behind notorious disaster Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark from writer Hunter Toro, and a script focused on soccer star Didier Drogba from Jackson Kellard.
“This year, the industry was defined by a debate about the value of writers within it, and I think it’s inevitable that this year’s Black List means more than it has in the past,” said Black List founder and CEO Franklin Leonard.
Topping this year’s list is a feature script from Travis Braun titled Bad Boy, with a logline that reads: “A rescue dog suspects his loving new owner is a serial killer.”
Elsewhere on the list is a screenplay about the Broadway playwright behind notorious disaster Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark from writer Hunter Toro, and a script focused on soccer star Didier Drogba from Jackson Kellard.
“This year, the industry was defined by a debate about the value of writers within it, and I think it’s inevitable that this year’s Black List means more than it has in the past,” said Black List founder and CEO Franklin Leonard.
- 12/11/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Crank up the witch house and start peeling those grapes for the eyeball bowl, because the spookiest month of the year is once again upon us! All roads lead to Halloween in the month of October, including the zombie-prowling highways and byways of Film Independent Fiscal Sponsorship.
Of course, horror and short films go together like peanut butter and mini Reese’s cups, which is why were turning this month’s #FiSpo column over to three concise, high-concept chillers that are sure to send a shiver down your spine—and perhaps bring up a salient social point or two, as horror so often does.
As always, these films are being supported by Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program, enabling filmmakers to solicit tax-deductible donations and organizational grants in partnership with Film Independent. Here’s how:
This month’s Fiscal Spotlight projects are The Flacalta Effect, Hive and Burnout. Learn more...
Of course, horror and short films go together like peanut butter and mini Reese’s cups, which is why were turning this month’s #FiSpo column over to three concise, high-concept chillers that are sure to send a shiver down your spine—and perhaps bring up a salient social point or two, as horror so often does.
As always, these films are being supported by Film Independent’s Fiscal Sponsorship program, enabling filmmakers to solicit tax-deductible donations and organizational grants in partnership with Film Independent. Here’s how:
This month’s Fiscal Spotlight projects are The Flacalta Effect, Hive and Burnout. Learn more...
- 10/6/2023
- by Film Independent
- Film Independent News & More
Around the same time she was filming John Carpenter’s Halloween, 19-year-old Jamie Lee Curtis conceived a concept in which nature fights back against humanity. After working on David Gordon Green’s Halloween rejuvenated her excitement about the possibilities of low-budget filmmaking, she decided to pursue the story. 45 years after its inception, the newly minted Oscar winner has made her graphic novel debut with Mother Nature via Titan Comics.
Curtis teamed with aspiring filmmaker Russell Goldman, who served as Green’s assistant on Halloween and as Curtis’ assistant on Halloween Kills, to turn the idea into a screenplay. While the movie version is in the early stages of development at Blumhouse, the opportunity for a comic book adaptation came when Curtis sent the script to Karl Stevens, an artist whose The New Yorker original cartoons she collects. Stevens immediately saw the potential for a graphic novel.
Following in the footsteps...
Curtis teamed with aspiring filmmaker Russell Goldman, who served as Green’s assistant on Halloween and as Curtis’ assistant on Halloween Kills, to turn the idea into a screenplay. While the movie version is in the early stages of development at Blumhouse, the opportunity for a comic book adaptation came when Curtis sent the script to Karl Stevens, an artist whose The New Yorker original cartoons she collects. Stevens immediately saw the potential for a graphic novel.
Following in the footsteps...
- 8/8/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Jamie Lee Curtis was one of the only major celebs to attend San Diego’s Comic-Con this year amid an ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike, and she had a special announcement to deliver.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar winner, 64, who recently stars as Madame Leota in the upcoming “Haunted Mansion” flick, found time to escape her uber-busy schedule to stop at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, where she promoted her new book, Mother Nature.
Read More: Jamie Lee Curtis Is Working On A New Children’s Book, ‘Just One More Sleep,’ For January Publication
The actress’ book is a graphic novel that aims to send an urgent message about climate change and points the finger at the forces propelling the issue.
“I saw this book in print two hours ago for the first time,” said Curtis, who attended the entertainment event with her co-writer, Russell Goldman, and artist Karl Stevens by her side.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Oscar winner, 64, who recently stars as Madame Leota in the upcoming “Haunted Mansion” flick, found time to escape her uber-busy schedule to stop at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday, where she promoted her new book, Mother Nature.
Read More: Jamie Lee Curtis Is Working On A New Children’s Book, ‘Just One More Sleep,’ For January Publication
The actress’ book is a graphic novel that aims to send an urgent message about climate change and points the finger at the forces propelling the issue.
“I saw this book in print two hours ago for the first time,” said Curtis, who attended the entertainment event with her co-writer, Russell Goldman, and artist Karl Stevens by her side.
- 7/22/2023
- by Emerson Pearson
- ET Canada
Jamie Lee Curtis enjoyed a celebratory moment just before taking the stage at San Diego Comic-Con on Friday to promote Mother Nature, which is her first graphic novel and takes aim at the forces contributing to climate change.
“I saw this book in print two hours ago for the first time,” said Curtis, who was joined onstage by her co-writer, Russell Goldman, and artist Karl Stevens. “I’ve seen it in a Pdf form, and it is thrilling.” She did not waste time emphasizing the project’s ecologically minded message: “We’re fucking the world. There is a possibility of change, but we’re going to have to do it, and I’m really thrilled to see how enthusiastic you guys are for this beautiful piece of work that Karl has made for us.” Her points were met with enthusiastic applause from the supportive audience.
Featuring plenty of gruesome violence,...
“I saw this book in print two hours ago for the first time,” said Curtis, who was joined onstage by her co-writer, Russell Goldman, and artist Karl Stevens. “I’ve seen it in a Pdf form, and it is thrilling.” She did not waste time emphasizing the project’s ecologically minded message: “We’re fucking the world. There is a possibility of change, but we’re going to have to do it, and I’m really thrilled to see how enthusiastic you guys are for this beautiful piece of work that Karl has made for us.” Her points were met with enthusiastic applause from the supportive audience.
Featuring plenty of gruesome violence,...
- 7/22/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Whether nestled inside in the cool air conditioning or stretched out under the blazing sun, this summer belongs to great horror books for all tastes and preferences.
Brand new novels, suspenseful page-turners themed around Summer, nonfiction reads about our favorite subject, and even a graphic novel from a beloved Final Girl are heading our way. A warning in advance: prepare for August 8 to take a massive dent out of your wallet.
Here are twelve brand new 2023 horror books to keep you busy in the scorching summer months that pave the way to the Halloween season.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Whereas Mexican Gothic delivered a Gothic romance, and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau retooled a sci-fi horror classic, Moreno-Garcia’s latest takes on Nazi occultism and cursed films set in the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. It follows a sound editor and her crush as their world gets turned...
