Julia Dray, an executive at Disney, Fox Searchlight and Broken Lizard and a producer on comedy films including Dave Chappelle's Half-Baked and Norm MacDonald's Dirty Work, has died. She was 56.
Dray died Sunday in Los Angeles after a long illness, friend Christina Kounelias, president of worldwide marketing for Participant told The Hollywood Reporter.
In 2006, Dray joined Broken Lizard — founded by Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske and best known for Super Trooper (2001) — and helped with a slate of projects for the company's first-look deal with Warner Bros.
During ...
Dray died Sunday in Los Angeles after a long illness, friend Christina Kounelias, president of worldwide marketing for Participant told The Hollywood Reporter.
In 2006, Dray joined Broken Lizard — founded by Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske and best known for Super Trooper (2001) — and helped with a slate of projects for the company's first-look deal with Warner Bros.
During ...
Julia Dray, an executive at Disney, Fox Searchlight and Broken Lizard and a producer on comedy films including Dave Chappelle's Half Baked and Norm Macdonald's Dirty Work, has died. She was 56.
Dray died Sunday in Los Angeles after a long illness, friend Christina Kounelias, president of worldwide marketing at Participant, told The Hollywood Reporter.
In 2006, Dray joined Broken Lizard — founded by Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske and best known for Super Trooper (2001) — and helped with a slate of projects for the company's first-look deal with Warner Bros....
Dray died Sunday in Los Angeles after a long illness, friend Christina Kounelias, president of worldwide marketing at Participant, told The Hollywood Reporter.
In 2006, Dray joined Broken Lizard — founded by Jay Chandrasekhar, Kevin Heffernan, Steve Lemme, Paul Soter and Erik Stolhanske and best known for Super Trooper (2001) — and helped with a slate of projects for the company's first-look deal with Warner Bros....
Thursday, November 3, 2011, Santa Monica…… Myriad Pictures has acquired all rights outside North America to the comedy Freeloaders, directed by Dan Rosen (Dead Man’s Curve). The movie features a stellar ensemble cast including Jane Seymour (The Family Tree, Wedding Crashers), Dave Foley (“The Kids In The Hall”), Olivia Munn (Date Night, Iron Man 2) and Clifton Collins, Jr. (Star Trek, Mindhunters). Myriad is selling the finished film at the American Film Market. The story follows a group of slackers who are living for free in a rock star’s mansion. They discover their cherished lifestyle is threatened when the musician decides to sell his pad. The script was written by Rosen and Dave Gibbs. Producing for Broken Lizard are long-time lizard collaborator and producer Richard Perello and Julia Dray, under the five-member filmmaking comedy group’s shingle. Broken Lizard Industries is best known for the comedy titles Super Troopers, Beerfest,...
- 11/3/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Broken Lizard has found its "Freeloaders."
Josh Lawson and Brit Morgan have signed on for roles in the comedy being directed by Dan Rosen. Also cast are Olivia Munn, Jane Seymour and Clifton Collins Jr.
The story revolves around a group of guys and a girl who live it up in the lap of luxury in a rock star's mansion. When circumstances change and the rock star decides to sell the house, their lifestyle is threatened.
Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, who is producing, will appear as himself in the movie.
The Broken Lizard comedy troupe, which is producing with Julia Dray and Richard Perello, also will have a cameo.
Lawson, repped by UTA, Management 360 and Lisa Mann Creative Management, plays a broke musician. Morgan, repped by Innovative Artists and Precision Entertainment, plays Lawson's girlfriend, an assistant to a bitchy real estate agent (Seymour).
Josh Lawson and Brit Morgan have signed on for roles in the comedy being directed by Dan Rosen. Also cast are Olivia Munn, Jane Seymour and Clifton Collins Jr.
The story revolves around a group of guys and a girl who live it up in the lap of luxury in a rock star's mansion. When circumstances change and the rock star decides to sell the house, their lifestyle is threatened.
Counting Crows frontman Adam Duritz, who is producing, will appear as himself in the movie.
The Broken Lizard comedy troupe, which is producing with Julia Dray and Richard Perello, also will have a cameo.
