Production, sales and distribution banner Signature Entertainment has acquired U.K. and Irish rights to “Slingshot,” the upcoming psychological sci-fi thriller starring Laurence Fishburne and Casey Affleck, from WME Independent.
The film — which follows an astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality while aboard a possibly fatally comprised mission to Saturn’s moon Titan — was directed by Mikael Håfström (“Evil”) from a script by Nathan Parker (“Moon”) and R. Scott Adam (“Donner Pass”). David Morrissey (“The Walking Dead”), Emily Beecham (“Hail, Caesar!”) and Tomer Capone (“The Boys”) also star.
“Slingshot” is an Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment, Széchenyi Funds Ltd. and Filmsquad. The film was produced by Richard Saperstein, Istvan Major and Beau Turpin, with executive producers Ivett Havasi, Shara Kay, Michael Hollingsworth, Tom Nohstadt, Ron Cundy, Nikolett Barabás, Jonathan Krauss, Brooklyn Weaver and Joanna Plafsky. It was recently acquired by Bleecker Street for the U.
The film — which follows an astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality while aboard a possibly fatally comprised mission to Saturn’s moon Titan — was directed by Mikael Håfström (“Evil”) from a script by Nathan Parker (“Moon”) and R. Scott Adam (“Donner Pass”). David Morrissey (“The Walking Dead”), Emily Beecham (“Hail, Caesar!”) and Tomer Capone (“The Boys”) also star.
“Slingshot” is an Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment, Széchenyi Funds Ltd. and Filmsquad. The film was produced by Richard Saperstein, Istvan Major and Beau Turpin, with executive producers Ivett Havasi, Shara Kay, Michael Hollingsworth, Tom Nohstadt, Ron Cundy, Nikolett Barabás, Jonathan Krauss, Brooklyn Weaver and Joanna Plafsky. It was recently acquired by Bleecker Street for the U.
- 4/16/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Back in November of 2021, it was announced that Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix), and Emily Beecham (Into the Badlands) had signed on to star in Slingshot, a psychological sci-fi thriller coming our way from director Mikael Håfström (Escape Plan). Filming began on December 1st of that year – and more than two years later, we finally have an update to share on Slingshot! The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. distribution rights and are planning to give the film a wide theatrical release at some point before the end of 2024.
Written by R. Scott Adams (Donner Pass) and Nathan Parker (Moon), Slingshot will tell the story of an astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Tomer Capon (The Boys) and The Walking Dead‘s David Morrissey are also in the cast.
Written by R. Scott Adams (Donner Pass) and Nathan Parker (Moon), Slingshot will tell the story of an astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Tomer Capon (The Boys) and The Walking Dead‘s David Morrissey are also in the cast.
- 2/14/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Bleecker Street has picked up U.S. rights to Mikael Håfström’s sci-fi thriller Slingshot, starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham. Additional cast includes Fauda star Tomer Capone and The Walking Dead’s David Morrissey.
The film, which is written by R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker (Moon), follows an astronaut who struggles to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Bleecker Street is planning a 2024 nationwide theatrical release for the film.
Slingshot is an Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment, Széchenyi Funds Ltd., and Filmsquad. The film was produced by Richard Saperstein, Istvan Major, and Beau Turpin, with executive producers including Ivett Havasi, Shara Kay, Michael Hollingsworth, Tom Nohstadt, Ron Cundy, Nikolett Barabás, Jonathan Krauss, Brooklyn Weaver, and Joanna Plafsky.
The deal was negotiated by Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy on behalf of Bleecker Street with...
The film, which is written by R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker (Moon), follows an astronaut who struggles to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Bleecker Street is planning a 2024 nationwide theatrical release for the film.
Slingshot is an Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment, Széchenyi Funds Ltd., and Filmsquad. The film was produced by Richard Saperstein, Istvan Major, and Beau Turpin, with executive producers including Ivett Havasi, Shara Kay, Michael Hollingsworth, Tom Nohstadt, Ron Cundy, Nikolett Barabás, Jonathan Krauss, Brooklyn Weaver, and Joanna Plafsky.
The deal was negotiated by Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy on behalf of Bleecker Street with...
- 2/14/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Bleecker Street has picked up the U.S. rights to Mikael Håfström’s sci-fi thriller Slingshot, which stars Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham.
Bleecker Street plans a 2024 wide theatrical release for the film about an astronaut struggling to retain his grip on reality on a possibly fatally compromised space mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
The ensemble cast include Tomer Capone and David Morrissey. R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker (Moon) penned the screenplay for Slingshot, and Astral Pictures produced in association with Bluestone Entertainment, Hungarian investor Széchenyi Funds Ltd. and Filmsquad.
Bluestone Entertainment, Széchenyi Funds Ltd. and Filmsquad are behind writer-director James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg, set to star Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon, and with cameras to roll later this month in Hungary.
Slingshot was filmed at Korda Studios and other locations in and around Budapest, Hungary.
The producer credits on Slingshot are shared by Richard Saperstein,...
Bleecker Street plans a 2024 wide theatrical release for the film about an astronaut struggling to retain his grip on reality on a possibly fatally compromised space mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
The ensemble cast include Tomer Capone and David Morrissey. R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker (Moon) penned the screenplay for Slingshot, and Astral Pictures produced in association with Bluestone Entertainment, Hungarian investor Széchenyi Funds Ltd. and Filmsquad.
Bluestone Entertainment, Széchenyi Funds Ltd. and Filmsquad are behind writer-director James Vanderbilt’s Nuremberg, set to star Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon, and with cameras to roll later this month in Hungary.
Slingshot was filmed at Korda Studios and other locations in and around Budapest, Hungary.
The producer credits on Slingshot are shared by Richard Saperstein,...
- 2/14/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bleecker Street has acquired US rights to director Mikael Håfström’s psychological sci-fi thriller Slingshot.
The New York-based distributor is planning a nationwide theatrical release for the film sometime this year.
Slingshot stars Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham in the story of an astronaut who struggles to maintain his grip on reality aboard a compromised mission to Saturn moon Titan. Nathan Parker wrote the screenplay.
Astral Pictures produced in association with Bluestone Entertainment, Széchenyi Funds Ltd and Filmsquad. The film was produced by Richard Saperstein, Istvan Major and Beau Turpin, with executive producers including Ivett Havasi, Shara Kay,...
The New York-based distributor is planning a nationwide theatrical release for the film sometime this year.
Slingshot stars Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham in the story of an astronaut who struggles to maintain his grip on reality aboard a compromised mission to Saturn moon Titan. Nathan Parker wrote the screenplay.
Astral Pictures produced in association with Bluestone Entertainment, Széchenyi Funds Ltd and Filmsquad. The film was produced by Richard Saperstein, Istvan Major and Beau Turpin, with executive producers including Ivett Havasi, Shara Kay,...
- 2/14/2024
- ScreenDaily
Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham will star in the psychological sci-fi thriller “Slingshot” from Richard Saperstein’s Bluestone Entertainment.
Mikael Håfström is attached to direct the movie, which turns on an astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Other cast members include Tomer Capone and David Morrissey. Principal photography begins Dec. 1 at Korda Studios and other locations in and around Budapest, Hungary.
“Slingshot” is an Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment and Hungarian investment fund Széchenyi Funds Ltd. WME Independent is handling sales.
“‘Slingshot’ is a wonderful match of filmmaker and material,” said Saperstein of the project. “I thought of Mikael the moment I first read the script. I am thrilled to embark on this production together in Hungary with our partners at Széchenyi Funds, and an incredible cast and crew.”
Håfström added: “After several years of preparation,...
Mikael Håfström is attached to direct the movie, which turns on an astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Other cast members include Tomer Capone and David Morrissey. Principal photography begins Dec. 1 at Korda Studios and other locations in and around Budapest, Hungary.
“Slingshot” is an Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment and Hungarian investment fund Széchenyi Funds Ltd. WME Independent is handling sales.
“‘Slingshot’ is a wonderful match of filmmaker and material,” said Saperstein of the project. “I thought of Mikael the moment I first read the script. I am thrilled to embark on this production together in Hungary with our partners at Széchenyi Funds, and an incredible cast and crew.”
Håfström added: “After several years of preparation,...
- 11/23/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Cast has been set on sci-fi thriller Slingshot, with Casey Affleck (Manchester by the Sea), Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) and Emily Beecham (Little Joe) leading the pic about an astronaut struggling to maintain his grip on reality aboard a possibly fatally compromised mission to Saturn’s moon, Titan.
Mikael Håfström (Outside the Wire) is directing the project, which begins principal photography on December 1 at Korda Studios and other locations in and around Budapest. The screenplay is written by R. Scott Adams (Donner Pass) and Nathan Parker (Moon). The film is being produced by Bluestone Entertainment’s Richard Saperstein (Hancock).
Also starring are Tomer Capone (Fauda) and David Morrissey (The Colour Room). Executive producers include Beau Turpin, Ivett Havasi, Shara Kay, Michael Hollingsworth, Matthew Dwyer, Ron Cundy, Nikolett Barabás, Jonathan Krauss, Brooklyn Weaver, and Joanna Plafsky.
Slingshot is an Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment and Hungarian investment outfit Széchenyi Funds.
Mikael Håfström (Outside the Wire) is directing the project, which begins principal photography on December 1 at Korda Studios and other locations in and around Budapest. The screenplay is written by R. Scott Adams (Donner Pass) and Nathan Parker (Moon). The film is being produced by Bluestone Entertainment’s Richard Saperstein (Hancock).
Also starring are Tomer Capone (Fauda) and David Morrissey (The Colour Room). Executive producers include Beau Turpin, Ivett Havasi, Shara Kay, Michael Hollingsworth, Matthew Dwyer, Ron Cundy, Nikolett Barabás, Jonathan Krauss, Brooklyn Weaver, and Joanna Plafsky.
Slingshot is an Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment and Hungarian investment outfit Széchenyi Funds.
- 11/23/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
WME Independent handles sales, production to start in Hungary next week.
Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham will star for Mikael Håfström in psychological sci-fi thriller Slingshot which is scheduled to commence production in Hungary on December 1.
The Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment and Hungarian investment fund Széchenyi Funds Ltd is being sold by WME Independent and will film at Korda Studios and locations in and around Budapest.
Tomer Capone and David Morrissey round out the key cast on the story based on a screenplay by R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker (Moon) about an astronaut...
Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne and Emily Beecham will star for Mikael Håfström in psychological sci-fi thriller Slingshot which is scheduled to commence production in Hungary on December 1.
The Astral Pictures production in association with Bluestone Entertainment and Hungarian investment fund Széchenyi Funds Ltd is being sold by WME Independent and will film at Korda Studios and locations in and around Budapest.
Tomer Capone and David Morrissey round out the key cast on the story based on a screenplay by R. Scott Adams and Nathan Parker (Moon) about an astronaut...
- 11/23/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jake Gyllenhaal is now attached to star in Prophet, a Studio 8 superhero pic to be directed by Extraction‘s Sam Hargrave.
The film based on the Image comic book from Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld is intended to launch a new franchise. It will center on John Prophet (Gyllenhaal), a man who gains superhuman strength after being conscripted by the Germans and subjected to scientific experiments during WWII.
Marc Guggenheim is penning the comic book adaptation, which Studio 8’s Jeff Robinov and John Graham will produce with Prime Universe Films’ Adrian Askarieh, Rob Liefield, and Brooklyn Weaver.
“It’s been a goal of ours to work with Jake and Sam for quite some time, so we’re very excited to finally be collaborating with them on this unique, action-packed genre film,” said Robinov, who serves as Studio 8’s CEO. “I...
The film based on the Image comic book from Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld is intended to launch a new franchise. It will center on John Prophet (Gyllenhaal), a man who gains superhuman strength after being conscripted by the Germans and subjected to scientific experiments during WWII.
Marc Guggenheim is penning the comic book adaptation, which Studio 8’s Jeff Robinov and John Graham will produce with Prime Universe Films’ Adrian Askarieh, Rob Liefield, and Brooklyn Weaver.
“It’s been a goal of ours to work with Jake and Sam for quite some time, so we’re very excited to finally be collaborating with them on this unique, action-packed genre film,” said Robinov, who serves as Studio 8’s CEO. “I...
- 10/7/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Arrow” and “The Flash” creator Marc Guggenheim has been tapped to write the screenplay for Rob Liefeld’s “Prophet,” for Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8.
Studio 8 plans to build a franchise around title character, John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken in the wrong time (current time) searching for a mission that does not exist. Pitched as very much the anti-Captain America across the board. He’s a ruthless berserker that must find his humanity.
Liefeld, Adrian Askarieh and Brooklyn Weaver will produce. John Graham and Guy Danella are overseeing for Studio 8.John Hyde and Terissa Kelton will also be involved in producing capacities.
Also Read: 'Deadpool' Creator Rob Liefeld's 'Prophet' Acquired by Studio 8
“Prophet” exploded out of the pages of another Liefeld bestseller, “Youngblood,” catching fire with fans, John Prophet was awarded his own popular showcase,...
Studio 8 plans to build a franchise around title character, John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken in the wrong time (current time) searching for a mission that does not exist. Pitched as very much the anti-Captain America across the board. He’s a ruthless berserker that must find his humanity.
Liefeld, Adrian Askarieh and Brooklyn Weaver will produce. John Graham and Guy Danella are overseeing for Studio 8.John Hyde and Terissa Kelton will also be involved in producing capacities.
Also Read: 'Deadpool' Creator Rob Liefeld's 'Prophet' Acquired by Studio 8
“Prophet” exploded out of the pages of another Liefeld bestseller, “Youngblood,” catching fire with fans, John Prophet was awarded his own popular showcase,...
- 5/7/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Marc Guggenheim has been set by Jeff Robinov’s Studio 8 to adapt Prophet, the Image Comics character hatched by Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld.
The aim is to build a franchise around John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken prematurely in the present, searching for a mission that does not exist. The ruthless berserker must find his humanity.
Pic is produced by Adrian Askarieh (Hitman: Agent 47), Brooklyn Weaver (Run All Night), and Rob Liefeld. John Hyde and Terissa Kelton will also be involved in producing capacities.
Prophet originated in Liefeld’s Youngblood, and grew into a series of his own in 1993. He cross-pollinated with another Liefeld creation, Cable, who was played by Josh Brolin in Deadpool 2 and is expected to be part of the X-Force franchise launch that Drew Goddard is writing to direct. It’s...
The aim is to build a franchise around John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken prematurely in the present, searching for a mission that does not exist. The ruthless berserker must find his humanity.
Pic is produced by Adrian Askarieh (Hitman: Agent 47), Brooklyn Weaver (Run All Night), and Rob Liefeld. John Hyde and Terissa Kelton will also be involved in producing capacities.