Brand new novels, suspenseful page-turners themed around Summer, nonfiction reads about our favorite subject, and even a graphic novel from a beloved Final Girl are heading our way. A warning in advance: prepare for August 8 to take a massive dent out of your wallet.
Here are twelve brand new 2023 horror books to keep you busy in the scorching summer months that pave the way to the Halloween season.
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Whereas Mexican Gothic delivered a Gothic romance, and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau retooled a sci-fi horror classic, Moreno-Garcia’s latest takes on Nazi occultism and cursed films set in the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. It follows a sound editor and her crush as their world gets turned...
- 7/20/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
"After witnessing her father die in mysterious circumstances on one of the Cobalt Corporation’s experimental oil extraction projects, Nova Terrell has grown up to despise the seemingly benevolent company relied upon by the town of Catch Creek, New Mexico. The rebellious Nova wages a campaign of sabotage against the oil giant, until one night she accidentally makes a terrifying discovery about the true nature of the “Mother Nature” project and a threat that could destroy the entire town."
Written by Jamie Lee Curtis and Russell Goldman, with art by Karl Stevens, Mother Nature is a new graphic novel published by Titan Comics that will be available at comic shops, book stores and on digital devices August 8th! But, we have an extended preview you can read right now!
For those of you headed to San-Diego, Jamie Lee Curtis will be attending Comic-Con for a special panel dedicated to the...
Written by Jamie Lee Curtis and Russell Goldman, with art by Karl Stevens, Mother Nature is a new graphic novel published by Titan Comics that will be available at comic shops, book stores and on digital devices August 8th! But, we have an extended preview you can read right now!
For those of you headed to San-Diego, Jamie Lee Curtis will be attending Comic-Con for a special panel dedicated to the...
- 7/19/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
After witnessing her father die in mysterious circumstances on one of the Cobalt Corporation’s experimental oil extraction projects, Nova Terrell has grown up to despise the seemingly benevolent company relied upon by the town of Catch Creek, New Mexico.
The rebellious Nova wages a campaign of sabotage against the oil giant, until one night she accidentally makes a terrifying discovery about the true nature of the “Mother Nature” project and a threat that could destroy the entire town.
Mother Nature graphic novel, published by Titan Comics will be available from comic shops, book stores and digital devices from August 8, 2023. Pre-order now from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, your local comic shop and Forbidden Planet for UK & Europe.
For more details visit Titan Comics website.
Check out the special 10-page extended art preview below:...
The rebellious Nova wages a campaign of sabotage against the oil giant, until one night she accidentally makes a terrifying discovery about the true nature of the “Mother Nature” project and a threat that could destroy the entire town.
Mother Nature graphic novel, published by Titan Comics will be available from comic shops, book stores and digital devices from August 8, 2023. Pre-order now from Barnes & Noble, Amazon, your local comic shop and Forbidden Planet for UK & Europe.
For more details visit Titan Comics website.
Check out the special 10-page extended art preview below:...
- 7/13/2023
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
The lineup for the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con has been unveiled, giving attendees – and those refreshing their browsers the entire weekend – a little less to look forward to but still plenty of panels, reveals and anniversary spotlights. The 2023 Comic-Con is a far more limited affair this year due to major players like Marvel, Sony, Universal, Disney, and more dropping out at least partly due to the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike. And with deadlines on the potential Screen Actors Guild strike quickly approaching, could only harm the event even more.
Here are some of the highlights of the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con:
Thursday, July 20th:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – “Paramount Pictures brings a panel discussion and footage presentation with filmmakers.”
Project K – “From the heartland of India emerges a unique tale that intertwines ancient mythology with cutting-edge science fiction, all within the captivating Spice Punk aesthetic. Welcome to Project K,...
Here are some of the highlights of the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con:
Thursday, July 20th:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem – “Paramount Pictures brings a panel discussion and footage presentation with filmmakers.”
Project K – “From the heartland of India emerges a unique tale that intertwines ancient mythology with cutting-edge science fiction, all within the captivating Spice Punk aesthetic. Welcome to Project K,...
- 7/9/2023
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Titan Comic will have an exciting presence at San Diego Comic Con 2023! Not only will Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis be on-site in support of her debut graphic novel “Mother Nature” co-written with Russell Goldman and art by Karl Stevens, but also writer Jim Zub will be making an appearance as well in support of “Conan” #1!
All Titan upcoming releases appearing at San Diego Comic Con 2023 can be found below:
Title: Mother Nature
On Sale: August 8th, 2023
About: Eco-horror graphic novel, set in New Mexico, and adapted from Jamie’s script for the forthcoming Comet Pictures/Blumhouse film. Graphic novel debuts at Sdcc!
Title: Conan The Barbarian #1
On Sale: July 26th, 2023
About: Robert E. Howard’s legendary Conan is back in a new tale of bravery and heroism! New ongoing series from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics. Issue #1 debuts at Sdcc!
Title: Robotech: Rick Hunter #1
On Sale: August 2nd, 2023
About: Robotech...
All Titan upcoming releases appearing at San Diego Comic Con 2023 can be found below:
Title: Mother Nature
On Sale: August 8th, 2023
About: Eco-horror graphic novel, set in New Mexico, and adapted from Jamie’s script for the forthcoming Comet Pictures/Blumhouse film. Graphic novel debuts at Sdcc!
Title: Conan The Barbarian #1
On Sale: July 26th, 2023
About: Robert E. Howard’s legendary Conan is back in a new tale of bravery and heroism! New ongoing series from Heroic Signatures and Titan Comics. Issue #1 debuts at Sdcc!
Title: Robotech: Rick Hunter #1
On Sale: August 2nd, 2023
About: Robotech...
- 6/28/2023
- by Kristyn Clarke
- Age of the Nerd
Newly-minted Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis is set to guest star in the upcoming Amazon comedy series “The Sticky.”
It was previously announced that Curtis would executive produce the series, which was ordered at Amazon in April 2022. In addition, Guillaume Cyr has joined the show in one of its lead roles alongside Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos.
Production is now underway on the series in and around Montreal. As previously announced, the series is inspired by the true story of the “Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist,” in which 70% of the world’s global maple syrup supply was stolen.
The official series decription states: “‘The Sticky’ revolves around Ruth Landry (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm,...
It was previously announced that Curtis would executive produce the series, which was ordered at Amazon in April 2022. In addition, Guillaume Cyr has joined the show in one of its lead roles alongside Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos.
Production is now underway on the series in and around Montreal. As previously announced, the series is inspired by the true story of the “Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist,” in which 70% of the world’s global maple syrup supply was stolen.
The official series decription states: “‘The Sticky’ revolves around Ruth Landry (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm,...
- 3/22/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Production is underway on the new Prime Video series “The Sticky,” with Margo Martindale, Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr leading the cast of the true-story heist comedy. Inspired by the “Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist,” the story follows the 2011 theft of 70% of the global maple syrup supply – about $13 million U.S. worth of the sticky stuff.
