Category: General News

Win Run-Of-Engagement Passes To CHERNOBYL DIARIES & Vote To Bring An Exclusive Screening To St. Louis

WAMG is giving away Run-Of-Engagement passes for CHERNOBYL DIARIES – an original story from Oren Peli (@Oren_Peli), who first terrified audiences with his groundbreaking thriller, “Paranormal Activity.” The passes are good at Wehrenberg Theatres…valid through June 28th.

Click on the link to bring an exclusive screening of the film to St. Louis: http://www.quarantineyourcity.com/#

The film follows a group of six young vacationers who, looking to go off the beaten path, hire an “extreme” tour guide. Ignoring warnings, he takes them into the city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, but a deserted town since the disaster more than 25 years ago.

After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, however, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone…

Brad Parker makes his feature film directorial debut with CHERNOBYL DIARIES.

Alcon Entertainment, FilmNation Entertainment and Oren Peli/Brian Witten Pictures present, an Oren Peli/Brian Witten Pictures production, “Chernobyl Diaries.” The film opens on May 25, 2012 and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The film has been rated R for violence, some bloody images and pervasive language.

OFFICIAL RULES:

FILL OUT YOUR NAME AND E-MAIL ADDRESS BELOW. REAL FIRST NAME REQUIRED.

ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTION: Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant reactor number four explodes, releasing radioactive contamination into the atmosphere greater than that of 400 atomic bombs. It is a nuclear meltdown of catastrophic proportions, the worst of its kind in history, a Level 7 event on the International Nuclear Event Scale. What year did this take place?

WINNERS WILL BE CHOSEN THROUGH A RANDOM DRAWING OF QUALIFYING CONTESTANTS. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PASSES WILL NOT BE SUBSTITUTED OR EXCHANGED

The screenplay was written by Oren Peli and Carey Van Dyke & Shane Van Dyke, based on a story by Peli. Peli also produces, with Brian Witten. Richard Sharkey, Rob Cowan, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Allison Silver, Milan Popelka and Alison Cohen serve as executive producers.

The film’s cast includes Devin Kelley, Jonathan Sadowski, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Jesse McCartney, Nathan Phillips and Dimitri Diatchenko.

Parker’s behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Morten Søborg, production designer Aleksandar Denic, editor Stan Salfas, visual effects supervisor Mark Forker and costume designer Momirka Bailovic. The music is by Diego Stocco.

Visit the official site: http://chernobyldiaries.warnerbros.com/
“Like” on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chernobyldiaries
Follow on Twitter: @SeeChernobyl  #ChernobylDiaries

THE DICTATOR Has The “Cannes” Do Attitude – Photos

The Cannes Film Festival opened today! While visiting Cannes, General Aladeen took a much needed break from his hard life of “dictatoring” to spend some quality time with supermodel Elisabetta Canalis (George Clooney’s former girlfriend) aboard a luxury yacht at the Hotel du Cap. The always controversial Sacha Baron Cohen, dressed as his alter-ego, and Elisabetta were presumably having a good time until she slapped him. In the prank Aladeen and his bodyguard threw Clooney’s ex over the side in a bodybag.

Before all the hijinks began, The Dictator arrived to much fanfare at the Carlton Hotel in Cannes. Aladeen drove to Canal+ with guest Sasha Volkova for Le Grand Journal on May 16th 2012 in Cannes France.

THE DICTATOR is in theaters now.

Visit the Republic of Wadiya’s official site: http://www.republicofwadiya.com/
“Like” it on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/RepublicOfWadiya
Follow on Twitter: @RepublicWadiya

Aaron Sorkin To Adapt STEVE JOBS; Based On Walter Isaacson’s Best Selling Biography Of Late Apple Co-Founder

Academy Award® winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin will adapt Steve Jobs, a motion picture based on the best-selling biography of the legendary Apple co-founder by award-winning journalist Walter Isaacson, it was announced by Amy Pascal, Co-Chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Doug Belgrad, President of Columbia Pictures. The project is being produced by Mark Gordon, Scott Rudin and Guymon Casady.