Prophet originated in Liefeld’s Youngblood, and grew into a series of his own in 1993. He cross-pollinated with another Liefeld creation, Cable, who was played by Josh Brolin in Deadpool 2 and is expected to be part of the X-Force franchise launch that Drew Goddard is writing to direct. It’s...
- 5/7/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Shrink, a original IP based on Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld’s story about a female psychiatrist with a superhero clientele is being produced by Doug Belgrad and his production company 2.0 with producer Adam Fields and Liefeld at Sony Pictures. The project would mine the same comedic action vein as the R-rated Deadpool franchise, which is a wise-cracking, subversive twist on superhero movies.
The story has been described as a high-concept twist on Analyze This, and we hear that this was a mid-six against a seven figure deal for the comic book creator. Sony had no comment.
The project was found by Fields who basically dived into Sony’s 30 years of abandoned development and pulled out what looks to be a plumb project and potentially huge action/comic franchise for the studio from one of the signature names in the comic book industry — Liefeld, who became a fan-favorite artist in...
The story has been described as a high-concept twist on Analyze This, and we hear that this was a mid-six against a seven figure deal for the comic book creator. Sony had no comment.
The project was found by Fields who basically dived into Sony’s 30 years of abandoned development and pulled out what looks to be a plumb project and potentially huge action/comic franchise for the studio from one of the signature names in the comic book industry — Liefeld, who became a fan-favorite artist in...
- 2/6/2019
- by Anita Busch and Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
NBC has canceled “Reverie.”
Starring Sarah Shahi, the drama series premiered in May and ran through August — over the summer stretch when viewership levels are lower than they are during the Nielsen season.
“Reverie” landed a series order last year. It hailed from hails from writer Mickey Fisher, who created Halle Berry’s former CBS series “Extant.” Fisher served as executive producer with Justin Falvey and Daryl Frank of Amblin TV, and Brooklyn Weaver. Jaume Collet-Serra, directed the pilot, and also executive produced. Universal Television was the studio. Shahi starred as a former detective specializing in human behavior who is brought in when the launch of an advanced virtual reality program has dangerous and unintended consequences.
In Nielsen live plus same day numbers, the series averaged a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.1 million viewers.
Starring Sarah Shahi, the drama series premiered in May and ran through August — over the summer stretch when viewership levels are lower than they are during the Nielsen season.
“Reverie” landed a series order last year. It hailed from hails from writer Mickey Fisher, who created Halle Berry’s former CBS series “Extant.” Fisher served as executive producer with Justin Falvey and Daryl Frank of Amblin TV, and Brooklyn Weaver. Jaume Collet-Serra, directed the pilot, and also executive produced. Universal Television was the studio. Shahi starred as a former detective specializing in human behavior who is brought in when the launch of an advanced virtual reality program has dangerous and unintended consequences.
In Nielsen live plus same day numbers, the series averaged a 0.4 rating in the 18-49 demo and 2.1 million viewers.
- 11/6/2018
- by Daniel Holloway
- Variety Film + TV
“Reverie” has been canceled by NBC after one season, an individual with knowledge of the decision told TheWrap on Tuesday.
The sci-fi drama’s first — and now only — installment premiered in May and wrapped in August after a 10-episode run. “Reverie” averaged a 0.6 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic, making it one of the lowest-rated shows of Summer 2018, tying with “Trial & Error,” “The Last Defense,” “Take Two” and “What Would You Do?” for seventh place on that list.
From Mickey Fisher, the creator of “Extant,” the thriller followed Mara Kint (Sarah Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when she’s brought in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced virtual-reality program in which you can literally live your dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may...
The sci-fi drama’s first — and now only — installment premiered in May and wrapped in August after a 10-episode run. “Reverie” averaged a 0.6 rating in the advertiser-coveted adults 18-49 demographic, making it one of the lowest-rated shows of Summer 2018, tying with “Trial & Error,” “The Last Defense,” “Take Two” and “What Would You Do?” for seventh place on that list.
From Mickey Fisher, the creator of “Extant,” the thriller followed Mara Kint (Sarah Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when she’s brought in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced virtual-reality program in which you can literally live your dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may...
- 11/6/2018
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
NBC has opted not to renew high-concept drama series Reverie for a second season. The news is not a surprise following the series’ low-rated freshman run.
Reverie, starring Sarah Shahi and Dennis Haysbert, premiered on May 30 and averaged 2.1 million viewers in Live+same day, the smallest viewership for an NBC original series this past summer.
From Extant creator Mickey Fisher, thriller Reverie followed Mara Kint (Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when her former boss, Charlie Ventana (Haysbert), brings her in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced immersive virtual-reality program in which you can live out your wildest dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may actually have discovered a way to save herself.
The cast also included Sendhil Ramamurthy, Jessica Lu and Kathryn Morris.
Reverie was...
Reverie, starring Sarah Shahi and Dennis Haysbert, premiered on May 30 and averaged 2.1 million viewers in Live+same day, the smallest viewership for an NBC original series this past summer.
From Extant creator Mickey Fisher, thriller Reverie followed Mara Kint (Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when her former boss, Charlie Ventana (Haysbert), brings her in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced immersive virtual-reality program in which you can live out your wildest dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may actually have discovered a way to save herself.
The cast also included Sendhil Ramamurthy, Jessica Lu and Kathryn Morris.
Reverie was...
- 11/6/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Studio 8 has secured the movie rights to “Prophet,” based on the Image Comics character from “Deadpool” creator Rob Liefeld.
Studio 8 plans to build a franchise around the title character, John Prophet, a DNA-enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken in the wrong time — which is the present — searching for a mission that does not exist. He’s a ruthless berserker who must find his humanity.
Liefeld, Adrian Askarieh, and Brooklyn Weaver will produce. Liefeld created John Prophet in another comic, “Youngblood,” which led to the launch of the Prophet series in 1993. Liefeld has created over 150 characters, including Marvel’s Deadpool, Cable, Domino, and the X-Force.
John Hyde and Terissa Kelton will also be involved in the project. John Graham and Guy Danella are overseeing for Studio 8.
Studio 8 is funded in partnership with the Chinese investment management firm Fosun Group and with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
Studio 8 plans to build a franchise around the title character, John Prophet, a DNA-enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken in the wrong time — which is the present — searching for a mission that does not exist. He’s a ruthless berserker who must find his humanity.
Liefeld, Adrian Askarieh, and Brooklyn Weaver will produce. Liefeld created John Prophet in another comic, “Youngblood,” which led to the launch of the Prophet series in 1993. Liefeld has created over 150 characters, including Marvel’s Deadpool, Cable, Domino, and the X-Force.
John Hyde and Terissa Kelton will also be involved in the project. John Graham and Guy Danella are overseeing for Studio 8.
Studio 8 is funded in partnership with the Chinese investment management firm Fosun Group and with Sony Pictures Entertainment.
- 7/11/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Studio 8 has secured the rights to Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld’s Image Comics character, Prophet.
Studio 8 plans to build a franchise around title character, John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken in the wrong time (current time) searching for a mission that does not exist. Pitched as very much the anti-Captain America across the board. He’s a ruthless berserker that must find his humanity.
Liefeld, Adrian Askarieh and Brooklyn Weaver will produce.
Prophet exploded out of the pages of another Liefeld best seller, Youngblood, catching fire with fans, John Prophet was awarded his own popular showcase, launching a series of his own in 1993! Prophet achieved critical acclaim as well as crossing over for an historic team up with Liefeld’s popular Marvel creation, Cable in a definitive storyline.
Known for his irreverent and edgy style, Liefeld is...
Studio 8 plans to build a franchise around title character, John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken in the wrong time (current time) searching for a mission that does not exist. Pitched as very much the anti-Captain America across the board. He’s a ruthless berserker that must find his humanity.
Liefeld, Adrian Askarieh and Brooklyn Weaver will produce.
Prophet exploded out of the pages of another Liefeld best seller, Youngblood, catching fire with fans, John Prophet was awarded his own popular showcase, launching a series of his own in 1993! Prophet achieved critical acclaim as well as crossing over for an historic team up with Liefeld’s popular Marvel creation, Cable in a definitive storyline.
Known for his irreverent and edgy style, Liefeld is...
- 7/11/2018
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In a mid-six against seven-figure rights deal, Studio 8 has made a deal to build a movie around Prophet, the Image Comics character hatched by Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld. The aim is to build a franchise around John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken prematurely in the present, searching for a mission that does not exist. The ruthless berserker must find his humanity.
Liefeld will produce with Adrian Askarieh (Hitman) and Brooklyn Weaver (Out of the Furnace).
Prophet originated in Leifeld’s Youngblood, and grew into a series of his own in 1993. He cross pollinated with another Liefeld creation, Cable, who was just played by Josh Brolin in Deadpool 2 and who will be part of Fox’s X-Force franchise launch that Drew Goddard is writing to direct. It’s all based on the comic characters created by Leifeld,...
Liefeld will produce with Adrian Askarieh (Hitman) and Brooklyn Weaver (Out of the Furnace).
Prophet originated in Leifeld’s Youngblood, and grew into a series of his own in 1993. He cross pollinated with another Liefeld creation, Cable, who was just played by Josh Brolin in Deadpool 2 and who will be part of Fox’s X-Force franchise launch that Drew Goddard is writing to direct. It’s all based on the comic characters created by Leifeld,...
- 7/11/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Studio 8 has secured the rights to Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld’s Image Comics character, “Prophet,” the company announced Wednesday.
Studio 8 plans to build a franchise around title character, John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken in the wrong time (current time) searching for a mission that does not exist. Pitched as very much the anti-Captain America across the board. He’s a ruthless berserker that must find his humanity.
Liefeld, Adrian Askarieh and Brooklyn Weaver will produce.
Also Read: 'Deadpool' Creator Rob Liefeld's 'Extreme Universe' Comics in Works as Movie Franchise
“Prophet” exploded out of the pages of another Liefeld bestseller, “Youngblood,” catching fire with fans, John Prophet was awarded his own popular showcase, launching a series of his own in 1993. Prophet achieved critical acclaim as well as crossing over for a historic team up with Liefeld’s popular Marvel creation,...
Studio 8 plans to build a franchise around title character, John Prophet, a DNA enhanced super-soldier placed into a cryogenic freeze for a future mission only to awaken in the wrong time (current time) searching for a mission that does not exist. Pitched as very much the anti-Captain America across the board. He’s a ruthless berserker that must find his humanity.
Liefeld, Adrian Askarieh and Brooklyn Weaver will produce.
Also Read: 'Deadpool' Creator Rob Liefeld's 'Extreme Universe' Comics in Works as Movie Franchise
“Prophet” exploded out of the pages of another Liefeld bestseller, “Youngblood,” catching fire with fans, John Prophet was awarded his own popular showcase, launching a series of his own in 1993. Prophet achieved critical acclaim as well as crossing over for a historic team up with Liefeld’s popular Marvel creation,...
- 7/11/2018
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
NBC has set premiere dates for its new high-concept drama series Reverie and the Season 2 return of last summer’s top scripted series Marlon, starring Marlon Wayans.
Reverie, starring Sarah Shahi and Dennis Haysbert, will premiere Wednesday, May 30 at 10 Pm, immediately following NBC’s hit summer alternative series American Ninja Warrior. Marlon will debut its second season on Thursday, June 14 at 9 and 9:30 Pm with Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots serving as its lead in.
From Extant creator Mickey Fisher, thriller Reverie follows Mara Kint (Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when her former boss, Charlie Ventana (Haysbert), brings her in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced immersive virtual-reality program in which you can live out your wildest dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may...
Reverie, starring Sarah Shahi and Dennis Haysbert, will premiere Wednesday, May 30 at 10 Pm, immediately following NBC’s hit summer alternative series American Ninja Warrior. Marlon will debut its second season on Thursday, June 14 at 9 and 9:30 Pm with Steve Harvey’s Little Big Shots serving as its lead in.
From Extant creator Mickey Fisher, thriller Reverie follows Mara Kint (Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when her former boss, Charlie Ventana (Haysbert), brings her in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced immersive virtual-reality program in which you can live out your wildest dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may...
- 4/9/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix has set Alessandro Camon to adapt Vor, a feature based on the manuscript by neophyte author Rimma Rose. The manuscript will be submitted to publishers shortly. The film details the bloody rise of Russia’s most powerful ‘Vor’ mafia commander. The producers are Roy Lee and Vertigo Entertainment, Brooklyn Weaver and Mike Tadross Jr.
Rose, who grew up in Russia with her family in the 90’s amid the collapse of the government, observed the rise of several powerful ‘Vor’ mafia clans who warred for control of various parts of Moscow, with infamous and bloody collateral damage as the result. She has turned it into a fictional tale meant to be a trilogy. It starts with the rise of a young street-wise criminal whose prison battles with other young Vor gain the attention of the higher ups – whom he will eventually seek to replace.
Camon is writing Black Lion for Stay Gold Features,...
Rose, who grew up in Russia with her family in the 90’s amid the collapse of the government, observed the rise of several powerful ‘Vor’ mafia clans who warred for control of various parts of Moscow, with infamous and bloody collateral damage as the result. She has turned it into a fictional tale meant to be a trilogy. It starts with the rise of a young street-wise criminal whose prison battles with other young Vor gain the attention of the higher ups – whom he will eventually seek to replace.
Camon is writing Black Lion for Stay Gold Features,...
- 4/5/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
One could say that NBC is getting into “virtual reality-tv” programming, by granting a series order to Reverie, a new drama starring Sarah Shahi (Person of Interest) and Dennis Haysbert (24).
RelatedRenewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled?
From Extant creator Mickey Fisher, the thriller follows Mara Kint (Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when she’s brought in to save people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced virtual-reality program in which you can literally live your dreams, “she finds that in saving others,...
RelatedRenewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back? What’s Getting Cancelled?
From Extant creator Mickey Fisher, the thriller follows Mara Kint (Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when she’s brought in to save people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced virtual-reality program in which you can literally live your dreams, “she finds that in saving others,...
- 5/12/2017
- TVLine.com
Thanks to VancouverFilm.Net, here is the Vancouver Film Production Update for April 2017, including "Game Over Man", "Hardpowder", "Love Machine" and a whole lot more:
Anthem
Feature
Local Production Company: Gandy's Rock Productions Inc
Director: Robin Hays
Producer: Tina Pehme, Kim Roberts
Mar 27/17 - Apr 15/17
Game Over, Man
Feature
Local Production Company: Lumberjackson Productions Inc.