Recent Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis will also executive produce and guest star in the series, which is produced by Blumhouse Television, Megamix, Comet Pictures and Canadian producers Sphere Media.
The show revolves around Ruth Landry (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to freedom. With the help of Remy Bouchard (Cyr), a mild-mannered security guard,...
Recent Oscar-winner Jamie Lee Curtis will also executive produce and guest star in the series, which is produced by Blumhouse Television, Megamix, Comet Pictures and Canadian producers Sphere Media.
The show revolves around Ruth Landry (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to freedom. With the help of Remy Bouchard (Cyr), a mild-mannered security guard,...
- 3/22/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Three-time Emmy winner Margo Martindale, Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr are set to star in The Sticky, Prime Video’s Canadian comedy series from Blumhouse Television, Jamie Lee Curtis’ Comet Pictures, Jonathan Levine’s Megamix and Sphere Media. Newly minted Oscar winner Curtis will guest star in the series, inspired by the true story dubbed the “Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist,” which made headlines around the world in 2011 when 70% of the global maple syrup supply — about Can$18 million worth — was stolen.
The English-language series is starting production in Quebec for a 2024 premiere and will film in and around Montreal with Canadian directors Michael Dowse and Joyce Wong.
The Sticky revolves around Ruth Landry (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that...
The English-language series is starting production in Quebec for a 2024 premiere and will film in and around Montreal with Canadian directors Michael Dowse and Joyce Wong.
The Sticky revolves around Ruth Landry (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that...
- 3/22/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Almost three years have gone by since it was announced that genre icon Jamie Lee Curtis will be making her feature directorial debut with Mother Nature, a Blumhouse production that would have something to do with climate change. Last year, we learned that Curtis had also teamed up with Russell Goldman to write a graphic novel adaptation of the Mother Nature screenplay, with Titan Comics preparing to release the 156-page, hardcover graphic novel. At that time, the graphic novel was expected to reach store shelves in November of 2022. That didn’t happen, but now Titan Comics has confirmed that Mother Nature is going to be released on July 18th – and they have unveiled a trailer for the graphic novel to give a preview of what will be seen on its pages. The trailer can be viewed at the bottom of this article.
Artist Karl Stevens handled the illustrations for the Mother Nature graphic novel,...
Artist Karl Stevens handled the illustrations for the Mother Nature graphic novel,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
As you may recall, Jamie Lee Curtis will be directing a horror movie for Blumhouse titled Mother Nature, and she has also co-written the graphic novel adaptation for Titan Comics!
The press release explains, “Titan Comics is thrilled to be publishing Mother Nature, the terrifying debut eco-horror graphic novel by Hollywood legend Jamie Lee Curtis. Co-written with film-maker Russell Goldman and illustrated by artist Karl Stevens, the book has been adapted from the script for the upcoming Comet Pictures and Blumhouse horror movie.”
But first, the 176-page hardcover graphic novel releases on July 18, 2023.
In the eco-horror tale…
Nova Terrell who, after witnessing her father die in mysterious circumstances on one of the Cobalt Corporation’s experimental oil extraction projects, has grown up to despise the seemingly benevolent company that the town of Catch Creek, New Mexico, relies on for its jobs and prosperity. The rebellious Nova wages a campaign of...
The press release explains, “Titan Comics is thrilled to be publishing Mother Nature, the terrifying debut eco-horror graphic novel by Hollywood legend Jamie Lee Curtis. Co-written with film-maker Russell Goldman and illustrated by artist Karl Stevens, the book has been adapted from the script for the upcoming Comet Pictures and Blumhouse horror movie.”
But first, the 176-page hardcover graphic novel releases on July 18, 2023.
In the eco-horror tale…
Nova Terrell who, after witnessing her father die in mysterious circumstances on one of the Cobalt Corporation’s experimental oil extraction projects, has grown up to despise the seemingly benevolent company that the town of Catch Creek, New Mexico, relies on for its jobs and prosperity. The rebellious Nova wages a campaign of...
- 3/9/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Margo Martindale and Chris Diamantopoulos have been cast in the lead roles of the upcoming Amazon series “The Sticky,” Variety has learned exclusively.
The show was originally ordered at Amazon back in April 2022. As previously reported, the series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The real heist involved the theft of $18 million dollars (Cad) of of Quebec’s national maple syrup, which is more than 70% of the global maple syrup supply.
Per the official logline for the half-hour comedy series, “‘The Sticky’ revolves around Ruth Clarke (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to freedom. With the help of Remy Bouchard,...
The show was originally ordered at Amazon back in April 2022. As previously reported, the series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The real heist involved the theft of $18 million dollars (Cad) of of Quebec’s national maple syrup, which is more than 70% of the global maple syrup supply.
Per the official logline for the half-hour comedy series, “‘The Sticky’ revolves around Ruth Clarke (Martindale), a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to freedom. With the help of Remy Bouchard,...
- 2/21/2023
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
On the way from Jamie Lee Curtis‘ production company Comet Pictures is a horror short film titled Return to Sender, and Bloody Disgusting is debuting the official trailer today.
Jamie Lee Curtis co-created and produced Return to Sender, which follows a woman who becomes fixated on a package delivery scam that grows increasingly strange and personal.
Starring Allison Tolman (Krampus), Return to Sender has been accepted into over 20 film festivals so far and it will premiere online on Alter and Omeleto this November.
Return to Sender will play at Fantastic Fest on September 24 and September 26, attached to the feature Smoking Causes Coughing, as well as Beyond Fest on October 1st.
Russell Goldman (Blumhouse’s Mother Nature) wrote and directed Return to Sender.
Goldman said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “I received a notification. The Valentine’s Day gift I ordered for my partner had just just arrived at my door.
Jamie Lee Curtis co-created and produced Return to Sender, which follows a woman who becomes fixated on a package delivery scam that grows increasingly strange and personal.
Starring Allison Tolman (Krampus), Return to Sender has been accepted into over 20 film festivals so far and it will premiere online on Alter and Omeleto this November.
Return to Sender will play at Fantastic Fest on September 24 and September 26, attached to the feature Smoking Causes Coughing, as well as Beyond Fest on October 1st.
Russell Goldman (Blumhouse’s Mother Nature) wrote and directed Return to Sender.
Goldman said in a statement to Bloody Disgusting, “I received a notification. The Valentine’s Day gift I ordered for my partner had just just arrived at my door.
- 9/23/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Bryan Cranston, Blair Underwood and Jennifer Morrison will lead the jury for this year’s Hollyshorts Film Festival.
They will be joined by Stephanie Lang, Joanna Quinn, David Dastmalchian, Adaku Ononogbo and Jeremy Swift.