Lawson, repped by UTA, Management 360 and Lisa Mann Creative Management, plays a broke musician. Morgan, repped by Innovative Artists and Precision Entertainment, plays Lawson's girlfriend, an assistant to a bitchy real estate agent (Seymour).
- 1/30/2009
- by By Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The comedy troupe Broken Lizard is teaming up with Counting Crows lead singer Adam Duritz for a new comedy titled Freeloaders. The flick revolves around five guys and a girl who live in the lap of luxury in a rock star's mansion. But their sweet situation is threatened when the rock star decides to sell the home. Dan Rosen (The Last Supper) wrote the screenplay with the Gigolo Aunts lead singer Dave Gibbs. Rosen is attached to direct, while Duritz is producing. Broken Lizard, whose past flicks include Super Troopers, Club Dread and Beerfest, is composed of Erik Stolhanske, Paul Soter, Steve Lemme, Kevin Heffernan, Jay Chandrasekhar and producers Richard Perello and Julia Dray. They’re currently in post-production on their latest, The Slammin' Salmon. Although the comedy team has a deal at Warner Bros., they are independently financing Freeloaders. Shooting is scheduled to begin in mid-January.
- 11/12/2008
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Karen Rupert Toliver has joined 20th Century Fox Animation as vp production.
Toliver, who replaces John Cohen, will focus on the development and production of animated projects and will report to Fox Animation president Vanessa Morrison.
For more than a decade, Toliver has worked both sides of film fence -- live action and animation -- most recently working on the development of the Curious George movie for Universal Pictures.
Toliver had been at Disney Feature Animation, serving as a production executive on Brother Bear, Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. She also brought the book Frog Princess to the studio.
Before that, she was vp at James Pentecost Prods., where she focused on developing family properties in features and made-for-television, including the feature sequel to Roger Rabbit.
Toliver began her career as an assistant to producer Julia Dray at Walt Disney Pictures working on the Mighty Ducks franchise.
"Karen has the expertise and sensibility with the development and production of big, all-audience, animated movies, and her taste and talents fall perfectly in line with the films that we make here at Fox Animation," Morrison said.
Toliver, who replaces John Cohen, will focus on the development and production of animated projects and will report to Fox Animation president Vanessa Morrison.
For more than a decade, Toliver has worked both sides of film fence -- live action and animation -- most recently working on the development of the Curious George movie for Universal Pictures.
Toliver had been at Disney Feature Animation, serving as a production executive on Brother Bear, Chicken Little and Meet the Robinsons. She also brought the book Frog Princess to the studio.
Before that, she was vp at James Pentecost Prods., where she focused on developing family properties in features and made-for-television, including the feature sequel to Roger Rabbit.
Toliver began her career as an assistant to producer Julia Dray at Walt Disney Pictures working on the Mighty Ducks franchise.
"Karen has the expertise and sensibility with the development and production of big, all-audience, animated movies, and her taste and talents fall perfectly in line with the films that we make here at Fox Animation," Morrison said.
- They tackled human rights, global warming, and genocide and now they are going the way of the Broken Lizard troupe? Variety reports that Participant Prods. is looking for some laughs and have teamed with Jay Chandrasekhar and Julia Dray to develop a comedy project. It’s a surprising move since titles Beerfest, Club Dread and Super Troopers aren’t especially witty, or necessary.To be written by Will Gluck, Taildraggers revolves around five aimless twentysomethings who work as pilots for a rickety puddle-jumper airline in the Alaskan wilderness. Action heats up when the misfits discover that a competing airline is involved in a plot to siphon oil from a nature preserve. Broken Lizard's Chandrasekhar might direct and/or star in the film as will the regualr members of the comedy troupe. ...
- 6/8/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
NEW YORK -- Participant Prods. is teaming with some strange bedfellows, Broken Lizard comedy producers Jay Chandrasekhar and Julia Dray, to develop the broad comedy Taildraggers.
The feature, set to be scripted by Will Gluck, will revolve around a group of young pilots for a small Alaskan airline who face a bitter rivalry with a local taxi company. The wild plot line ventures into Participant's socially conscious territory when the pilots uncover a plan to dig oil from the Alaskan nature preserve.