Director: Kyle Newcheck
Exec. Producer(s): Ted Gidlow
Producer: Seth Rogan, Scott Rudin
Line Producer: Ted Gidlow
Apr 12/17 - Jun 05/17
Hardpowder
Feature
Local Production Company: Hardpowder Canada Inc
Director: Hans Petter Moland
Exec. Producer(s): Ameet Shukla, Michael Dreyer
Mar 20/17 - May 24/17
Love Machine
Feature
Local Production Company: Tcf Vancouve Productions Ltd
Director: David Leitch
Exec. Producer(s): Ethan Smith, Kelly McCormick
Jun 19/17 - Sep 18/17
Ollie (aka The Predator)
Feature
Local Production Company: Tcf Vancouver Productions Ltd.
Director: Shane Black
Exec. Producer(s): Bill Bannerman, John Davis
Sep 30/16 - May 15/17
Stingray...
Anthem
Feature
Local Production Company: Gandy's Rock Productions Inc
Director: Robin Hays
Producer: Tina Pehme, Kim Roberts
Mar 27/17 - Apr 15/17
Game Over, Man
Feature
Local Production Company: Lumberjackson Productions Inc.
Director: Kyle Newcheck
Exec. Producer(s): Ted Gidlow
Producer: Seth Rogan, Scott Rudin
Line Producer: Ted Gidlow
Apr 12/17 - Jun 05/17
Hardpowder
Feature
Local Production Company: Hardpowder Canada Inc
Director: Hans Petter Moland
Exec. Producer(s): Ameet Shukla, Michael Dreyer
Mar 20/17 - May 24/17
Love Machine
Feature
Local Production Company: Tcf Vancouve Productions Ltd
Director: David Leitch
Exec. Producer(s): Ethan Smith, Kelly McCormick
Jun 19/17 - Sep 18/17
Ollie (aka The Predator)
Feature
Local Production Company: Tcf Vancouver Productions Ltd.
Director: Shane Black
Exec. Producer(s): Bill Bannerman, John Davis
Sep 30/16 - May 15/17
Stingray...
- 3/28/2017
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
NBC has ordered to pilot Universal Television and Amblin’s “Reverie,” from “Extant” creator Mickey Fisher. Described as a grounded and dramatic thriller, “Reverie” follows a former detective specializing in human behavior, who is brought in when the launch of an advanced virtual reality program has dangerous and unintended consequences. Fisher will write and executive produce the series, with Brooklyn Weaver, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank also serving as EPs. Also Read: NBC Orders Mixed Race Family Comedy Pilot From Nahnatchka Khan, 'Fresh Off the Boat' Writer The announcement follows the network’s decision to order the pilot...
- 1/23/2017
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
According to "Deadpool" comics creator Rob Liefeld, Graham King of Fundamental Films, Akiva Goldsman of Weed Road Pictures and Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment, have pooled their financial resouces to bring Liefeld's "Extreme Universe" comic book creations, including "Brigade", "Bloodstrike", "Cybrid", "Lethal", "Re-Gex", "Bloodwulf", "Battlestone", "Baboom" and "Nitro-Gen" to the big screen:
"Over the past nearly 25 years, since launching Image Comics, I’ve been lucky enough to see the power of these stories and characters as they’ve resonated with several generations of comic book fans," said Liefeld.
"To now be able to work with Akiva Goldsman and Graham King, who are powerhouses in their own right, to bring these compelling characters and conflicts to life on the big screen is nothing short of a dream come true!"
King and Goldsman plan to set up a 'writer's room' similar to Goldsman overseeing the blockbuster "Transformers" movie franchise.
Click the images...
"Over the past nearly 25 years, since launching Image Comics, I’ve been lucky enough to see the power of these stories and characters as they’ve resonated with several generations of comic book fans," said Liefeld.
"To now be able to work with Akiva Goldsman and Graham King, who are powerhouses in their own right, to bring these compelling characters and conflicts to life on the big screen is nothing short of a dream come true!"
King and Goldsman plan to set up a 'writer's room' similar to Goldsman overseeing the blockbuster "Transformers" movie franchise.
Click the images...
- 1/4/2017
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Graham King and Mark Gao’s Fundamental Films are partnering with Akiva Goldsman on film rights to the comic book series “Extreme Universe” from “Deadpool” creator Rob Liefeld, TheWrap has learned. Goldsman will oversee a writers’ room for the project with an eye to developing a multi-film franchise. King and Goldsman will produce the titles alongside Liefeld and Brooklyn Weaver. Weed Road’s President of Production Greg Lessans and Gk Films’ Denis O’Sullivan will executive produce. Also Read: 12 Most Badass Superhero Scenes of 2016, From 'Deadpool' to 'Doctor Strange' (Photos) The “Extreme Universe” banner includes nine...
- 1/3/2017
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Rob Liefeld, whose disruptive Deadpool creation was the blockbuster movie surprise of 2016, is at the center of the first big film rights deal of 2017. Graham King and Fundamental Films have partnered to build movies from the comic book characters Liefeld created in what is known as Extreme Universe. King has partnered with Weed Road’s Akiva Goldsman, and they will produce the movies with Liefeld and Energy Entertainment’s Brooklyn Weaver. This rights deal is seven…...
- 1/3/2017
- Deadline
Exclusive: Netflix continues to broaden its feature film slate, negotiating toward a pre-emptive acquisition of Yuba, a spec script by newcomer writer Eamon O’Sullivan. The film will be produced by Free Association’s Channing Tatum, Reid Carolin and Peter Kiernan, along with Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Energy Entertainment’s Brooklyn Weaver. The script has been designed to tell a sprawling period tale on a budget pegged at around $25 million or under. Netflix exec Sarah Bowen…...
- 11/2/2016
- Deadline
Exclusive: Netflix has acquired neophyte author Rimma Rose’s manuscript Vor to be developed as a feature. The manuscript, which will be submited to publishers shortly, details the bloody rise of Russia’s most powerful ‘Vor’ mafia commander. It will be produced by Roy Lee and Vertigo Entertainment, Brooklyn Weaver and Mike Tadross Jr. Sarah Bowen brought in the material. Rose, who grew up in Russia with her family in the 90’s amid the collapse of the government, observed…...
- 8/10/2016
- Deadline
For over 30 years Sundance Institute has been an iconic organization providing opportunities and resources to independent filmmakers and those that want to support them. Their two flagship programs are the renowned Screenwriters Lab and the Directors Lab, which allow up-and-coming artists to interact and receive mentorship from successful and acclaimed members of the film industry. To say that being part of one these programs is a once in a lifetime opportunity is an understatement. The proof is in the undeniable quality of the projects that are shaped during the labs and that eventually become part of the cinematic conversation.
While fostering talent is what Sundance Institute does best, they are one of the institutions that most diligently reinforces their commitment to provide opportunities for new voices that represent an eclectic array of backgrounds and experiences. In order to cast their net of support even wider, the institute offers numerous exciting programs beyond those that are already well-known in the filmmaking community. As part of Sundance Institute's Diversity Initiative, the Screenwriters Intensive is an invaluable resource that focuses on stories outside of the homogenous fare.
The program is a 1 1/2 day workshop for writers whose work has been encountered by the institute as part of their outreach for the Labs and which they find especially promising. The writers of 10 projects take part in a program whose elements include a hands-on writing workshop led by creative advisor Joan Tewkesbury (“Nashville”), a screening of a recent Sundance film followed by a candid conversation with the filmmaker, a reception with Sundance staff and the extended Sundance community, and one-on-one meetings with two creative advisors to get feedback on their script. With the Intensive, the Sundance Institute aims to present participants with creative tools that they can take back to their own work, provide a space for dialogue and information sharing about the creative process of making a film (and all of the joys and challenges therein), and foster community among storytellers and an ongoing connection with Sundance.
The screening this year was Andrew Ahn's "Spa Night," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and has now been picked up for U.S distribution by Strand Releasing. Centered on the conflicted son of a Korean immigrant couple in Los Angeles, Ahn's subtle yet poignant narrative deals with issues of identity both sexual and cultural. For the second day of the workshop, the fellows had one-on-one meetings with celebrated figures in independent cinema: Miranda July, Jennifer Salt, Deena Goldstone, Patricia Cardoso, Pete Sollett, Dana Stevens, Tanya Hamilton, Ligiah Villalobos, Scott Neustadter, and Kyle Patrick Alvarez
The Screenwriters Intensive fellows come from uniquely different backgrounds, and their projects bring original stories that are sure to showcase new and inventive perspectives on the world. Get to know them and their stories as they are on their way to giving us a great batch of new independent films.
The application for the 2017 January Screenwriters Lab is currently open with a deadline of May 3. Applicants for the Screenwriters Lab are also considered for the Screenwriters Intensive, Sundance Institute Asian American Fellowship, and the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Latino Fellowship, as eligibility allows. To learn more about the Sundance Institute's programs visit Here.
Khalik Allah
Project: "Kareem"
Khalik Allah is a self taught filmmaker and photographer. His work has been described as visceral, hauntingly beautiful, penetrative and profoundly personal. Photography and filmmaking are two overlapping circles that form a venn diagram in Allah’s mind; the area where they overlap is the space he inhabits as an artist. Allah’s cinematic vignettes document hardscrabble life at the corner of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem (New York City), most recently in his award-winning documentary Field Niggas, which screened at festivals worldwide.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
My project is in an incredibly early stage. I'm basically taking the last four years of my life as a photographer on 125th and Lex and adapting it into a fiction narrative.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The most important thing was the mutual inspiration we gave each other. The lab advisors helped us dig deeper into ourselves. Their faith in us was tremendous. I took away a new lease on my future.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
I met with Miranda July on day two of the lab. Wow she was incredible. She read my entire script and gave me many productive notes. I was impressed that she gave me so much time. Plenty of useful information I can implement.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I must keep writing.
Zia Anger
Project: "Despues De"
Zia Anger is a filmmaker and music video director. Her most recent short, "My Last Film," premiered at the 53rd New York Film Festival. In 2015, her short "I Remember Nothing" had its world premiere at New Directors/New Films and its international premiere at Festival del film Locarno. Other screenings include: AFI Fest, Denver Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Basilica Soundscape, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, and Vienna Independent Shorts. She has made music videos for various independent artists, including Angel Olsen, Julianna Barwick, and Jenny Hval, the latter of whom she also tours with, projecting live video and participating as a performer. Her music videos have been featured in various online publications including: Pitchfork, the Guardian, and NPR. In 2015, Anger was included in Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" issue. She was a 2015 fellow in film/video from the New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2008, she was the recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant for her short film "Lover Boy." She holds a BA/Bs from Ithaca College and a Mfa from The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
"Despues De" is about a missing white woman, a mother and daughter who try to find her, and the days leading up to her disappearance on a sorority vacation. It dissects the very particular mythological figures created by our tabloid crazed culture, white women's obsessions with themselves and each other, and the people and places who are alienated in their wake. I would say the project is creatively at the point where it's similar to someone in their late twenties, when you think "wow I know a lot, but fuck there is so much more and I'm open to that," as opposed to "I just turned 21 and I literally know it all." Artistically it calls for a certain amount of precision where high and low brow filmmaking techniques kind of collapse on to each other and end up smooching.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Joan seems to have figured out a really simple way to help even the most stubborn of (non) writers reenter their work at a time when it might seem impossible. What's cool is that once you do it it's really easy to do again. I'm thinking that having this point of access will be crucial to the continued creative development of the piece, beyond writing and moving in to those difficult creative moments onset, in the editing room, all those places you normally forget everything you've already figured out.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Immediately it's exciting to sit the the same room with someone who speaks the same alien language as you but who has had the experience deal with people who don't. I think it was Bergman or someone who talked about how inadequate a script can be, considering it's just this middle step. I find myself so disillusioned with this middle step and constantly questioning what exactly it's supposed to function as. It's a good exercise to talk through what is important and what should be more developed and also where you can cut the fat.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Probably keep learning.
Chris Benson
Project: "Death of Innocence"
Christopher Benson, a journalist and lawyer, is an associate professor of Journalism and African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has worked as a city hall reporter in Chicago for Wbmx-fm, as Washington Editor for Ebony magazine, and as a speechwriter for Washington, D.C. politicians, including former Congressman Harold Washington and Eeoc Chair Clarence Thomas. He also has written for Chicago, Savoy, Jet, and The Crisis magazines, and has contributed to the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun-Times. Most recently, he has written commentary on justice, race and media for the Chicago Reporter and the Huffington Post. His Chicago Reporter series on the wrongful murder conviction of Anthony Dansberry contributed to Dansberry’s release from prison (after serving 23 years) and earned Benson a Peter Lisagor Award for exemplary journalism. Benson also was a co-writer and associate producer of the Wttw Channel 11 documentary "Paper Trail: 100 Years of the Chicago Defender," and was named on two of the documentary’s three regional Emmy Awards, as well as another Lisagor Award. Benson is co-author with Mamie Till-Mobley of "Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America," the account of the 1955 lynching of Mrs. Till-Mobley’s son, Emmett Till, and the winner of the 2003 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award Special Recognition. The feature adaptation of the book will be executive produced by Chaz Ebert and Shatterglass Films
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
Our project is titled "Death of Innocence" and it is the screen adaptation of a book I co-authored with the late Mamie Till-Mobley about the life and tragic death of her son, Emmett Till. Through this project that focuses on the brutal 1955 lynching of a 14 year-old kid, we want to help people make connections between the violent enforcement of racial segregation and the shooting deaths of young African American males by people who still are getting away with it in our contemporary moment. We also want to show how one person—in this case, Mamie Till-Mobley—can make a difference in the struggle for social and legal justice in America. This clearly is a challenge we still face and we need to learn lessons from some of the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. That is what we are trying to show with this picture.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
One of the many things I have taken away from the first day of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab is that I have to take ownership of the characters who populate this story—even this story based on true events and real people. As a professional journalist, I have spent years trying to keep a distance from the issues I write about and the people who humanize those stories, who breathe life into them. Despite cynical public opinion, journalists do go after the truth. In screenwriting, we are going after the essential truth. What is the meaning of everything that appears on the screen? So, even in stories based on real events, we are not simply cataloguing a series of facts in a sequence of scenes. We are supposed to find the story that rises from all those facts. The essential truth. The true meaning. That will affect my screenwriting for some time beyond the successful completion of this project.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
I have to say that the coordinators of the Sundance Lab experience clearly put a lot of care and thought into developing a perfect match of advisors and fellows. The second day discussions with my advisors was phenomenal. As with the Sundance organizers, they had read the script very carefully and approached my sessions with a devotion to maintaining the integrity of the story, and helping fulfill the purpose we had set out to accomplish. It was amazing to listen to the comments that reflected a deep appreciation of the characters, the story and even the potential impact of this piece. I was especially struck by the connection my advisors felt with the main character, Mamie Till-Mobley, and the advice I was given to develop her and her motivation to a level that will result in quite a powerful rendering. I can't wait to get started on the notes.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
My plan is to work with the notes I was given to consider ways to perfect the script. My advisors have indicated an interest in staying in touch on this, so that ongoing conversation will be great. The first step I am taking after the Sundance Lab is to engage in discussions with the other producers on our project to ensure that we all on the same page. Next will be to coordinate with the collaborators on the script to talk about the ideas that have emerged from the lab experience. Finally, I will begin to interpret it all on the page, and I am eager to see where the story takes me.