Set to open Aug. 11 at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the Bitpix platform, the festival will screen a number of short films including Steve McQueen’s prostate cancer documentary “Embarrassed,” starring Idris Elba, Ben Proudfoot’s “Mink!” about the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Rory Keenan’s “Bump,” starring Gemma Arterton.
Also screening on the opening night are Frank Chi’s “38 and the Garden,” Mike Kearby’s comedy “The Problem with Time Travel,” Tara Westwood’s “Triggered” starring Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Robert John Burke, “Coral Amiga’s"Crosshairs” and Evan Miller’s “Thoughts and Prayers,” which features Adrianne Palicki and Zachary Levi.
Meanwhile...
They will be joined by Stephanie Lang, Joanna Quinn, David Dastmalchian, Adaku Ononogbo and Jeremy Swift.
Set to open Aug. 11 at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and virtually through the Bitpix platform, the festival will screen a number of short films including Steve McQueen’s prostate cancer documentary “Embarrassed,” starring Idris Elba, Ben Proudfoot’s “Mink!” about the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and Rory Keenan’s “Bump,” starring Gemma Arterton.
Also screening on the opening night are Frank Chi’s “38 and the Garden,” Mike Kearby’s comedy “The Problem with Time Travel,” Tara Westwood’s “Triggered” starring Isiah Whitlock Jr. and Robert John Burke, “Coral Amiga’s"Crosshairs” and Evan Miller’s “Thoughts and Prayers,” which features Adrianne Palicki and Zachary Levi.
Meanwhile...
- 8/4/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: NewFilmmakers Los Angeles today announced the winners of its 10th annual Best of Nfmla Awards.
The list included Huella‘s Gabriella Ortega (Best New Filmmaker), Tracey Deer’s Beans (Best Feature Film), Nelson G. Navarrete and Maxx Caicedo’s A La Calle (Best Documentary Feature Film), Ciara Lacy’s This Is the Way We Rise, JJ Shpall’s Date Nite, Isabella Issa’s Yellow Girl and Me, Sarah Clift’s The Birth of Valerie Venus, Gustavo Milan’s Under the Heavens (Seiva Bruta), Bastien Dubois’ Souvenir Souvenir, Devone X. King’s Last Black Man (Best New Media & Experimental), Arnold Mwanjila’s Taliya (Best Screenplay), I Make Good Sounds at Parties‘ Russell Goldman, Yellow Girl and Me‘s Dior Wilson, Sweet Potatoes‘ Luke Sargent (Best Cinematography), From Here‘s Christina Antonakos-Wallace and Aletta Von Vietinghoff (Best Film Editing), The Fire Next Time‘s Jose Pablo Ramirez (Best Sound Design) and Livin’ in the Light‘s Onry (Best Score).
The Best of Nfmla Awards look to recognize the best talent in independent cinema from around the globe. This year’s edition included 125 nominees across 16 Award categories. All nominated projects screened as part of the Nfmla Monthly Film Festival 2021 season which ran from January 1st, 2021 through December 31st, 2021. Best New Filmmaker winner Ortega claimed a 3,000 Anthony Rhulen grant, with numerous other winners nabbing grants of 2,000. Over 5,000 in Blackmagic Design equipment will also be awarded to select winners, with post host Picture Shop hosting a post-production workshop for all nominees and winners.
Nfmla is a Los Angeles-based arts and culture non-profit organization that works year-round to highlight the works of independent artists. Its full list of 2022 Best of Nfmla nominees can be found here.
***
Exclusive: Doc10 today announced its first-ever awards program, which this year will honor documentary filmmakers N. Bird Runningwater and Jessica Devaney.
The inaugural Luminary Award, celebrating filmmakers that shine a light on vital social issues, will be presented to Runningwater, who has supported such films as Billy Luther’s Miss Navajo and Heather Rae’s Trudell. The Vanguard Award, created to honor innovative and important documentary filmmakers, will be presented to Devaney, producer of some 17 shorts and features, including 2021 Doc10 selection Pray Away.
“The inaugural Luminary and Vanguard Awards were born to celebrate and promote the power of independent filmmaking,” said Doc10 co-founders Steve Cohen and Paula Froehle. “Jess and Bird represent the now and the future of great, cinematic documentary producing and how independent, fearless storytelling can promote real change in our world.” The 7th Doc10 documentary film festival will run from May 19-22 at the Davis Theatre and the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. To find out more about it or to purchase tickets, click here.
***
Exclusive: Patricia Velasquez (The Mummy) will exec produce and star in the sci-fi thriller Space Racer, from writer-director Erik Bernard (Free Dead or Alive), with NFTs related to the film to be released by Karman Studios at the Cannes Marché du Film.
The pic from Bernard’s Rebel 6 Films and Gemini Films takes place in the year 2084. It finds Earth beginning to look to space for survival, at a point when it’s barely able to sustain human life. At this juncture, humans have contacted alien race, with pilot James Colt earning the opportunity to represent Earth in its first intergalactic race.
Bernard and Lyndon Tait wrote the script for the pic, which is intended to set up a trilogy. Kevin Grevioux (Underworld) is producing, with Velasquez, Bernard and Courtney LeMarco (Hoarders) exec producing, and Jasmin Espada (Free Dead or Alive) serving as co-producer. Velasquez is represented by Insurge-Ent and Innovative Artists; Bernard and LeMarco by Espada PR & Entertainment; and Grevioux by Brent Johnson of One Entertainment.
***
Exclusive: Toric Films‘ Ojan Missaghi and David Wachs will be seeking distribution for their films Day Labor, Out of Hand and Deadly Games at this year’s Cannes Film Festival—with actor Gilles Marini (The Rookie) also on hand to promote the company’s slate.
Day Labor watches as a Latin American veteran seeks work as a day laborer in order to keep his family afloat. A regular day turns into a deadly game of survival when he is mistakenly dropped off at a private ranch in El Paso, Texas to be hunted for sport. R. Ellis Frazier directed the pic, which stars Amy Johnston, Louis Mandylor and Danny Arrory.
Director Brian Skiba’s Out of Hand is a thriller centered on Valerie (Louise Linton), a charismatic and sophisticated college professor who is married to a younger personal trainer heartthrob, David (Pierson Fode). When the couple leaves town to a secluded cabin in Lake Tahoe, things start to unravel. William Baldwin, Joana Metrass , David Wachs and Christy St. John also star.
Then, there’s Deadly Games, in which four female influencers are invited to paradise island to partake in a million-dollar opportunity by a crypto mogul, fighting to gain the most subscribers during their weekend for the paysite contest. When one of the girls ends up dead, and the murder gets kept a secret, the influencers get more than they bargained for. Missaghi directed and produced the pic, which stars Marini, Metrass, Vanessa Angel, Roberto ‘Sanz’ Sanchez, Krista Kalmus and Emelina Adams.
***
Exclusive: Lost Souls collaborators John F. Uranday and Bobby Cloud will be bringing their new indie drama Depth of Field to Cannes’ Marché du Film.