Taildraggers is the first new Participant film announced since Jonathan King joined the company as executive vp production in April and signals a direction toward reaching younger audiences for a company known for more serious fare. Director of production Nate Moore will oversee the project.
Chandrasekhar and Dray's previous projects with the Broken Lizard comedy troupe include Beerfest, Club Dread and Super Troopers. Participant's upcoming films include Errol Morris' Iraq war torture docu S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure) financed with distributor Sony Pictures Classics, and Jonathan Demme's Jimmy Carter book tour docu Carter.
The feature, set to be scripted by Will Gluck, will revolve around a group of young pilots for a small Alaskan airline who face a bitter rivalry with a local taxi company. The wild plot line ventures into Participant's socially conscious territory when the pilots uncover a plan to dig oil from the Alaskan nature preserve.
Taildraggers is the first new Participant film announced since Jonathan King joined the company as executive vp production in April and signals a direction toward reaching younger audiences for a company known for more serious fare. Director of production Nate Moore will oversee the project.
Chandrasekhar and Dray's previous projects with the Broken Lizard comedy troupe include Beerfest, Club Dread and Super Troopers. Participant's upcoming films include Errol Morris' Iraq war torture docu S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure) financed with distributor Sony Pictures Classics, and Jonathan Demme's Jimmy Carter book tour docu Carter.
Production executive Julia Dray is joining Broken Lizard Industries as a producer with the goal of finding and shepherding projects for the Warner Bros. Pictures-based comedy group to produce. Broken Lizard's deal with the studio calls for the group to make so-called Broken Lizard productions -- modestly budgeted movies in the vein of their Super Troopers and Club Dread, in which they will star and direct -- and also to make comedies geared for established actors and larger budgets. Dray's focus will be on the bigger studio fare, working on material they will "godfather." "We're really excited to work with Julia," Broken Lizard's Kevin Heffernan said. "We love her sense of humor, admire her experience and have no doubt she'll turn our company into the dominant, multinational conglomerate we've always dreamed about."...
- 1/25/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Brad Peyton is breaking out his sickle. The helmer has signed on to direct the romantic comedy Billy Grimm for Columbia Pictures. Jimmy Miller will produce the film on behalf of Mosaic Media. Julie Darmody will executive produce, and Julia Dray will serve as a co-producer. Shannon Gaulding will oversee the project on behalf of the studio. Grimm centers on the first Grimm Reaper born with a heart. Peyton co-wrote the script with Karen Walton.
- 6/13/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Punk'd stars Dax Shepard and Al Shearer have graduated from their prankster ways on Ashton Kutcher's MTV series to get in business with Fox Searchlight Pictures. The duo have set up an untitled pitch at the studio specialty division based on their own idea, sources confirmed. It will see them star as two guys from different racial backgrounds who come to find out that they are actually brothers who must compete against each other for an inheritance. Searchlight is looking for a scribe to pen the feature. The project falls in line with a slate of other specialty comedies at Searchlight, including the upcoming Johnson Family Vacation, the Johnny Knoxville starrer The Ringer and Broken Lizard's Club Dread. At Searchlight, the untitled pitch is being overseen by senior vp production Julia Dray, vp Lawrence Grey and creative executive Jeff Arkuss. Shepard is lensing the Paramount Pictures comedy Without a Paddle alongside Matthew Lillard and Seth Green. Shearer, who is under contract with MTV to appear on special shows like TRL, has a cameo in the upcoming Honey for Universal Pictures and helmer Bille Woodruff. Both are repped by Endeavor. Shearer is additionally repped by Dolores Robinson Entertainment.
- 11/25/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fox Searchlight Pictures is flying with Buzz Kill, acquiring the spec script from writing duo Tom Astle and Matt Ember. Frontier Pictures toppers Ed Decter and John J. Strauss, who co-wrote the recent Walt Disney Co. success The Lizzie McGuire Movie, are attached to produce the comedy, which is described as being in the same vein as Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Searchlight senior vp production Julia Dray brought the project in and will oversee for the Fox-based specialty division. Astle is repped by ICM and the law firm Hansen, Jacobsen, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren & Sloan. Ember is repped by Genesis and the law firm Barnes, Morris, Klein, Mark, Yorn, Barnes & Levine. The duo are best known for their work on the small screen.
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