Shakti Bhagchandani
Project: "Purdah"
Shakti Bhagchandani is a screenwriter/director born and raised in the United Arab Emirates. She grew up in Dubai, in a melting pot of religion and culture, and cultivated her writing abilities with the help of her mother. She travelled to London to pursue a BA in English Literature at King's College London and while there she was awarded the prestigious Jelf Medal for her contributions to art and charity. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she interned at the Vineyard Theatre in New York, the Gate Theatre and National Theatre Studio in London, and the Antenna Theatre in San Francisco. She directed a number of student and semi professional plays, including "Fanny & Faggot" by Jack Thorne and "Pornography" by Simon Stephens. After graduation she moved to New York to pursue an Mfa in Screenwriting & Directing at Columbia University. She is currently in her thesis years, specializing in Screenwriting under advisor Trey Ellis. While at Columbia, she has worked on a number of shorts, and as a writer her last short "Khargosh" screened at Palm Springs International ShortFest and won the Satyajit Ray Award at the London Indian Film Festival. Her first feature screenplay, "Bidoun", was shortlisted for the Sundance Screenwriter's Lab 2015, and her current feature project "Purdah" has been selected for the Sundance Screenwriter's Intensive Lab in La. She recently wrapped production on her short "LostFound" that she wrote and directed, and is currently in preproduction for her next short "Tunisian Jasmine" which is set in the UAE.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular. .
'Purdah' is a coming of age drama that follows a 16-year-old British Pakistani girl as she grapples with her burgeoning womanhood and her precarious sexuality in a world built on segregation and coercion. The project is currently in development.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The first day of the lab included one of the most invigorating writing workshops I've ever been a part of. Joan is a miracle worker! She guided us through a haze of snowploughs, dream sequences and inner monologues, and by the end of it I had somehow come up with about 20 new scene ideas. Characters I had neglected before were suddenly infused with new life and the possibilities for the story feels limitless. Andrew's film and the discussion afterwards was intensely inspiring and the perfect way to round off the day - he helped us believe that the future of our projects is entirely real and attainable.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?.
Patricia and Dana are wonderful! It was amazing to sit across from these incredible, passionate women - they were nurturing, encouraging and boundlessly generous with their advice. They talked about their own trajectories and experiences. They motivated me to dig deeper, to fine tune every detail, and to have faith in myself and the project. They came at my script from completely different angles, offering story notes, a ton of production thoughts, and advice on how to move forward with not only the script, but also my career.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Revise, revise, revise. And then revise again. The lab helped me see how much potential this story has and how much work it still needs. There is so much left to unearth and I'm excited to get started.
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Project: "Monsters and Men"
New York native Reinaldo Marcus Green is a writer, director, and producer. He is currently a thesis student at Nyu Tisch Graduate Film School and writing his first feature narrative, "Monsters and Men." Most recently, he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film (2015). His latest short film "Stop," which he wrote, produced, and directed, premiered as an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015. His previous short film, "Stone Cars," shot on a micro-budget in South Africa, had its international premiere as an official Cinéfondation selection at the Festival de Cannes 2014.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
At its core, "Monsters and Men" is a story about perspective.
The film consists of three interlocking stories, each told through the point-of-view of three protagonists -- Manny, a street hustler, Stacey, a female police officer, and Zyric, a high school athlete.
When Manny captures an illegal act of police violence on his cellphone, he unwittingly sets off a series of events that will alter the course of each of their lives...
"Monsters and Men's" three chapters connect narratively and thematically, painting a portrait of modern-day Brooklyn -- a community caught in the crosswinds of crime, police corruption, and social instability.
We’re in the final stage of development, planning to shoot this summer 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. We hope to cast the net wide and far in order to provide opportunities for new undiscovered talent, and new exciting voices. The ideal cast would be a mix of professional and non-professional actors. New York is full of immense diverse talent we can’t wait to work with.
As a filmmaker, my goal is to tell powerful, urgently-needed and authentic stories. I see a unique opportunity to challenge the status quo of independent cinema, to craft entertaining stories with heart and meaning - films which possess social relevance, emotional complexity and thematic resonance.
Ultimately, its my hope to create a highly-compelling narrative feature, entertaining to watch, but one which will add to the social conversation about law enforcement, violence, and justice in America. We want to share that experience with audiences in other places in the world, by giving rise to growing communities who are often marginalized and whose stories are rarely seen in film.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
First and foremost, I felt very lucky to be a part of such an amazingly talented group of filmmakers, with a broad range of diverse projects, across all genres. It was fascinating to see where my script fits in the larger spectrum, and what I realized is that each and every story at the lab was an outlier. Each writer had a singular voice, a unique take on genre, character, story, and structure.
The Lesson: “Come in from the side.”
During Day One at the lab, I felt I threw out any preconceived notions I had about my own script. It allowed me to digress and deconstruct without internally combusting. Joan Tewkesbury, a true master at her craft, went right to the core of who we were as human beings, ultimately going right into the core of who and what our scripts were all about, and what they have the potential to become. I think fear is something that holds most people back, the same fear that the world was once flat and we would sail off the edge. Joan refocused my center of gravity and provided me with tools to “access” that inner child, be playful and to keep digging.
Character is at the core of who we are and what makes us human. The digger we deep, the more we reveal about ourselves. I believe in that if I continue the excavation process, with delicate precision, and a gentle curiosity, it will serve me well in all my writing. I can’t be afraid to find out who I am underneath the surface, although sometime we bury things for a reason — because we don’t want to go there — there’s pain hidden in various forms. In writing, there’s a seemingly impenetrable darkness and then there’s light.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The opportunity to sit down with Peter Sollett and Tanya Hamilton was truly a special treat for me. Not only did are they both masters of their craft and highly-regarded writers and directors within their own right, I had been a big fan of their work before meeting them. Peter’s short film "Five Feet High and Rising," which he later turned into a feature, "Raising Victor Vargas" are two works that I admire deeply, and they have been a source for inspiration since the genius of the project.
Both Peter and Tanya are so sharp and so astute, it makes for brilliant analysis and conversation.
They have a slightly different approach to story, but essentially meet somewhere in the middle; Character. With both advisors, we really stepped back from the script — taking a birds eye view of what the film really means to me and how and what the best way to achieve telling it would be moving forward. We talked a lot about character, world, and theme.
Tanya and Peter both offered many ideas for “problem solving” — helping me hone in on areas in the script that could be refined and strengthened. It’s evident in their own work how much they care about the craft — both offering truly thoughtful insight and perspective into how each scene could advance the story. We discussed ways to deepen characters and how to build a compelling and complex world without compromising my voice, or the story I want to tell.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I think the simplest answer is to just keep writing. There’s still a ton of information to digest from the lab but the key is to not get bogged down in semantics, to move beyond the fear and paralysis that we create for ourselves. It’s time to problem solve, lock myself in a room and just write. More coffee please.
Jessie Kahnweiler
Project: "Meet My Rapist"
Jessie Kahnweiler has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, TMZ, People, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Magazine, Mashable, Buzzfeed, Elle, The Daily Beast, Jezebel, Indiewire, La Weekly, The Huffington Post, and The Independent. At the University of Redlands, Kahnweiler quickly began ditching class in order to make documentaries. For her thesis film, Little America, she hitchhiked across the country to explore the world of America’s truck drivers. After getting dumped, she wrote and co-directed the comedic short "Baby Love," co-starring alongside "Anchorman’s" David Koechner. Kahnweiler was selected for the 6 Points Artist Fellowship which inspired her comedic web series entitled "Dude, Where’s my Chutzpah?" Her short "Meet my Rapist," a dark comedy about running into her rapist at the Farmers’ Market, inspired her live show "The Rape Girl." Kahnweiler confronted her own white privilege in her viral hit "Jessie Gets Arrested." Her latest project, for which she serves as writer, director, and stars, is "The Skinny," a dark comedic series based on her 10 year relationship with bulimia. It premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and is produced by Refinery29 and Jill Soloway’s Wifey.tv Kahnweiler lives in La with her plants.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular. My project is called "Meet My Rapist" and it is loosely based on a short film I made of the same name a few years ago. After the short had it's 15 minutes online I was moving on to other projects but I felt this gnawing at my gut. I tried to ignore it, popped some advil, and went to yoga but that gnawing just wouldn't stop. That annoying painful gnawing was the beginnings of this script. I've been working on the script on and off for about a year. I'm at the stage where I need to take out most of the flippant jokes and get to the real meat of the matter - the heart, the pain. I need to live and cry this story out. Because the project is so personal it is easy for me to get lost in it. Sometimes I forget where I end and my characters begin. So being at the Sundance lab is great timing. I feel totes blessed.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
That I can't hide behind my jokes. After writing in a feeling state all day our amazing teaching Joan looked at me and was like "Your movie is a song and you gotta hit the bass notes." I was like Mic Drop. I love the challenge of making something that is a comedy based in the tragedy of human reality. That is my north star for this movie. I'm not sure if I will get there but that's where I'll be heading.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
It was incredible to take a deep dive into the script with women who so deeply understand screenwriting from the inside out. The feedback was never like "do it My way" it was more about ripping open the guts of the script and getting to that deeper level. Okay this happens but Why? Screenwriting can be so daunting like "I need write the perfect thing so I can get an agent so I can get hired etc. " and the process can be so lonely and daunting . But in both my sessions we just talked about human behavior and what makes people tick and it reminded me that filmmaking is magic and I'm really lucky to be here. Also a woman, it was inspiring to meet with other women who are living my dream. Who are feeling for a living. In both my sessions I laughed, cried, and go to ask as many questions I wanted it. It was basically my ideal Tinder date.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I'm going to keep working on drafts of the script, keep sharing it with people I trust, keep begging Sundance to let me come over and eat bagels, keep pitching it to anyone who will listen, keep crying, keep feeling, keep making my movie.
Allison Lee
Project: "Jawbone"
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Los Angeles, Allison Lee studied English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. She received her Mfa in Film and Television Production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Upon graduation, she worked in development and production at DreamWorks and NBCUniversal. Lee has received grants from the Media Action Network and the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences. She was also named a Project Involve fellow, and her short The Grizzly was produced by Film Independent. In 2015, she was one of five screenwriters who received a residency through the inaugural Hedgebrook Screenwriters Lab, where she was mentored by Jenny Bicks and Jane Anderson.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
"Jawbone" is about a Korean woman who undergoes drastic plastic surgery as a means to achieve what she and her peers view as success. After she gives birth to a daughter who looks nothing like her, her life begins to unravel and she’s forced to confront her past.
I am currently grappling with rewrites while meeting with potential producers and crew.
I see "Jawbone" as a hybrid of Korean cinema and American independent film. Korean movies relish the tension in tightly wound familial and social relationships. I think my personal connection to this fabric helps me discern and explore where the similarities and differences to American culture begin and end. I also think the best American independent films underscore the universality of specific personal stories, and I aspire to follow in this tradition.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
I felt transformed by the sessions with Joan Tewkesbury. She pushed us to bare our souls and delve into our histories to deliver stories that were truthful and specific. My biggest fear about "Jawbone" is that a few extreme events in the plot would read as absurdist melodrama. Relating these events back to some of my own crises helped me re-center the emotional truth of my characters and their journeys.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
It was crucial to work with filmmakers who knew the Sundance aesthetic and had weathered the challenges before us. I knew the script needed improvement but had a hazy vision of what it required. Tanya Hamilton’s notes were both encouraging and precise about galvanizing and concretizing the protagonist’s journey. Patricia Cardoso, with her directorial and producerial expertise, reminded me that my artistic flights of fancy should still be grounded in reality and be economical and pragmatic. The breadth of their approaches made me feel like I was getting the best of all worlds.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I am hustling on a rewrite ready to be seen by producers and representatives. Ultimately, I want to direct "Jawbone," and I am also working on a short film version.
Eliza Lee
Project: "A Beautiful Lie"
Educated in Canada and the Czech Republic, Eliza Lee began in Asia as a Dp trainee before returning to her first passion: screenwriting. She takes great pride in world building for her complex women characters. Lee’s feature, Maybe Tomorrow, about rock legend Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, is being produced by Michelle Sy ("Finding Neverland") and Sophia Chang (former artist manager for Wu Tang Clan), with Academy Award nominee Steph Green ("Run & Jump") attached to direct. Lee’s screenplay, "A Beautiful Lie," about crime novelist Patricia Highsmith, was honored at the 2015 Athena Film Festival, and was also selected for the 2015 Outfest Screenwriting Lab. In addition, she was a Cape 2015 Film & Television Fellow and was mentored by various executives from Sony, Paramount, and Fox, among others. Lee has several features and television projects in development. She is the 2016 Sundance Institute Asian American Fellow.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
When Strangers on the Train was published in 1950 and with the anticipation for it to be turned into a film by Alfred Hitchcock, Patricia Highsmith was catapulted into the literary spotlight. Here she thought was her opportunity to break free of the crime genre and finally write her Great American novel. Except, it was at the height of McCarthy’s witch hunt, and her Great American novel would become the iconic lesbian tale, The Price of Salt. In the book, Patricia defiantly gave her lesbian main characters a happy ending together, but faced with the real threat of being blacklisted, she is forced to publish it under a pseudonym. This decision would send her down a path of alcoholism, promiscuity and loneliness as she realized she would not have the happy ending she wrote.
With this story, I knew it had to come from the seminal moment in her life. And for me, it is when she braved writing The Price of Salt at a time where being who you are and believing in what you do can land you in jail, exile or financial ruin. She had to deny her nature, and coupled with a growing rage it would breed the infamous “monster” that would come to define her in her later years.
While her male peers have enjoyed forgiving, pedestal descriptors like "troubled", "complex" or the genius "l'enfant terrible", Highsmith was shown no such generosity.