The film directed by Uranday tells the story of Charles (Rafael Petardi), a widower who has given up on life, until he meets a foster child next door that changes his life forever. It also stars George Stroumboulopoulos (The Communist’s Daughter), Jay Acovone (Fox’s Lethal Weapon), Carrie Quinn Dolin (Bruce Almighty), Ella Thomas (NCIS: Los Angeles), Diana Diaz (Music) and Thea Saccoliti. Producer Cloud, who is also an attorney, co-wrote the script with Uranday, with Jeffrey Stevens serving as a story contributor. Uranday also produced, along with Orlin Dobreff, Mike G, Rafael Petardi, Tom Summers and Tristan Salas Henry, with Stroumboulopoulos serving as exec producer. Uranday and Cloud are repped by Espada PR & Entertainment.
***
Exclusive: Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to the romance Bristol Fashion, with plans to release it across internet and satellite platforms on June 7th.
The film tells the story of a young transgender woman, Christina (Lea Nayeli), who escapes her troubled home to find solace in a dilapidated boatyard. When she buys a broken-down boat for that purpose, she gets more than she bargained for in the boat’s owner, Esteban (Raul A. Perez)—warm, funny and dying to take her to dinner. He gives her a place to stay on an abandoned barge and helps her fix up the boat, and slowly but surely, they find themselves navigating the sometimes-messy waters of a straight man falling for a trans woman.
Pierre Guillet and Timothy John Foster wrote and produced Bristol Fashion, with Guillet directing. Richard Difrisco also stars. Freestyle Digital Media negotiated the deal to acquire the film directly with Glen Reynolds of Circus Road Films. Its trailer can be found below.
***
Exclusive: Deadline has a new trailer for Lisa Hepner and Guy Mossman’s feature doc The Human Trial, which Abramorama is releasing in North American theaters and on its Watch Now @ Home virtual cinema platform on June 24th.
More than a decade in the making, the film follows a groundbreaking clinical trial that peels back the headlines to show the sweat, passion and sacrifice behind every breakthrough cure. In 2011, Hepner and her husband Mossman heard about a radical stem cell treatment for diabetes, a disease that shockingly kills more than five million people each year. Driven by a desire to cure Lisa of her own type 1 diabetes, the filmmakers were given unprecedented access to a clinical trial—only the sixth ever stem cell trial in the world. What follows is an intimate journey with the patients and scientists who put themselves on the line to be first.
Hepner scripted the project and produced alongside Jonathan Formica (Lost & Found) and Kristin Lesko (O.J.: Made in America), with diabetes org Beyond Type 1 exec producing alongside Amy Rapp (The Woman Who Wasn’t There), Marla Oringer, Greer Wylder and Thom Scher. Check out the trailer for The Human Trial below.
***
Exclusive: Deadline has an exclusive clip from the feature doc Since I Been Down, which is set for release on VOD on May 24th.
The film from director Gilda Sheppard stakes us to Tacoma, Washington. Influenced by the national drug war frenzy and the fear-based culture of punishment in the 1980s and ’90s, Tacoma sacrificed its most vulnerable children to a life behind bars. These children, who are now adults, cannot be silenced. As we hear them tell their stories, bravely, unapologetically, we realize: This is the story of ‘Everytown USA’.
June Nho Ivers, Saman Maydani and Bonnie Benjamin-Phariss produced the doc, with Sheppard and David Menschel serving as executive producers. Our exclusive clip from the film can be found below.
***
Hallie and Audrey McPherson will be bringing their dramedy Earthquake Country to Dances With Films on Saturday, June 18th at 7:15 p.m. Pst.
The film written and directed by The McPherson Sisters centers on Rhyme Osbourne (Lydian Blossom), who is fed up with her mother’s alcoholism and delusions of grandeur and her father’s literal inability to get off the couch. On her eighteenth birthday, Rhyme puts into motion a plan that will cut ties with her family—for good. Set in 2007 in the seemingly idyllic Ojai, CA, the film is a coming-of-age story that explores the creation of family mythology, the malleability of memory, and the sometimes suffocating intimacy of the nuclear family.
Deborah Marks-Bertling, Alex Sorian Brown, Todd Caroll, Nigel Vonas, Melina Emilie, Madison Widener and Kyle Hester also star. Pic was produced by the McPhersons and Melina Hayum.
***
Filmmaker Alex Proyas‘ production outfit Heretic Foundation and development company Mystery Clock Cinema this week announced a co-production/financing partnership with the UK-based 108 Media, which has launched worldwide sales and packaging on his latest feature, the horror Sister Darkness.
The female-driven film marking the first of several forthcoming collaborations between the parties is set in the UK in the 1930s—at a time when women were marginalized and exploited. It follows the newly-wed but unhappy Alice as she stumbles across her doppelgänger Isla, whose existence is a mystery seeped in a tale of bloody retribution against her oppressors, the hellish supernatural nightscape, and a dread uprising against the deceitful aristocracy. Pic will go before camera in Australia later this year.
Proyas negotiated his multi-faceted deal with 108 Media’s CEO Abhi Rastogi and President (Production) Justin Deimen, with support from Rod Smith and Steven Rosser (Legal Counsel), General Manager & Executive Producer Andrew Robinson, Studio Producer Erasmo (Raz) Raimundo, and Craig Emmanuel of Paul Hastings in Los Angeles.
***
Gkids has acquired North American rights to writer-director Atsuko Ishizuka’s first original feature Goodbye, Don Glees!. The distributor will release both the original Japanese-language version of the film and an all-new English-language dub in theaters this year, on the heels of the film’s February 2022 release in Japan.
The film produced by the acclaimed studio Madhouse follows the story of three friends over the course of one summer, as their backyard adventures turn one small incident into a life-changing journey. It features the voices of Ayumu Murase, Natsuki Hanae, Kana Hanazawa and Yuuki Kaji, and is represented internationally by Kadokawa.
The list included Huella‘s Gabriella Ortega (Best New Filmmaker), Tracey Deer’s Beans (Best Feature Film), Nelson G. Navarrete and Maxx Caicedo’s A La Calle (Best Documentary Feature Film), Ciara Lacy’s This Is the Way We Rise, JJ Shpall’s Date Nite, Isabella Issa’s Yellow Girl and Me, Sarah Clift’s The Birth of Valerie Venus, Gustavo Milan’s Under the Heavens (Seiva Bruta), Bastien Dubois’ Souvenir Souvenir, Devone X. King’s Last Black Man (Best New Media & Experimental), Arnold Mwanjila’s Taliya (Best Screenplay), I Make Good Sounds at Parties‘ Russell Goldman, Yellow Girl and Me‘s Dior Wilson, Sweet Potatoes‘ Luke Sargent (Best Cinematography), From Here‘s Christina Antonakos-Wallace and Aletta Von Vietinghoff (Best Film Editing), The Fire Next Time‘s Jose Pablo Ramirez (Best Sound Design) and Livin’ in the Light‘s Onry (Best Score).
The Best of Nfmla Awards look to recognize the best talent in independent cinema from around the globe. This year’s edition included 125 nominees across 16 Award categories. All nominated projects screened as part of the Nfmla Monthly Film Festival 2021 season which ran from January 1st, 2021 through December 31st, 2021. Best New Filmmaker winner Ortega claimed a 3,000 Anthony Rhulen grant, with numerous other winners nabbing grants of 2,000. Over 5,000 in Blackmagic Design equipment will also be awarded to select winners, with post host Picture Shop hosting a post-production workshop for all nominees and winners.
Nfmla is a Los Angeles-based arts and culture non-profit organization that works year-round to highlight the works of independent artists. Its full list of 2022 Best of Nfmla nominees can be found here.
***
Exclusive: Doc10 today announced its first-ever awards program, which this year will honor documentary filmmakers N. Bird Runningwater and Jessica Devaney.
The inaugural Luminary Award, celebrating filmmakers that shine a light on vital social issues, will be presented to Runningwater, who has supported such films as Billy Luther’s Miss Navajo and Heather Rae’s Trudell. The Vanguard Award, created to honor innovative and important documentary filmmakers, will be presented to Devaney, producer of some 17 shorts and features, including 2021 Doc10 selection Pray Away.
“The inaugural Luminary and Vanguard Awards were born to celebrate and promote the power of independent filmmaking,” said Doc10 co-founders Steve Cohen and Paula Froehle. “Jess and Bird represent the now and the future of great, cinematic documentary producing and how independent, fearless storytelling can promote real change in our world.” The 7th Doc10 documentary film festival will run from May 19-22 at the Davis Theatre and the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. To find out more about it or to purchase tickets, click here.
***
Exclusive: Patricia Velasquez (The Mummy) will exec produce and star in the sci-fi thriller Space Racer, from writer-director Erik Bernard (Free Dead or Alive), with NFTs related to the film to be released by Karman Studios at the Cannes Marché du Film.
The pic from Bernard’s Rebel 6 Films and Gemini Films takes place in the year 2084. It finds Earth beginning to look to space for survival, at a point when it’s barely able to sustain human life. At this juncture, humans have contacted alien race, with pilot James Colt earning the opportunity to represent Earth in its first intergalactic race.
Bernard and Lyndon Tait wrote the script for the pic, which is intended to set up a trilogy. Kevin Grevioux (Underworld) is producing, with Velasquez, Bernard and Courtney LeMarco (Hoarders) exec producing, and Jasmin Espada (Free Dead or Alive) serving as co-producer. Velasquez is represented by Insurge-Ent and Innovative Artists; Bernard and LeMarco by Espada PR & Entertainment; and Grevioux by Brent Johnson of One Entertainment.
***
Exclusive: Toric Films‘ Ojan Missaghi and David Wachs will be seeking distribution for their films Day Labor, Out of Hand and Deadly Games at this year’s Cannes Film Festival—with actor Gilles Marini (The Rookie) also on hand to promote the company’s slate.
Day Labor watches as a Latin American veteran seeks work as a day laborer in order to keep his family afloat. A regular day turns into a deadly game of survival when he is mistakenly dropped off at a private ranch in El Paso, Texas to be hunted for sport. R. Ellis Frazier directed the pic, which stars Amy Johnston, Louis Mandylor and Danny Arrory.
Director Brian Skiba’s Out of Hand is a thriller centered on Valerie (Louise Linton), a charismatic and sophisticated college professor who is married to a younger personal trainer heartthrob, David (Pierson Fode). When the couple leaves town to a secluded cabin in Lake Tahoe, things start to unravel. William Baldwin, Joana Metrass , David Wachs and Christy St. John also star.
Then, there’s Deadly Games, in which four female influencers are invited to paradise island to partake in a million-dollar opportunity by a crypto mogul, fighting to gain the most subscribers during their weekend for the paysite contest. When one of the girls ends up dead, and the murder gets kept a secret, the influencers get more than they bargained for. Missaghi directed and produced the pic, which stars Marini, Metrass, Vanessa Angel, Roberto ‘Sanz’ Sanchez, Krista Kalmus and Emelina Adams.
***
Exclusive: Lost Souls collaborators John F. Uranday and Bobby Cloud will be bringing their new indie drama Depth of Field to Cannes’ Marché du Film.
The film directed by Uranday tells the story of Charles (Rafael Petardi), a widower who has given up on life, until he meets a foster child next door that changes his life forever. It also stars George Stroumboulopoulos (The Communist’s Daughter), Jay Acovone (Fox’s Lethal Weapon), Carrie Quinn Dolin (Bruce Almighty), Ella Thomas (NCIS: Los Angeles), Diana Diaz (Music) and Thea Saccoliti. Producer Cloud, who is also an attorney, co-wrote the script with Uranday, with Jeffrey Stevens serving as a story contributor. Uranday also produced, along with Orlin Dobreff, Mike G, Rafael Petardi, Tom Summers and Tristan Salas Henry, with Stroumboulopoulos serving as exec producer. Uranday and Cloud are repped by Espada PR & Entertainment.
***
Exclusive: Freestyle Digital Media has acquired North American rights to the romance Bristol Fashion, with plans to release it across internet and satellite platforms on June 7th.
The film tells the story of a young transgender woman, Christina (Lea Nayeli), who escapes her troubled home to find solace in a dilapidated boatyard. When she buys a broken-down boat for that purpose, she gets more than she bargained for in the boat’s owner, Esteban (Raul A. Perez)—warm, funny and dying to take her to dinner. He gives her a place to stay on an abandoned barge and helps her fix up the boat, and slowly but surely, they find themselves navigating the sometimes-messy waters of a straight man falling for a trans woman.
Pierre Guillet and Timothy John Foster wrote and produced Bristol Fashion, with Guillet directing. Richard Difrisco also stars. Freestyle Digital Media negotiated the deal to acquire the film directly with Glen Reynolds of Circus Road Films. Its trailer can be found below.
***
Exclusive: Deadline has a new trailer for Lisa Hepner and Guy Mossman’s feature doc The Human Trial, which Abramorama is releasing in North American theaters and on its Watch Now @ Home virtual cinema platform on June 24th.
More than a decade in the making, the film follows a groundbreaking clinical trial that peels back the headlines to show the sweat, passion and sacrifice behind every breakthrough cure. In 2011, Hepner and her husband Mossman heard about a radical stem cell treatment for diabetes, a disease that shockingly kills more than five million people each year. Driven by a desire to cure Lisa of her own type 1 diabetes, the filmmakers were given unprecedented access to a clinical trial—only the sixth ever stem cell trial in the world. What follows is an intimate journey with the patients and scientists who put themselves on the line to be first.