On top of that, I am struck how often pictures of her old age are published displaying her alcohol and anger ravaged face. We made that. Juxtapose those with photos of Highsmith at 21, so full of hope, vitality and ready for all the wonders of love, and it is clear - she was born this way. "A Beautiful Lie" is about a woman’s quest for love when it was a crime.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Specifically, I learned I hide behind fiction or through my characters and not have to admit the narrative comes from a personal place. Through an incredibly safe and nurturing environment on the first day, Joan Tewksbury led us through a series of spontaneous and revelatory writing exercises that at first seemed random, but without time to allow the self-censor to kick in, the writing showcased how many more complex layers we can apply to our characters through our uninhibited sharing of our personal experiences. As a result, because the stories come from us, they are inherently going to be personal. It was like sleight of hand for the imagination.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were there to help us tell the story we want to tell. And the one-on-one sessions were focused solely on the writing, and was intended to be a dialogue. It was humbling to learn the tremendous amount of time they took to burrow deep into our scripts. I was thoroughly empowered by what these writers offered me, and excited that I could challenge such seasoned pros with my perspective and approach to telling a story. Ligiah Villalobos dared me to linger longer in emotional scenes and to take my pursuit for emotional truths for my character even further. While Scott Neustadter and I discussed much about memories as structure, he also pushed me to defy a note i have received that my character is “unlikable” and to allow her to have even more anti-hero moments. i concluded my last day at the Intensive with their voices unifying in the same sentiment: they have a good feeling the film will be made.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Through the Sundance Intensive, I have a clear idea of what is my next step, and that is to apply another layer of shading to my portrait of Patricia Highsmith. I’m anxious to keep the momentum going, and then take it out to talent. I’m going to realize this film.
Jimmy Mosqueda
Project: "Valedictorian"
Jimmy Mosqueda is a lifelong California resident, the son of two Mexican migrant workers, and a graduate of Stanford University. From an early age he showed a fondness for writing, starting his first journal at the age of five, which developed into a passion for writing short stories, poetry and eventually screenplays. While attending Stanford on a full scholarship, Mosqueda saw how social class and race influenced the experiences of his fellow students, which made him realize just how much the American educational system is intimately tied to those pillars. The intersection of race, class, and education remains an ongoing theme in his works. Today, Mosqueda lives in Los Angeles and writes full-time. His screenplays have placed in numerous contests, including as a finalist in the Austin Film Festival, Script Pipeline and TrackingB competitions, and as a semifinalist in the Nicholl Fellowship. He’s represented by Angelina Chen and Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment, and is actively developing projects for film and television.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
"Valedictorian" is dark teen comedy in the vein of "Election" and "Heathers." It’s about an ambitious teenage girl who do anything to be crowned valedictorian of her high school, including a little bit of murder. So, you know, just like real high school! I started writing this project about three years ago. It was inspired by my own school experiences, where everyone on the Honors track was super competitive and had their sights set on the Ivy League. Readers respond positively to the comedy and the heightened world of the script, which is great, but one thing I felt got buried underneath the multitude of drafts is the emotional core of the main character. So during the Intensive my main goal was to rediscover who she was and, building out from that, the reason why I wanted to tell this story in the first place.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The most important thing I learned from the workshop with Joan Tewkesbury is that creative development is not about brainstorming characters or story points. All of us have unique, personal experiences and emotions that can form the building blocks of a story. You really have to look inward and tap that raw data, or else run the risk of your story ringing hollow. A lot of artists understand this intuitively, I believe, but Joan’s workshop laid it out in such clear and simple terms. For my next draft of "Valedictorian," I’m going to use these techniques as a stress test, but in all honesty I want to go back and revisit every project I ever worked on using this approach now.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
My advisors were the bee’s knees, if I can be so blunt. My first session was with Scott Neustadter, who along with his writing partner has written a lot of films with teen lead characters. He very clearly understood what the script was, and gave very specific, actionable notes on how to improve what’s already there. I love how he was able to cut through and really get at the core issues of script, which were mostly the same issues I had going in. Scott is killing the screenwriting game right now. His insights were invaluable.
My second session was with Kyle Patrick Alvarez. We spent a lot of time talking about the main character, her motivation, her relationships, and how she “earns” the big moments/twists in the script. We also spent some time talking bigger picture about the industry and how to build a career in Hollywood, which was very much appreciated. Additionally, it was great getting the perspective of another Latino in the industry.
Both men were truly gracious with their time. I left both sessions feeling inspired!
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
After stepping off Cloud 9, it’s back to the computer and working on a new draft of "Valedictorian." In addition, I will also be tackling a new draft of the pilot version. It’s the same world and characters, but with a different engine that is geared towards episodic narrative. Many of the notes I got from Scott and Kyle apply to the pilot version as well, so it’s like getting two for the price of one!
Finally, I just want to thank everyone involved with putting together the Intensive: Ilyse McKimmie, Michelle Satter, Anne Lai, Shira Rockowitz and everyone at the Sundance Institute who made this possible. I am forever grateful for the experience.
Lotfy Nathan
Project: Untitled Bouazizi Project
Lotfy Nathan’s first film, the documentary "12 O’Clock Boys," played over 50 film festivals worldwide, including SXSW, Sundance Next Fest, Lincoln Center, Viennale, Hot Docs, London, and Copenhagen in 2013. It was ranked 7 in the BFI list of top 20 documentaries of 2013, and garnered Nathan an HBO Emerging Artist award. "12 O’Clock Boys" was subsequently picked up by Oscilloscope for a North American release in theaters, acquired by Showtime for television, and was optioned for a fiction remake by Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment. Nathan is a 2015 grantee of the Creative Capital Foundation, a resident filmmaker at the Cinereach Foundation, and a previous awardee of the Garrett Scott development grant, the Peter Reed Foundation, the Grainger Marburg travel grant, and an Ifp fellowship.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
The film is about Mohamed Bouazizi, the young Tunisian fruit vendor whose act of self-immolation sparked the Arab spring. It’s a love story, apolitical (as the subject of our protagonist was); about a young man’s steady undoing, and his final bittersweet act of defiance. The film will be shot on location, with cast selected locally besides the principles, and filmed with an immersive approach.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
We were encouraged to draw from very specific personal experiences, prompted by Joan It was incredible to learn these tools, which enable you to tap into vast resources from your own life that you can then apply to the writing- and so vividly. I think the writing exercises with Joan actually stirred a very unusual dream for me that night.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were very motivating. I left with pages of notes on my writing, tangible pieces of smart advice that will help inform the next draft.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Before getting back to work on the script I plan to do some other writing on the characters.
While fostering talent is what Sundance Institute does best, they are one of the institutions that most diligently reinforces their commitment to provide opportunities for new voices that represent an eclectic array of backgrounds and experiences. In order to cast their net of support even wider, the institute offers numerous exciting programs beyond those that are already well-known in the filmmaking community. As part of Sundance Institute's Diversity Initiative, the Screenwriters Intensive is an invaluable resource that focuses on stories outside of the homogenous fare.
The program is a 1 1/2 day workshop for writers whose work has been encountered by the institute as part of their outreach for the Labs and which they find especially promising. The writers of 10 projects take part in a program whose elements include a hands-on writing workshop led by creative advisor Joan Tewkesbury (“Nashville”), a screening of a recent Sundance film followed by a candid conversation with the filmmaker, a reception with Sundance staff and the extended Sundance community, and one-on-one meetings with two creative advisors to get feedback on their script. With the Intensive, the Sundance Institute aims to present participants with creative tools that they can take back to their own work, provide a space for dialogue and information sharing about the creative process of making a film (and all of the joys and challenges therein), and foster community among storytellers and an ongoing connection with Sundance.
The screening this year was Andrew Ahn's "Spa Night," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and has now been picked up for U.S distribution by Strand Releasing. Centered on the conflicted son of a Korean immigrant couple in Los Angeles, Ahn's subtle yet poignant narrative deals with issues of identity both sexual and cultural. For the second day of the workshop, the fellows had one-on-one meetings with celebrated figures in independent cinema: Miranda July, Jennifer Salt, Deena Goldstone, Patricia Cardoso, Pete Sollett, Dana Stevens, Tanya Hamilton, Ligiah Villalobos, Scott Neustadter, and Kyle Patrick Alvarez
The Screenwriters Intensive fellows come from uniquely different backgrounds, and their projects bring original stories that are sure to showcase new and inventive perspectives on the world. Get to know them and their stories as they are on their way to giving us a great batch of new independent films.
The application for the 2017 January Screenwriters Lab is currently open with a deadline of May 3. Applicants for the Screenwriters Lab are also considered for the Screenwriters Intensive, Sundance Institute Asian American Fellowship, and the Sundance Institute Feature Film Program Latino Fellowship, as eligibility allows. To learn more about the Sundance Institute's programs visit Here.
Khalik Allah
Project: "Kareem"
Khalik Allah is a self taught filmmaker and photographer. His work has been described as visceral, hauntingly beautiful, penetrative and profoundly personal. Photography and filmmaking are two overlapping circles that form a venn diagram in Allah’s mind; the area where they overlap is the space he inhabits as an artist. Allah’s cinematic vignettes document hardscrabble life at the corner of 125th Street and Lexington Avenue in Harlem (New York City), most recently in his award-winning documentary Field Niggas, which screened at festivals worldwide.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
My project is in an incredibly early stage. I'm basically taking the last four years of my life as a photographer on 125th and Lex and adapting it into a fiction narrative.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The most important thing was the mutual inspiration we gave each other. The lab advisors helped us dig deeper into ourselves. Their faith in us was tremendous. I took away a new lease on my future.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
I met with Miranda July on day two of the lab. Wow she was incredible. She read my entire script and gave me many productive notes. I was impressed that she gave me so much time. Plenty of useful information I can implement.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I must keep writing.
Zia Anger
Project: "Despues De"
Zia Anger is a filmmaker and music video director. Her most recent short, "My Last Film," premiered at the 53rd New York Film Festival. In 2015, her short "I Remember Nothing" had its world premiere at New Directors/New Films and its international premiere at Festival del film Locarno. Other screenings include: AFI Fest, Denver Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, Ann Arbor Film Festival, Basilica Soundscape, Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art, and Vienna Independent Shorts. She has made music videos for various independent artists, including Angel Olsen, Julianna Barwick, and Jenny Hval, the latter of whom she also tours with, projecting live video and participating as a performer. Her music videos have been featured in various online publications including: Pitchfork, the Guardian, and NPR. In 2015, Anger was included in Filmmaker Magazine's "25 New Faces of Independent Film" issue. She was a 2015 fellow in film/video from the New York Foundation for the Arts. In 2008, she was the recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker Grant for her short film "Lover Boy." She holds a BA/Bs from Ithaca College and a Mfa from The School of the Arts Institute of Chicago.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
"Despues De" is about a missing white woman, a mother and daughter who try to find her, and the days leading up to her disappearance on a sorority vacation. It dissects the very particular mythological figures created by our tabloid crazed culture, white women's obsessions with themselves and each other, and the people and places who are alienated in their wake. I would say the project is creatively at the point where it's similar to someone in their late twenties, when you think "wow I know a lot, but fuck there is so much more and I'm open to that," as opposed to "I just turned 21 and I literally know it all." Artistically it calls for a certain amount of precision where high and low brow filmmaking techniques kind of collapse on to each other and end up smooching.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Joan seems to have figured out a really simple way to help even the most stubborn of (non) writers reenter their work at a time when it might seem impossible. What's cool is that once you do it it's really easy to do again. I'm thinking that having this point of access will be crucial to the continued creative development of the piece, beyond writing and moving in to those difficult creative moments onset, in the editing room, all those places you normally forget everything you've already figured out.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
Immediately it's exciting to sit the the same room with someone who speaks the same alien language as you but who has had the experience deal with people who don't. I think it was Bergman or someone who talked about how inadequate a script can be, considering it's just this middle step. I find myself so disillusioned with this middle step and constantly questioning what exactly it's supposed to function as. It's a good exercise to talk through what is important and what should be more developed and also where you can cut the fat.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Probably keep learning.
Chris Benson
Project: "Death of Innocence"
Christopher Benson, a journalist and lawyer, is an associate professor of Journalism and African American Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has worked as a city hall reporter in Chicago for Wbmx-fm, as Washington Editor for Ebony magazine, and as a speechwriter for Washington, D.C. politicians, including former Congressman Harold Washington and Eeoc Chair Clarence Thomas. He also has written for Chicago, Savoy, Jet, and The Crisis magazines, and has contributed to the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Chicago Sun-Times. Most recently, he has written commentary on justice, race and media for the Chicago Reporter and the Huffington Post. His Chicago Reporter series on the wrongful murder conviction of Anthony Dansberry contributed to Dansberry’s release from prison (after serving 23 years) and earned Benson a Peter Lisagor Award for exemplary journalism. Benson also was a co-writer and associate producer of the Wttw Channel 11 documentary "Paper Trail: 100 Years of the Chicago Defender," and was named on two of the documentary’s three regional Emmy Awards, as well as another Lisagor Award. Benson is co-author with Mamie Till-Mobley of "Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America," the account of the 1955 lynching of Mrs. Till-Mobley’s son, Emmett Till, and the winner of the 2003 Robert F. Kennedy Book Award Special Recognition. The feature adaptation of the book will be executive produced by Chaz Ebert and Shatterglass Films
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
Our project is titled "Death of Innocence" and it is the screen adaptation of a book I co-authored with the late Mamie Till-Mobley about the life and tragic death of her son, Emmett Till. Through this project that focuses on the brutal 1955 lynching of a 14 year-old kid, we want to help people make connections between the violent enforcement of racial segregation and the shooting deaths of young African American males by people who still are getting away with it in our contemporary moment. We also want to show how one person—in this case, Mamie Till-Mobley—can make a difference in the struggle for social and legal justice in America. This clearly is a challenge we still face and we need to learn lessons from some of the unsung heroes of the Civil Rights Movement. That is what we are trying to show with this picture.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
One of the many things I have taken away from the first day of the Sundance Screenwriters Lab is that I have to take ownership of the characters who populate this story—even this story based on true events and real people. As a professional journalist, I have spent years trying to keep a distance from the issues I write about and the people who humanize those stories, who breathe life into them. Despite cynical public opinion, journalists do go after the truth. In screenwriting, we are going after the essential truth. What is the meaning of everything that appears on the screen? So, even in stories based on real events, we are not simply cataloguing a series of facts in a sequence of scenes. We are supposed to find the story that rises from all those facts. The essential truth. The true meaning. That will affect my screenwriting for some time beyond the successful completion of this project.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
I have to say that the coordinators of the Sundance Lab experience clearly put a lot of care and thought into developing a perfect match of advisors and fellows. The second day discussions with my advisors was phenomenal. As with the Sundance organizers, they had read the script very carefully and approached my sessions with a devotion to maintaining the integrity of the story, and helping fulfill the purpose we had set out to accomplish. It was amazing to listen to the comments that reflected a deep appreciation of the characters, the story and even the potential impact of this piece. I was especially struck by the connection my advisors felt with the main character, Mamie Till-Mobley, and the advice I was given to develop her and her motivation to a level that will result in quite a powerful rendering. I can't wait to get started on the notes.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
My plan is to work with the notes I was given to consider ways to perfect the script. My advisors have indicated an interest in staying in touch on this, so that ongoing conversation will be great. The first step I am taking after the Sundance Lab is to engage in discussions with the other producers on our project to ensure that we all on the same page. Next will be to coordinate with the collaborators on the script to talk about the ideas that have emerged from the lab experience. Finally, I will begin to interpret it all on the page, and I am eager to see where the story takes me.