Hepner scripted the project and produced alongside Jonathan Formica (Lost & Found) and Kristin Lesko (O.J.: Made in America), with diabetes org Beyond Type 1 exec producing alongside Amy Rapp (The Woman Who Wasn’t There), Marla Oringer, Greer Wylder and Thom Scher. Check out the trailer for The Human Trial below.
***
Exclusive: Deadline has an exclusive clip from the feature doc Since I Been Down, which is set for release on VOD on May 24th.
The film from director Gilda Sheppard stakes us to Tacoma, Washington. Influenced by the national drug war frenzy and the fear-based culture of punishment in the 1980s and ’90s, Tacoma sacrificed its most vulnerable children to a life behind bars. These children, who are now adults, cannot be silenced. As we hear them tell their stories, bravely, unapologetically, we realize: This is the story of ‘Everytown USA’.
June Nho Ivers, Saman Maydani and Bonnie Benjamin-Phariss produced the doc, with Sheppard and David Menschel serving as executive producers. Our exclusive clip from the film can be found below.
***
Hallie and Audrey McPherson will be bringing their dramedy Earthquake Country to Dances With Films on Saturday, June 18th at 7:15 p.m. Pst.
The film written and directed by The McPherson Sisters centers on Rhyme Osbourne (Lydian Blossom), who is fed up with her mother’s alcoholism and delusions of grandeur and her father’s literal inability to get off the couch. On her eighteenth birthday, Rhyme puts into motion a plan that will cut ties with her family—for good. Set in 2007 in the seemingly idyllic Ojai, CA, the film is a coming-of-age story that explores the creation of family mythology, the malleability of memory, and the sometimes suffocating intimacy of the nuclear family.
Deborah Marks-Bertling, Alex Sorian Brown, Todd Caroll, Nigel Vonas, Melina Emilie, Madison Widener and Kyle Hester also star. Pic was produced by the McPhersons and Melina Hayum.
***
Filmmaker Alex Proyas‘ production outfit Heretic Foundation and development company Mystery Clock Cinema this week announced a co-production/financing partnership with the UK-based 108 Media, which has launched worldwide sales and packaging on his latest feature, the horror Sister Darkness.
The female-driven film marking the first of several forthcoming collaborations between the parties is set in the UK in the 1930s—at a time when women were marginalized and exploited. It follows the newly-wed but unhappy Alice as she stumbles across her doppelgänger Isla, whose existence is a mystery seeped in a tale of bloody retribution against her oppressors, the hellish supernatural nightscape, and a dread uprising against the deceitful aristocracy. Pic will go before camera in Australia later this year.
Proyas negotiated his multi-faceted deal with 108 Media’s CEO Abhi Rastogi and President (Production) Justin Deimen, with support from Rod Smith and Steven Rosser (Legal Counsel), General Manager & Executive Producer Andrew Robinson, Studio Producer Erasmo (Raz) Raimundo, and Craig Emmanuel of Paul Hastings in Los Angeles.
***
Gkids has acquired North American rights to writer-director Atsuko Ishizuka’s first original feature Goodbye, Don Glees!. The distributor will release both the original Japanese-language version of the film and an all-new English-language dub in theaters this year, on the heels of the film’s February 2022 release in Japan.
The film produced by the acclaimed studio Madhouse follows the story of three friends over the course of one summer, as their backyard adventures turn one small incident into a life-changing journey. It features the voices of Ayumu Murase, Natsuki Hanae, Kana Hanazawa and Yuuki Kaji, and is represented internationally by Kadokawa.
- 5/20/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon has commissioned a new Canadian original comedy series titled “The Sticky,” Variety has learned.
The series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The English language half-hour series will be set in Quebec.
It revolves around Ruth Clarke, a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to manifest destiny. With the help of Remy Bouchard, a pint-sized local blockhead and an aging and Mike Byrne, a low-level mobster, Ruth changes her fate—and transforms the future of her community with the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup.
The real heist involved the theft of 18 million dollars (Cad) of...
The series is inspired by the true story of “The Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.” The English language half-hour series will be set in Quebec.
It revolves around Ruth Clarke, a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to manifest destiny. With the help of Remy Bouchard, a pint-sized local blockhead and an aging and Mike Byrne, a low-level mobster, Ruth changes her fate—and transforms the future of her community with the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup.
The real heist involved the theft of 18 million dollars (Cad) of...
- 4/13/2022
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
NewFilmmakers Los Angeles has announced the nominees for the 10th annual Best of Nfmla Awards.
Nfmla is a nonprofit organization that supports emerging filmmakers and artists through a monthly series of screenings and events in Los Angeles. The nominees for its Best of Nfmla slate are comprised of films that have screened as part of the Nfmla Monthly Film Festival selection in 2021. This year, the awards honor 125 nominees across 16 categories, including achievements in features, documentaries, shorts, experimental media and a best new filmmaker award.
“We are so proud to be able to highlight the incredible talent of all of our nominees, who have each created such inspiring work,” Nfmla programming director Bojana Sandic said in a statement.
15,000 will be provided to select Best of Nfmla winners, a practice that began last year to celebrate the career of recently passed producer Anthony Rhulen, who launched the indie producing company FilmEngine.
“We...
Nfmla is a nonprofit organization that supports emerging filmmakers and artists through a monthly series of screenings and events in Los Angeles. The nominees for its Best of Nfmla slate are comprised of films that have screened as part of the Nfmla Monthly Film Festival selection in 2021. This year, the awards honor 125 nominees across 16 categories, including achievements in features, documentaries, shorts, experimental media and a best new filmmaker award.
“We are so proud to be able to highlight the incredible talent of all of our nominees, who have each created such inspiring work,” Nfmla programming director Bojana Sandic said in a statement.
15,000 will be provided to select Best of Nfmla winners, a practice that began last year to celebrate the career of recently passed producer Anthony Rhulen, who launched the indie producing company FilmEngine.
“We...
- 4/6/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Jamie Lee Curtis’ production banner Comet Pictures and Blumhouse Television are developing a one-hour series based on Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta character, a forensic pathologist at the center of 24 crime thrillers, with Cornwell, Curtis, Jason Blum, Blumhouse Television president Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold serving as executive producers.
Comet Pictures and Blumhouse have secured the rights to Cornwell’s “Kay Scarpetta” literary franchise, the companies said, and are in the process of seeking a showrunner for the series.
“I’ve had the honor and pleasure of knowing Jamie for a number of years, and have come to respect her hugely as an artist and a stellar human being. Blumhouse is a creative force of nature, and I’m confident that Scarpetta is going to make it to the screen in a fantastic way,” said the author in a statement announcing the deal. “To say I’m thrilled is an understatement,...
Comet Pictures and Blumhouse have secured the rights to Cornwell’s “Kay Scarpetta” literary franchise, the companies said, and are in the process of seeking a showrunner for the series.