Shakti Bhagchandani
Project: "Purdah"
Shakti Bhagchandani is a screenwriter/director born and raised in the United Arab Emirates. She grew up in Dubai, in a melting pot of religion and culture, and cultivated her writing abilities with the help of her mother. She travelled to London to pursue a BA in English Literature at King's College London and while there she was awarded the prestigious Jelf Medal for her contributions to art and charity. While pursuing her undergraduate degree, she interned at the Vineyard Theatre in New York, the Gate Theatre and National Theatre Studio in London, and the Antenna Theatre in San Francisco. She directed a number of student and semi professional plays, including "Fanny & Faggot" by Jack Thorne and "Pornography" by Simon Stephens. After graduation she moved to New York to pursue an Mfa in Screenwriting & Directing at Columbia University. She is currently in her thesis years, specializing in Screenwriting under advisor Trey Ellis. While at Columbia, she has worked on a number of shorts, and as a writer her last short "Khargosh" screened at Palm Springs International ShortFest and won the Satyajit Ray Award at the London Indian Film Festival. Her first feature screenplay, "Bidoun", was shortlisted for the Sundance Screenwriter's Lab 2015, and her current feature project "Purdah" has been selected for the Sundance Screenwriter's Intensive Lab in La. She recently wrapped production on her short "LostFound" that she wrote and directed, and is currently in preproduction for her next short "Tunisian Jasmine" which is set in the UAE.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular. .
'Purdah' is a coming of age drama that follows a 16-year-old British Pakistani girl as she grapples with her burgeoning womanhood and her precarious sexuality in a world built on segregation and coercion. The project is currently in development.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The first day of the lab included one of the most invigorating writing workshops I've ever been a part of. Joan is a miracle worker! She guided us through a haze of snowploughs, dream sequences and inner monologues, and by the end of it I had somehow come up with about 20 new scene ideas. Characters I had neglected before were suddenly infused with new life and the possibilities for the story feels limitless. Andrew's film and the discussion afterwards was intensely inspiring and the perfect way to round off the day - he helped us believe that the future of our projects is entirely real and attainable.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?.
Patricia and Dana are wonderful! It was amazing to sit across from these incredible, passionate women - they were nurturing, encouraging and boundlessly generous with their advice. They talked about their own trajectories and experiences. They motivated me to dig deeper, to fine tune every detail, and to have faith in myself and the project. They came at my script from completely different angles, offering story notes, a ton of production thoughts, and advice on how to move forward with not only the script, but also my career.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Revise, revise, revise. And then revise again. The lab helped me see how much potential this story has and how much work it still needs. There is so much left to unearth and I'm excited to get started.
Reinaldo Marcus Green
Project: "Monsters and Men"
New York native Reinaldo Marcus Green is a writer, director, and producer. He is currently a thesis student at Nyu Tisch Graduate Film School and writing his first feature narrative, "Monsters and Men." Most recently, he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film (2015). His latest short film "Stop," which he wrote, produced, and directed, premiered as an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2015. His previous short film, "Stone Cars," shot on a micro-budget in South Africa, had its international premiere as an official Cinéfondation selection at the Festival de Cannes 2014.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
At its core, "Monsters and Men" is a story about perspective.
The film consists of three interlocking stories, each told through the point-of-view of three protagonists -- Manny, a street hustler, Stacey, a female police officer, and Zyric, a high school athlete.
When Manny captures an illegal act of police violence on his cellphone, he unwittingly sets off a series of events that will alter the course of each of their lives...
"Monsters and Men's" three chapters connect narratively and thematically, painting a portrait of modern-day Brooklyn -- a community caught in the crosswinds of crime, police corruption, and social instability.
We’re in the final stage of development, planning to shoot this summer 2016 in Brooklyn, New York. We hope to cast the net wide and far in order to provide opportunities for new undiscovered talent, and new exciting voices. The ideal cast would be a mix of professional and non-professional actors. New York is full of immense diverse talent we can’t wait to work with.
As a filmmaker, my goal is to tell powerful, urgently-needed and authentic stories. I see a unique opportunity to challenge the status quo of independent cinema, to craft entertaining stories with heart and meaning - films which possess social relevance, emotional complexity and thematic resonance.
Ultimately, its my hope to create a highly-compelling narrative feature, entertaining to watch, but one which will add to the social conversation about law enforcement, violence, and justice in America. We want to share that experience with audiences in other places in the world, by giving rise to growing communities who are often marginalized and whose stories are rarely seen in film.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
First and foremost, I felt very lucky to be a part of such an amazingly talented group of filmmakers, with a broad range of diverse projects, across all genres. It was fascinating to see where my script fits in the larger spectrum, and what I realized is that each and every story at the lab was an outlier. Each writer had a singular voice, a unique take on genre, character, story, and structure.
The Lesson: “Come in from the side.”
During Day One at the lab, I felt I threw out any preconceived notions I had about my own script. It allowed me to digress and deconstruct without internally combusting. Joan Tewkesbury, a true master at her craft, went right to the core of who we were as human beings, ultimately going right into the core of who and what our scripts were all about, and what they have the potential to become. I think fear is something that holds most people back, the same fear that the world was once flat and we would sail off the edge. Joan refocused my center of gravity and provided me with tools to “access” that inner child, be playful and to keep digging.
Character is at the core of who we are and what makes us human. The digger we deep, the more we reveal about ourselves. I believe in that if I continue the excavation process, with delicate precision, and a gentle curiosity, it will serve me well in all my writing. I can’t be afraid to find out who I am underneath the surface, although sometime we bury things for a reason — because we don’t want to go there — there’s pain hidden in various forms. In writing, there’s a seemingly impenetrable darkness and then there’s light.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The opportunity to sit down with Peter Sollett and Tanya Hamilton was truly a special treat for me. Not only did are they both masters of their craft and highly-regarded writers and directors within their own right, I had been a big fan of their work before meeting them. Peter’s short film "Five Feet High and Rising," which he later turned into a feature, "Raising Victor Vargas" are two works that I admire deeply, and they have been a source for inspiration since the genius of the project.
Both Peter and Tanya are so sharp and so astute, it makes for brilliant analysis and conversation.
They have a slightly different approach to story, but essentially meet somewhere in the middle; Character. With both advisors, we really stepped back from the script — taking a birds eye view of what the film really means to me and how and what the best way to achieve telling it would be moving forward. We talked a lot about character, world, and theme.
Tanya and Peter both offered many ideas for “problem solving” — helping me hone in on areas in the script that could be refined and strengthened. It’s evident in their own work how much they care about the craft — both offering truly thoughtful insight and perspective into how each scene could advance the story. We discussed ways to deepen characters and how to build a compelling and complex world without compromising my voice, or the story I want to tell.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I think the simplest answer is to just keep writing. There’s still a ton of information to digest from the lab but the key is to not get bogged down in semantics, to move beyond the fear and paralysis that we create for ourselves. It’s time to problem solve, lock myself in a room and just write. More coffee please.
Jessie Kahnweiler
Project: "Meet My Rapist"
Jessie Kahnweiler has been featured in The New York Times, CNN, TMZ, People, The Hollywood Reporter, New York Magazine, Mashable, Buzzfeed, Elle, The Daily Beast, Jezebel, Indiewire, La Weekly, The Huffington Post, and The Independent. At the University of Redlands, Kahnweiler quickly began ditching class in order to make documentaries. For her thesis film, Little America, she hitchhiked across the country to explore the world of America’s truck drivers. After getting dumped, she wrote and co-directed the comedic short "Baby Love," co-starring alongside "Anchorman’s" David Koechner. Kahnweiler was selected for the 6 Points Artist Fellowship which inspired her comedic web series entitled "Dude, Where’s my Chutzpah?" Her short "Meet my Rapist," a dark comedy about running into her rapist at the Farmers’ Market, inspired her live show "The Rape Girl." Kahnweiler confronted her own white privilege in her viral hit "Jessie Gets Arrested." Her latest project, for which she serves as writer, director, and stars, is "The Skinny," a dark comedic series based on her 10 year relationship with bulimia. It premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and is produced by Refinery29 and Jill Soloway’s Wifey.tv Kahnweiler lives in La with her plants.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is.
Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular. My project is called "Meet My Rapist" and it is loosely based on a short film I made of the same name a few years ago. After the short had it's 15 minutes online I was moving on to other projects but I felt this gnawing at my gut. I tried to ignore it, popped some advil, and went to yoga but that gnawing just wouldn't stop. That annoying painful gnawing was the beginnings of this script. I've been working on the script on and off for about a year. I'm at the stage where I need to take out most of the flippant jokes and get to the real meat of the matter - the heart, the pain. I need to live and cry this story out. Because the project is so personal it is easy for me to get lost in it. Sometimes I forget where I end and my characters begin. So being at the Sundance lab is great timing. I feel totes blessed.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
That I can't hide behind my jokes. After writing in a feeling state all day our amazing teaching Joan looked at me and was like "Your movie is a song and you gotta hit the bass notes." I was like Mic Drop. I love the challenge of making something that is a comedy based in the tragedy of human reality. That is my north star for this movie. I'm not sure if I will get there but that's where I'll be heading.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
It was incredible to take a deep dive into the script with women who so deeply understand screenwriting from the inside out. The feedback was never like "do it My way" it was more about ripping open the guts of the script and getting to that deeper level. Okay this happens but Why? Screenwriting can be so daunting like "I need write the perfect thing so I can get an agent so I can get hired etc. " and the process can be so lonely and daunting . But in both my sessions we just talked about human behavior and what makes people tick and it reminded me that filmmaking is magic and I'm really lucky to be here. Also a woman, it was inspiring to meet with other women who are living my dream. Who are feeling for a living. In both my sessions I laughed, cried, and go to ask as many questions I wanted it. It was basically my ideal Tinder date.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I'm going to keep working on drafts of the script, keep sharing it with people I trust, keep begging Sundance to let me come over and eat bagels, keep pitching it to anyone who will listen, keep crying, keep feeling, keep making my movie.
Allison Lee
Project: "Jawbone"
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in Los Angeles, Allison Lee studied English Language and Literature at the University of Chicago. She received her Mfa in Film and Television Production from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts. Upon graduation, she worked in development and production at DreamWorks and NBCUniversal. Lee has received grants from the Media Action Network and the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts and Sciences. She was also named a Project Involve fellow, and her short The Grizzly was produced by Film Independent. In 2015, she was one of five screenwriters who received a residency through the inaugural Hedgebrook Screenwriters Lab, where she was mentored by Jenny Bicks and Jane Anderson.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
"Jawbone" is about a Korean woman who undergoes drastic plastic surgery as a means to achieve what she and her peers view as success. After she gives birth to a daughter who looks nothing like her, her life begins to unravel and she’s forced to confront her past.
I am currently grappling with rewrites while meeting with potential producers and crew.
I see "Jawbone" as a hybrid of Korean cinema and American independent film. Korean movies relish the tension in tightly wound familial and social relationships. I think my personal connection to this fabric helps me discern and explore where the similarities and differences to American culture begin and end. I also think the best American independent films underscore the universality of specific personal stories, and I aspire to follow in this tradition.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
I felt transformed by the sessions with Joan Tewkesbury. She pushed us to bare our souls and delve into our histories to deliver stories that were truthful and specific. My biggest fear about "Jawbone" is that a few extreme events in the plot would read as absurdist melodrama. Relating these events back to some of my own crises helped me re-center the emotional truth of my characters and their journeys.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
It was crucial to work with filmmakers who knew the Sundance aesthetic and had weathered the challenges before us. I knew the script needed improvement but had a hazy vision of what it required. Tanya Hamilton’s notes were both encouraging and precise about galvanizing and concretizing the protagonist’s journey. Patricia Cardoso, with her directorial and producerial expertise, reminded me that my artistic flights of fancy should still be grounded in reality and be economical and pragmatic. The breadth of their approaches made me feel like I was getting the best of all worlds.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
I am hustling on a rewrite ready to be seen by producers and representatives. Ultimately, I want to direct "Jawbone," and I am also working on a short film version.
Eliza Lee
Project: "A Beautiful Lie"
Educated in Canada and the Czech Republic, Eliza Lee began in Asia as a Dp trainee before returning to her first passion: screenwriting. She takes great pride in world building for her complex women characters. Lee’s feature, Maybe Tomorrow, about rock legend Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders, is being produced by Michelle Sy ("Finding Neverland") and Sophia Chang (former artist manager for Wu Tang Clan), with Academy Award nominee Steph Green ("Run & Jump") attached to direct. Lee’s screenplay, "A Beautiful Lie," about crime novelist Patricia Highsmith, was honored at the 2015 Athena Film Festival, and was also selected for the 2015 Outfest Screenwriting Lab. In addition, she was a Cape 2015 Film & Television Fellow and was mentored by various executives from Sony, Paramount, and Fox, among others. Lee has several features and television projects in development. She is the 2016 Sundance Institute Asian American Fellow.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
When Strangers on the Train was published in 1950 and with the anticipation for it to be turned into a film by Alfred Hitchcock, Patricia Highsmith was catapulted into the literary spotlight. Here she thought was her opportunity to break free of the crime genre and finally write her Great American novel. Except, it was at the height of McCarthy’s witch hunt, and her Great American novel would become the iconic lesbian tale, The Price of Salt. In the book, Patricia defiantly gave her lesbian main characters a happy ending together, but faced with the real threat of being blacklisted, she is forced to publish it under a pseudonym. This decision would send her down a path of alcoholism, promiscuity and loneliness as she realized she would not have the happy ending she wrote.
With this story, I knew it had to come from the seminal moment in her life. And for me, it is when she braved writing The Price of Salt at a time where being who you are and believing in what you do can land you in jail, exile or financial ruin. She had to deny her nature, and coupled with a growing rage it would breed the infamous “monster” that would come to define her in her later years.
While her male peers have enjoyed forgiving, pedestal descriptors like "troubled", "complex" or the genius "l'enfant terrible", Highsmith was shown no such generosity.
On top of that, I am struck how often pictures of her old age are published displaying her alcohol and anger ravaged face. We made that. Juxtapose those with photos of Highsmith at 21, so full of hope, vitality and ready for all the wonders of love, and it is clear - she was born this way. "A Beautiful Lie" is about a woman’s quest for love when it was a crime.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
Specifically, I learned I hide behind fiction or through my characters and not have to admit the narrative comes from a personal place. Through an incredibly safe and nurturing environment on the first day, Joan Tewksbury led us through a series of spontaneous and revelatory writing exercises that at first seemed random, but without time to allow the self-censor to kick in, the writing showcased how many more complex layers we can apply to our characters through our uninhibited sharing of our personal experiences. As a result, because the stories come from us, they are inherently going to be personal. It was like sleight of hand for the imagination.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were there to help us tell the story we want to tell. And the one-on-one sessions were focused solely on the writing, and was intended to be a dialogue. It was humbling to learn the tremendous amount of time they took to burrow deep into our scripts. I was thoroughly empowered by what these writers offered me, and excited that I could challenge such seasoned pros with my perspective and approach to telling a story. Ligiah Villalobos dared me to linger longer in emotional scenes and to take my pursuit for emotional truths for my character even further. While Scott Neustadter and I discussed much about memories as structure, he also pushed me to defy a note i have received that my character is “unlikable” and to allow her to have even more anti-hero moments. i concluded my last day at the Intensive with their voices unifying in the same sentiment: they have a good feeling the film will be made.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Through the Sundance Intensive, I have a clear idea of what is my next step, and that is to apply another layer of shading to my portrait of Patricia Highsmith. I’m anxious to keep the momentum going, and then take it out to talent. I’m going to realize this film.
Jimmy Mosqueda
Project: "Valedictorian"
Jimmy Mosqueda is a lifelong California resident, the son of two Mexican migrant workers, and a graduate of Stanford University. From an early age he showed a fondness for writing, starting his first journal at the age of five, which developed into a passion for writing short stories, poetry and eventually screenplays. While attending Stanford on a full scholarship, Mosqueda saw how social class and race influenced the experiences of his fellow students, which made him realize just how much the American educational system is intimately tied to those pillars. The intersection of race, class, and education remains an ongoing theme in his works. Today, Mosqueda lives in Los Angeles and writes full-time. His screenplays have placed in numerous contests, including as a finalist in the Austin Film Festival, Script Pipeline and TrackingB competitions, and as a semifinalist in the Nicholl Fellowship. He’s represented by Angelina Chen and Brooklyn Weaver of Energy Entertainment, and is actively developing projects for film and television.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
"Valedictorian" is dark teen comedy in the vein of "Election" and "Heathers." It’s about an ambitious teenage girl who do anything to be crowned valedictorian of her high school, including a little bit of murder. So, you know, just like real high school! I started writing this project about three years ago. It was inspired by my own school experiences, where everyone on the Honors track was super competitive and had their sights set on the Ivy League. Readers respond positively to the comedy and the heightened world of the script, which is great, but one thing I felt got buried underneath the multitude of drafts is the emotional core of the main character. So during the Intensive my main goal was to rediscover who she was and, building out from that, the reason why I wanted to tell this story in the first place.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
The most important thing I learned from the workshop with Joan Tewkesbury is that creative development is not about brainstorming characters or story points. All of us have unique, personal experiences and emotions that can form the building blocks of a story. You really have to look inward and tap that raw data, or else run the risk of your story ringing hollow. A lot of artists understand this intuitively, I believe, but Joan’s workshop laid it out in such clear and simple terms. For my next draft of "Valedictorian," I’m going to use these techniques as a stress test, but in all honesty I want to go back and revisit every project I ever worked on using this approach now.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
My advisors were the bee’s knees, if I can be so blunt. My first session was with Scott Neustadter, who along with his writing partner has written a lot of films with teen lead characters. He very clearly understood what the script was, and gave very specific, actionable notes on how to improve what’s already there. I love how he was able to cut through and really get at the core issues of script, which were mostly the same issues I had going in. Scott is killing the screenwriting game right now. His insights were invaluable.
My second session was with Kyle Patrick Alvarez. We spent a lot of time talking about the main character, her motivation, her relationships, and how she “earns” the big moments/twists in the script. We also spent some time talking bigger picture about the industry and how to build a career in Hollywood, which was very much appreciated. Additionally, it was great getting the perspective of another Latino in the industry.
Both men were truly gracious with their time. I left both sessions feeling inspired!
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
After stepping off Cloud 9, it’s back to the computer and working on a new draft of "Valedictorian." In addition, I will also be tackling a new draft of the pilot version. It’s the same world and characters, but with a different engine that is geared towards episodic narrative. Many of the notes I got from Scott and Kyle apply to the pilot version as well, so it’s like getting two for the price of one!
Finally, I just want to thank everyone involved with putting together the Intensive: Ilyse McKimmie, Michelle Satter, Anne Lai, Shira Rockowitz and everyone at the Sundance Institute who made this possible. I am forever grateful for the experience.
Lotfy Nathan
Project: Untitled Bouazizi Project
Lotfy Nathan’s first film, the documentary "12 O’Clock Boys," played over 50 film festivals worldwide, including SXSW, Sundance Next Fest, Lincoln Center, Viennale, Hot Docs, London, and Copenhagen in 2013. It was ranked 7 in the BFI list of top 20 documentaries of 2013, and garnered Nathan an HBO Emerging Artist award. "12 O’Clock Boys" was subsequently picked up by Oscilloscope for a North American release in theaters, acquired by Showtime for television, and was optioned for a fiction remake by Will Smith’s Overbrook Entertainment. Nathan is a 2015 grantee of the Creative Capital Foundation, a resident filmmaker at the Cinereach Foundation, and a previous awardee of the Garrett Scott development grant, the Peter Reed Foundation, the Grainger Marburg travel grant, and an Ifp fellowship.
Describe your project briefly and at what stage in the creative process it is. Include details about your artistic vision for this project in particular.
The film is about Mohamed Bouazizi, the young Tunisian fruit vendor whose act of self-immolation sparked the Arab spring. It’s a love story, apolitical (as the subject of our protagonist was); about a young man’s steady undoing, and his final bittersweet act of defiance. The film will be shot on location, with cast selected locally besides the principles, and filmed with an immersive approach.
Briefly tell us about the most important or rewarding lesson you took from the first day of the Screenwriters Intensive Lab. How will this impact the future development of your project?
We were encouraged to draw from very specific personal experiences, prompted by Joan It was incredible to learn these tools, which enable you to tap into vast resources from your own life that you can then apply to the writing- and so vividly. I think the writing exercises with Joan actually stirred a very unusual dream for me that night.
Tell me about your experience during day two and your interaction with the advisors. How important was it for you to get feedback from a professional in the field that has gone through some of the same creative challenges as you?
The advisors were very motivating. I left with pages of notes on my writing, tangible pieces of smart advice that will help inform the next draft.
Now that you've gone through this learning experience, what are some of the next steps you will be taking as you continue to develop your project?
Before getting back to work on the script I plan to do some other writing on the characters.
- 3/28/2016
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
An illustrated book which started life on Kickstarter has been picked up by Fox.
Fall of Gods - a story of Norse mythology - will be directed by The Maze Runner's Wes Ball, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is set in a realm with two races, humans and the jotnar, and centres on a warrior named Vali who found peace in the arms of a woman.
The Kickstarter page states: "For years he has lived far from society, tending to his farm and trying to forget the battles he fought… and the crimes he committed.
"But one day his love disappears, and he must set out to find her. He will once again have to face the creatures of Jotunheim and the powerful Aesir.
"Suddenly, the man he thought he had buried deep down inside has risen to the surface once more... and he comes seeking vengeance.
Fall of Gods - a story of Norse mythology - will be directed by The Maze Runner's Wes Ball, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The story is set in a realm with two races, humans and the jotnar, and centres on a warrior named Vali who found peace in the arms of a woman.
The Kickstarter page states: "For years he has lived far from society, tending to his farm and trying to forget the battles he fought… and the crimes he committed.
"But one day his love disappears, and he must set out to find her. He will once again have to face the creatures of Jotunheim and the powerful Aesir.
"Suddenly, the man he thought he had buried deep down inside has risen to the surface once more... and he comes seeking vengeance.
- 8/26/2015
- Digital Spy
If you haven’t heard of Fall of Gods yet, get ready for a massive wave to hit. The Kickstarted illustrated book by Mood Visuals is now available on iTunes, and in other digital formats, as well as in the tangible form, and it isn’t just a massive hit, Twentieth Century Fox picked up the movie rights not long ago.
Just as an aside, if nothing else you should definitely check out the iTunes version, because it’s pretty awesome.
Well, as long as the good news is rolling in, Wes Ball is apparently attached to the film now, and hopefully The Maze Runner franchise can help draw a bit of a crowd.
Of course, by the time this starts moving through production, which could be next week the way things are moving, it shouldn’t need a lot of help. The Norse mythos story is a great twist on your average plotline,...
Just as an aside, if nothing else you should definitely check out the iTunes version, because it’s pretty awesome.
Well, as long as the good news is rolling in, Wes Ball is apparently attached to the film now, and hopefully The Maze Runner franchise can help draw a bit of a crowd.
Of course, by the time this starts moving through production, which could be next week the way things are moving, it shouldn’t need a lot of help. The Norse mythos story is a great twist on your average plotline,...
- 8/25/2015
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
20th Century Fox is set to team "The Maze Runner" film series director Wes Ball with its newest acquisition - an adaptation of the crowdfunded illustrated fantasy book "Fall of Gods" crafted by Denmark-based Mood Studios.
Mood's concept designer Rasmus Berggreen and "Hitman" video game series scribe Michael Vogt teamed for the project which explores Norse mythology and retains a more Scandinavian feel to it than something like the "Thor" films.
Set in a realm populated by both humans and the Jotnar, the story follows a warrior named Vali who found peace in the arms of a woman. When she disappears, he must the creatures of Jotunheim and the powerful Aesir as he finds the man he thought he had buried deep down inside him is returning.
Ball, Steve Tzirlin, Joe Hartwick Jr. and Brooklyn Weaver are producing.
Source: Heat Vision...
Mood's concept designer Rasmus Berggreen and "Hitman" video game series scribe Michael Vogt teamed for the project which explores Norse mythology and retains a more Scandinavian feel to it than something like the "Thor" films.
Set in a realm populated by both humans and the Jotnar, the story follows a warrior named Vali who found peace in the arms of a woman. When she disappears, he must the creatures of Jotunheim and the powerful Aesir as he finds the man he thought he had buried deep down inside him is returning.
Ball, Steve Tzirlin, Joe Hartwick Jr. and Brooklyn Weaver are producing.
Source: Heat Vision...
- 8/25/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Hollywood Reporter has learned today that 20th Century Fox has snapped up the rights to adapt visual novel Fall of Gods – in the wake of its overly successful Kickstarter campaign, no less – and that Wes Ball is attached to helm the film.
Billed as a stylized twist on Norse mythology, the crowdfunded project managed to raise $96,000 across its campaign, and this naturally attracted the attention of Hollywood studios. Having directed the first two installments of The Maze Runner franchise for Fox, Ball is a natural fit for the project, and the director has, at least in the 2013 original, displayed an astute method of balancing CG-laden visuals while respecting the source material.
Fall of Gods is a different kettle of fish, though. Over on the official Kickstarter page, the creative team behind the project illustrate its grand and mythic scope, and here’s the official description to give you a taster of what to expect.
Billed as a stylized twist on Norse mythology, the crowdfunded project managed to raise $96,000 across its campaign, and this naturally attracted the attention of Hollywood studios. Having directed the first two installments of The Maze Runner franchise for Fox, Ball is a natural fit for the project, and the director has, at least in the 2013 original, displayed an astute method of balancing CG-laden visuals while respecting the source material.
Fall of Gods is a different kettle of fish, though. Over on the official Kickstarter page, the creative team behind the project illustrate its grand and mythic scope, and here’s the official description to give you a taster of what to expect.
- 8/25/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Twentieth Century Fox is teaming up with Wes Ball, the director of its Ya franchise The Maze Runner, for an epic Norse fantasy. The studio has picked up the rights to Fall of Gods, a crowd-funded illustrated novel from Denmark-based Mood Studios. Steve Tzirlin, best known for his work on Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is producing as are Joe Hartwick Jr. and Ball. Brooklyn Weaver is also producing. Mood’s concept designer Rasmus Berggreen ran point on the book project and teamed up with Michael Vogt, the lead writer of the Hitman video game with the intent to
read more...
read more...
- 8/25/2015
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Liam Neeson is having a great weekend. His latest film, Taken 3, is number one at the Us box office this weekend with an estimated $40.4M – worldwide $81.4M.
Now the Oscar nominated actor reteams with Non-stop director Jaume Collet-Serra in this first trailer to the action thriller Run All Night.
The upcoming movie also stars Joel Kinnaman, Vincent D’Onofrio, Bruce McGill, Genesis Rodriguez, Boyd Holbrook, Holt McCallany, with Common and Oscar nominee Ed Harris.
Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire (Harris), Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective (D’Onofrio) who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Lately, it seems Jimmy’s only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass.
But when Jimmy’s estranged son,...
Now the Oscar nominated actor reteams with Non-stop director Jaume Collet-Serra in this first trailer to the action thriller Run All Night.
The upcoming movie also stars Joel Kinnaman, Vincent D’Onofrio, Bruce McGill, Genesis Rodriguez, Boyd Holbrook, Holt McCallany, with Common and Oscar nominee Ed Harris.
Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Longtime best friend of mob boss Shawn Maguire (Harris), Jimmy, now 55, is haunted by the sins of his past—as well as a dogged police detective (D’Onofrio) who’s been one step behind Jimmy for 30 years. Lately, it seems Jimmy’s only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass.
But when Jimmy’s estranged son,...
- 1/11/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Liam Neeson is no stranger to playing tough guys on the big screen, and in his latest film he gets to do it with his son. Not his real son, but Joel Kinnaman as his estranged son who suddenly becomes the target of a mob hit. And it looks like it’s all Neeson’s fault in the full trailer for “Run All Night.”
Once feared as The Gravedigger, Neeson was a hit man of some renown with a good friend in a local mob boss played by Ed Harris. Things go south when Harris’ son dies at Neeson’s hands,...
Once feared as The Gravedigger, Neeson was a hit man of some renown with a good friend in a local mob boss played by Ed Harris. Things go south when Harris’ son dies at Neeson’s hands,...