“I’ve had the honor and pleasure of knowing Jamie for a number of years, and have come to respect her hugely as an artist and a stellar human being. Blumhouse is a creative force of nature, and I’m confident that Scarpetta is going to make it to the screen in a fantastic way,” said the author in a statement announcing the deal. “To say I’m thrilled is an understatement,...
- 6/3/2021
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
Jamie Lee Curtis is a horror icon on multiple levels. As well as being the daughter of Psycho star Janet Leigh, she’s obviously also the lead of the Halloween franchise, having played Michel Myers’ eternal enemy (sometimes sister) Laurie Strode for the past 40 years. We’ll soon see her again in Halloween Kills, but first, news has arrived that Curtis is set to make a new mark on the horror genre – this time as a director.
Deadline has revealed that Curtis is due to helm horror flick Mother Nature for Blumhouse, producers of the current Halloween films. The movie is part of a three-year first look film and television deal that the star and her Comet Pictures label have signed with the studio. On top of directing Mother Nature, which is set to be centered around climate change, Curtis is co-writing the script alongside writing partner Russell Goldman.
Of course,...
Deadline has revealed that Curtis is due to helm horror flick Mother Nature for Blumhouse, producers of the current Halloween films. The movie is part of a three-year first look film and television deal that the star and her Comet Pictures label have signed with the studio. On top of directing Mother Nature, which is set to be centered around climate change, Curtis is co-writing the script alongside writing partner Russell Goldman.
Of course,...
- 5/19/2020
- by Christian Bone
- We Got This Covered
Credit Andrew Eccles
Actress, director, producer, author and activist Jamie Lee Curtis has signed a three-year, first look deal via her company, Comet Pictures, with Blumhouse for both film and television. Russell Goldman has also been appointed as Head of Development for film and television at Comet Pictures. Blumhouse and Comet Pictures’s first collaboration is the horror film, Mother Nature, which is centered around climate change. Curtis will direct the film that Goldman and she are writing together.
“I’m 61 and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when, if not me, who?’ I’m excited to have a creative home to explore my own ideas and others. Jason and his team have made me feel welcome. Comet is ready to bring these stories to screen life,” said Jamie Lee Curtis
“Jamie is a force of nature and was a real partner on Halloween. So it’s both an...
Actress, director, producer, author and activist Jamie Lee Curtis has signed a three-year, first look deal via her company, Comet Pictures, with Blumhouse for both film and television. Russell Goldman has also been appointed as Head of Development for film and television at Comet Pictures. Blumhouse and Comet Pictures’s first collaboration is the horror film, Mother Nature, which is centered around climate change. Curtis will direct the film that Goldman and she are writing together.
“I’m 61 and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when, if not me, who?’ I’m excited to have a creative home to explore my own ideas and others. Jason and his team have made me feel welcome. Comet is ready to bring these stories to screen life,” said Jamie Lee Curtis
“Jamie is a force of nature and was a real partner on Halloween. So it’s both an...
- 5/19/2020
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Jamie Lee Curtis and Blumhouse have worked well together in recent years to bring Curtis' iconic character Laurie Strode back to the big screen in new Halloween films, but they're not stopping there, as Curtis has signed a first-look deal with Blumhouse via her Comet Pictures company. Their first project under the new deal will be the horror movie Mother Nature, which Curtis will direct from a screenplay she's co-writing with Russell Goldman.
Plot details for Mother Nature are being kept largely under wraps, but the film will focus on climate change. Curtis previously directed an episode of Anything But Love and an episode of Scream Queens, and she's also helming the upcoming Lifetime movie How We Sleep at Night: The Sara Cunningham Story.
Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates, and for additional details, we have the official press release:
Press Release: May 19, 2020 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Actress,...
Plot details for Mother Nature are being kept largely under wraps, but the film will focus on climate change. Curtis previously directed an episode of Anything But Love and an episode of Scream Queens, and she's also helming the upcoming Lifetime movie How We Sleep at Night: The Sara Cunningham Story.
Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates, and for additional details, we have the official press release:
Press Release: May 19, 2020 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Actress,...
- 5/19/2020
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Exclusive: Two time Golden Globe winning actress and filmmaker Jamie Lee Curtis and her Comet Pictures label have signed a three-year, first look deal with Blumhouse in both the film and TV arena, Deadline has learned.
Already, Comet and Blumhouse have a feature horror project underway, Mother Nature, which is centered around climate change. Curtis is directing and she is co-writing with Comet Pictures Head of Film and TV Development, Russell Goldman, who was recently named to the post.
“I’m 61 and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when, if not me, who?’ I’m excited to have a creative home to explore my own ideas and others. Jason and his team have made me feel welcome. Comet is ready to bring these stories to screen life,” Jamie Lee Curtis tells Deadline in a statement.
“Jamie is a force of nature and was a real partner on Halloween. So...
Already, Comet and Blumhouse have a feature horror project underway, Mother Nature, which is centered around climate change. Curtis is directing and she is co-writing with Comet Pictures Head of Film and TV Development, Russell Goldman, who was recently named to the post.
“I’m 61 and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when, if not me, who?’ I’m excited to have a creative home to explore my own ideas and others. Jason and his team have made me feel welcome. Comet is ready to bring these stories to screen life,” Jamie Lee Curtis tells Deadline in a statement.
“Jamie is a force of nature and was a real partner on Halloween. So...
- 5/19/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
After collaborating on David Gordon Green’s Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis and her Comet Pictures banner has signed a three-year deal with Jason Blum’s Blumhouse.
The first project under the deal, which is for both film and television, will be the Curtis-directed eco-horror movie Mother Nature, which centers on climate change. Curtis wrote the film with Russell Goldman, who also has been appointed as head of development for film and television at Comet Pictures.
“I’m 61, and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when? If not me, who?' I’m excited to have a creative home ...
The first project under the deal, which is for both film and television, will be the Curtis-directed eco-horror movie Mother Nature, which centers on climate change. Curtis wrote the film with Russell Goldman, who also has been appointed as head of development for film and television at Comet Pictures.
“I’m 61, and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when? If not me, who?' I’m excited to have a creative home ...
- 5/19/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
After collaborating on David Gordon Green’s Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis and her Comet Pictures banner has signed a three-year deal with Jason Blum’s Blumhouse.
The first project under the deal, which is for both film and television, will be the Curtis-directed eco-horror movie Mother Nature, which centers on climate change. Curtis wrote the film with Russell Goldman, who also has been appointed as head of development for film and television at Comet Pictures.
“I’m 61, and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when? If not me, who?' I’m excited to have a creative home ...
The first project under the deal, which is for both film and television, will be the Curtis-directed eco-horror movie Mother Nature, which centers on climate change. Curtis wrote the film with Russell Goldman, who also has been appointed as head of development for film and television at Comet Pictures.
“I’m 61, and my motto now is: ‘If not now, when? If not me, who?' I’m excited to have a creative home ...
- 5/19/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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