- 1/9/2015
- by Jason Hughes
- The Wrap
For the second consecutive year, Warner Bros. Pictures International has exceeded the coveted $3 billion mark at the international box office. This benchmark comes on the heels of the release of The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies, a production of New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, which surpassed $400 million at the international box office this weekend and is still going strong.
Nine Warner Bros. Pictures films have exceeded $100 million internationally, topped by Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (with Paramount Pictures), which has taken in an astounding $467 million outside of the U.S. to date, and Godzilla (with Legendary Pictures), which has earned $327 million overseas.
Four titles – Doug Liman’s Edge Of Tomorrow (with Village Roadshow Pictures), Phil Lord & Christopher Miller’s The Lego Movie (also with Village Roadshow Pictures), and Noam Murro and Zack Snyder’s 300: Rise Of An Empire (with Legendary), along with the 2014 spillover grosses from The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug...
Nine Warner Bros. Pictures films have exceeded $100 million internationally, topped by Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar (with Paramount Pictures), which has taken in an astounding $467 million outside of the U.S. to date, and Godzilla (with Legendary Pictures), which has earned $327 million overseas.
Four titles – Doug Liman’s Edge Of Tomorrow (with Village Roadshow Pictures), Phil Lord & Christopher Miller’s The Lego Movie (also with Village Roadshow Pictures), and Noam Murro and Zack Snyder’s 300: Rise Of An Empire (with Legendary), along with the 2014 spillover grosses from The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug...
- 12/30/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Updated With Full List Of Scripts, Writers, And Reps: Catherine The Great, about the rise and life of the famous (sometimes notorious) 18th-Century Russian monarch, was the top vote-getter among 70 scripts chosen for the 2014 Black List of the year’s best un-produced scripts. The screenplay, by Los Angeles writer and producer Kristina Lauren Anderson, was announced as part of an hour-plus process on Twitter and YouTube this morning.
Each of the 70 screenplays on this 10th annual list was chosen by a group of 250 development executives, agents and other Hollywood insiders as among the year’s best un-produced scripts in a process overseen by Franklin Leonard of http://www.blcklst.com. Anderson’s screenplay received 51 votes.
Other notables in the list include writer/actor/director Kenneth Lonergan with Manchester-By-The-Sea, which is being produced by Matt Damon and Chris Moore. Randall Green had two scripts make the list, The Swimsuit Issue and Cartoon Girl.
Each of the 70 screenplays on this 10th annual list was chosen by a group of 250 development executives, agents and other Hollywood insiders as among the year’s best un-produced scripts in a process overseen by Franklin Leonard of http://www.blcklst.com. Anderson’s screenplay received 51 votes.
Other notables in the list include writer/actor/director Kenneth Lonergan with Manchester-By-The-Sea, which is being produced by Matt Damon and Chris Moore. Randall Green had two scripts make the list, The Swimsuit Issue and Cartoon Girl.
- 12/15/2014
- by David Bloom and Jen Yamato
- Deadline
This year’s Blood List has named the 13 best genre scripts around town, and in its sixth year the annual screenplay contest is expanding its scope to include hot books, TV pilots, and young scribes ripe for signing. Taking top honors in 2014 is sci-fi thriller Bird Box from The Thing and Final Destination 5 scribe Eric Heisserer, an apocalyptic tale of a woman trying to lead her children to safety – all three blindfolded – after monsters descend on earth that turn people insane on sight. Universal set Heisserer to adapt the manuscript from Josh Malerman in 2013 for Mama helmer Andy Muschietti. Previous Blood List alumni include Black Swan, Stoker, Warm Bodies, and the upcoming Blumhouse thriller The Boy Next Door.
Like the Black List naming the top unproduced screenplays circulating around Hollywood, the genre-focused Blood List taps exec votes to determine each year’s best unmade horror, sci-fi, and thriller scripts.
Like the Black List naming the top unproduced screenplays circulating around Hollywood, the genre-focused Blood List taps exec votes to determine each year’s best unmade horror, sci-fi, and thriller scripts.
- 10/31/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
"Ice Age" and "Rio" director Carlos Saldanha is set to take the helm of 20th Century Fox's "Timeless," a live-action and CG animated combination film adaptation of former Pixar artist Armand Baltazar's upcoming children's book trilogy.
The story is set in Chicago when a time implosion brings people and creatures from the past, present and future together. A boy sets out with his friends from different time periods to rescue his father who has been captured by a Roman general.
Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer of Scott Free Productions and Steve Tzirlin are producing along with Brooklyn Weaver.
Source: Heat Vision...
The story is set in Chicago when a time implosion brings people and creatures from the past, present and future together. A boy sets out with his friends from different time periods to rescue his father who has been captured by a Roman general.
Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer of Scott Free Productions and Steve Tzirlin are producing along with Brooklyn Weaver.
Source: Heat Vision...
- 10/13/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Less than a week after former Pixar artist Armand Baltazar closed a deal for his debut three-book children’s series Timeless, the movie rights have been picked up by Fox. Carlos Saldanha, the director of the animated Rio and Ice Age movies, is attached to direct what would be a live-action/CG adaptation. Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer of Scott Free Productions and Steve Tzirlin are producing along with Brooklyn Weaver. Maresa Pullman, who runs Saldanha's BottleCap Productions, will executive produce. Sources peg the deal in the mid-six-figures range. The story is set in Chicago when
read more...
read more...
- 10/13/2014
- by Andy Lewis, Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CBS officially announced that they have renewed Under the Dome for a third season and Extant for a second season:
“CBS announced today that the hit series Under The Dome and Extant will return for broadcast in summer 2015. Both from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, Under The Dome returns for its third season, and Extant for its sophomore season.
“We’re committed to delivering our viewers and advertisers year-round programming with a wide variety of storytelling,” said Nina Tassler, Chairman, CBS Entertainment. “We continue to see summer as a great place for unique concepts, innovative business models and passionate television audiences.”
The successful second season of Under The Dome was the summer’s top scripted series, with 11 million viewers, 2.7/08 in adults 18-49 and 3.6/10 in adults 25-54. Extant, starring Academy Award winner Halle Berry, won its 10:00 Pm time period with 8.64 million viewers, 1.7/06 in adults 18-49 and 2.3/07 in adults 25-54. In...
“CBS announced today that the hit series Under The Dome and Extant will return for broadcast in summer 2015. Both from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television, Under The Dome returns for its third season, and Extant for its sophomore season.
“We’re committed to delivering our viewers and advertisers year-round programming with a wide variety of storytelling,” said Nina Tassler, Chairman, CBS Entertainment. “We continue to see summer as a great place for unique concepts, innovative business models and passionate television audiences.”
The successful second season of Under The Dome was the summer’s top scripted series, with 11 million viewers, 2.7/08 in adults 18-49 and 3.6/10 in adults 25-54. Extant, starring Academy Award winner Halle Berry, won its 10:00 Pm time period with 8.64 million viewers, 1.7/06 in adults 18-49 and 2.3/07 in adults 25-54. In...
- 10/9/2014
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Inevitable because Will Smith only does Men In Black and Bad Boys sequels (he said no to Independence Day 2). Warner Bros. has wanted to make another I Am Legend movie for a long time but Smith has never been too excited about it. So what do you do? Reboot it!
Deadline reports that WB will work on a spec script titled A Garden at the End of the World, written by Gary Graham, into an I Am Legend reboot. Graham worked at the Apple store when he submitted his script, described as a “sci-fi version of The Searchers,” to the Black List website.
We don’t know how Graham’s script will link (or if it will) to I Am Legend or when it’s set. Original I Am Legend producers Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, and Joby Harold will return to produce the I Am Legend reboot alongside Roy Lee...
Deadline reports that WB will work on a spec script titled A Garden at the End of the World, written by Gary Graham, into an I Am Legend reboot. Graham worked at the Apple store when he submitted his script, described as a “sci-fi version of The Searchers,” to the Black List website.
We don’t know how Graham’s script will link (or if it will) to I Am Legend or when it’s set. Original I Am Legend producers Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, and Joby Harold will return to produce the I Am Legend reboot alongside Roy Lee...
- 10/2/2014
- by Graham McMorrow
- City of Films
For years, Warner Bros. has been exhausting itself trying to come up with ways to make a sequel to its 2007 hit I Am Legend, despite the unwillingness of star Will Smith to return for a follow-up. Now, it appears that the studio has finally found a way to turn the post-apocalyptic tale into a new franchise – thanks to a spec script written by a former Apple employee.
Gary Graham wrote A Garden At The End Of The World, described as a “sci-fi version of The Searchers,” while working at an Apple store in midtown Manhattan. After he posted the spec script on the Black List website, CAA and manager Brooklyn Weaver came across it and promptly signed him, sending the script around Hollywood.
Now, Warner Bros. will reportedly retrofit the script into an I Am Legend follow-up. Graham has been tapped to do rewrites in order to connect his original idea to the previous film,...
Gary Graham wrote A Garden At The End Of The World, described as a “sci-fi version of The Searchers,” while working at an Apple store in midtown Manhattan. After he posted the spec script on the Black List website, CAA and manager Brooklyn Weaver came across it and promptly signed him, sending the script around Hollywood.
Now, Warner Bros. will reportedly retrofit the script into an I Am Legend follow-up. Graham has been tapped to do rewrites in order to connect his original idea to the previous film,...
- 10/2/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Warner Bros. Pictures have decided to turn the Will Smith-led 2007 film adaptation of the classic horror story "I Am Legend" into a potential new franchise. This means rebooting the property sans Smith.
The studio has taken Gary Graham's spec script "A Garden At The End Of The World," a project described as a sci-fi version of John Wayne's "The Searchers," and have decided to retrofit it for the 'Legend' reboot. There is reportedly enough similarities Graham himself was brought in to do it.
Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, Roy Lee, Joby Harold and Brooklyn Weaver are on board to produce. The original film grossed $586 million worldwide.
Source: Deadline...
The studio has taken Gary Graham's spec script "A Garden At The End Of The World," a project described as a sci-fi version of John Wayne's "The Searchers," and have decided to retrofit it for the 'Legend' reboot. There is reportedly enough similarities Graham himself was brought in to do it.
Akiva Goldsman, James Lassiter, Roy Lee, Joby Harold and Brooklyn Weaver are on board to produce. The original film grossed $586 million worldwide.
Source: Deadline...
- 10/2/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: After years of trying, Warner Bros finally has found a way to extend its hit Will Smith last-man-on-Earth blockbuster I Am Legend into a potential new franchise. The studio is working on a reboot that isn’t meant to star Smith, who has been reluctant to do sequels and so far has avoided a reprise in Independence Day 2. Warner is retrofitting A Garden At The End Of The World, a spec script that the studio bought back in April from Gary Graham, who was working at the Apple store in midtown Manhattan when he posted his script on the Black List website and got the attention of CAA and manager Brooklyn Weaver. They signed him and sent his script out. Amid several bids, Warner Bros acquired what was described as a sci-fi version of John Wayne’s The Searchers. When Graham was brought in to rewrite his script, the...
- 10/2/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Some quick news has come in this pre-Comic-Con weekend announcing a preemptive deal with progress-to-production elements by Russell Ackerman and John Schoenfelder's new company, Addictive Pictures. According to The Wrap they've optioned Matthew Kennedy's feature spec A Man Called Death.
Ackerman and Schoenfelder are former executives who previously worked with Guillermo del Toro and Scott Rudin, respectively. They have a first-look deal with Bloom, which is led by billionaire film financier Ken Kao.
The script features a Misery-esque setup that evolves into a Usual Suspects-type non-linear storyline. Kennedy will produce with his manager, Brooklyn Weaver, who brings his own experience and relationships to the table. Energy Entertainment's creative executive David Binns will co-produce.
Look for more on this one soon... if it's miserable enough for us to follow up on, that is!
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Subscribe to the Dread Central YouTube Channel!
Ackerman and Schoenfelder are former executives who previously worked with Guillermo del Toro and Scott Rudin, respectively. They have a first-look deal with Bloom, which is led by billionaire film financier Ken Kao.
The script features a Misery-esque setup that evolves into a Usual Suspects-type non-linear storyline. Kennedy will produce with his manager, Brooklyn Weaver, who brings his own experience and relationships to the table. Energy Entertainment's creative executive David Binns will co-produce.
Look for more on this one soon... if it's miserable enough for us to follow up on, that is!
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Subscribe to the Dread Central YouTube Channel!
- 7/19/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
It's been a crazy busy week for the TV networks, and today it was CBS's turn to show off its upcoming wares. On tap for you right now we have "first look" videos for the Halle Berry vehicle "Extant" plus Kevin Williamson's new series, "Stalker."
"Extant" premieres on Wednesday, July 9th, at 9/8c on CBS.
"Extant" Synopsis:
"Extant" is a mystery thriller about a female astronaut, Molly (Halle Berry), who is trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space. Her experiences lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.
Goran Visnjic portrays John, Molly's husband; Pierce Gagnon plays their son, Ethan; Louis Gossett, Jr., plays Quinn, Molly's father; and Camryn Manheim plays Sam Barton, Molly’s best friend. Michael O'Neill and Grace Gummer also co-star. Guest stars include Josh Malina as Dr. Scott Beck, the lead...
"Extant" premieres on Wednesday, July 9th, at 9/8c on CBS.
"Extant" Synopsis:
"Extant" is a mystery thriller about a female astronaut, Molly (Halle Berry), who is trying to reconnect with her family when she returns after a year in outer space. Her experiences lead to events that ultimately will change the course of human history.
Goran Visnjic portrays John, Molly's husband; Pierce Gagnon plays their son, Ethan; Louis Gossett, Jr., plays Quinn, Molly's father; and Camryn Manheim plays Sam Barton, Molly’s best friend. Michael O'Neill and Grace Gummer also co-star. Guest stars include Josh Malina as Dr. Scott Beck, the lead...
- 5/14/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Here are the first looks at CBS‘ new dramas and comedies as part of the 2014-2015 series orders. The network has made full trailers of most of its fall series now that its upfront presentation has concluded in New York — including summer series Extant. Still to come, midseasoners Battle Creek, CSI: Cyber and The Odd Couple. Here’s the rest: Related: CBS 2014 Schedule Extant – Summer Drama Produced by CBS Television Studios. From executive producers Steven Spielberg, Greg Walker, Mickey Fisher, Brooklyn Weaver, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, and Adam Rodin. Madam Secretary – Fall Drama Produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Revelations Entertainment. From executive producer/writer Barbara Hall, executive producer/director David Semel and executive producers Lori McCreary and Morgan Freeman. NCIS: New Orleans – Fall Drama Produced by CBS Television Studios. From writer/executive producer Gary Glasberg and executive producers Mark Harmon and Jeffrey Lieber. Scorpion – Fall Drama Produced by CBS Television Studios.
- 5/14/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.