Published late last year, Steve Jobs was Amazon’s best-selling book of 2011. In addition, the biography ranked #1 among bestselling hardcover books by a 2:1 margin, with sales of 2,246,569 in 2011, according to Publisher’s Weekly.

Commenting on the announcement, Pascal said, “Steve Jobs’ story is unique: he was one of the most revolutionary and influential men not just of our time but of all time. There is no writer working in Hollywood today who is more capable of capturing such an extraordinary life for the screen than Aaron Sorkin; in his hands, we’re confident that the film will be everything that Jobs himself was: captivating, entertaining, and polarizing.”

AARON SORKIN won the Academy Award® for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on The Social Network. His other screenplays include Moneyball, Charlie Wilson’s War, The American President, Malice, and A Few Good Men. He has also acquired the motion picture rights to The Politician, the best-selling book by Andrew Young about the downfall of former Senator John Edwards. He will adapt the book and make his directorial debut with the film, which he will also produce. For television, Sorkin created “The West Wing,” “Sports Night,” and “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.” He is currently in production on the HBO series “The Newsroom,” which is scheduled to premiere on June 24, 2012. For the stage, Sorkin wrote “A Few Good Men” and “Making Movies”; he returned to Broadway in 2007 with “The Farnsworth Invention.” Sorkin will return to the theater and make his Broadway debut as a librettist with the 2013-2014 production of “Houdini.” Based on the life of legendary magician Harry Houdini, the musical will star Hugh Jackman and will feature music and lyrics by Oscar and Grammy winner Stephen Schwartz.

PROMETHEUS – “Prometheus Has Landed” Clip, New TV Spot And “Origins” Featurette

With less than a month away until PROMETHEUS is unleashed into theaters worldwide in June, 20th Century Fox has released the first real clip from the film followed by a look at Damon Lindelof’s and Jon Spaihts’ story. I saved the latest TV spot for the very end as it is FILLED with unbelievable spoilers!

Not only can you chat LIVE with @DamonLindelof on Wednesday at 11am PT –  submit them to #prometheus  – but on May 31 you can watch the live stream of the Red Carpet Premiere! Verizon will host the stream in the US on its Verizion FiOS Facebook page, while fans across the globe can access the stream here –  http://www.live.prometheusmovie.com/. 

You can see never-before-seen footage from PROMETHEUS on Wednesday at 10am on their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/VerizonFiOS

In the brief clip Janek (Idris Elba), the captain of the Prometheus, begins landing procedures on the planet Zeta 2 Reticuli – unprepared for the unimaginable terrors he and the crew would encounter. Described by director Ridley Scott as an “old sea dog,” Janek is an officer in the classic tradition and an alpha male whose primary mission is to protect the ship and its crew.

Although Ridley Scott has long embraced cinema’s “new tricks and toys,” including computer-generated imagery, he is also known for his belief in filming what he calls “the real thing,” i.e. practical sets. Indeed, with so many of today’s epic genre films relying heavily on CGI, PROMETHEUS is a rarity: it presents a massive sci-fi world where most of the sets, props and stunts are real. This provides an impressive tactile reality, with one set being more stunning than the next. As one production crew member puts it: “Ridley built the greatest alien playground in the world.”

The cast and crew were in awe of the efforts of production designer Arthur Max and his team of artisans. “It is hard to overstate the impact of walking on those sets,” says Ellenberg. “It was inspiring on so many levels. There are so many understated, instinctual things that happen when you are filming on real sets. Everyone behaves in a more natural, organic fashion because it feels like a piece of reality. Every design detail was based on real world reference points, real world ideas, and real world notions. Some of these are fairly lofty notions, but they’re from our world. And if you are looking to scare people and engage with them, viscerally and emotionally, practical sets are the only way to go.”

The production filmed on five stages at Pinewood Studios in the U.K., including the famed “007 Stage” (one of the biggest stages in Europe, at about 59,000 square feet). With studio space at a minimum, the filmmakers had to make five stages work for more than 16 sets, as well as increasing the size of the 007 Stage by at least a third. Principal photography commenced in August 2010, although preliminary work had begun much earlier.

Arthur Max designed not only the spaceships and vehicles but also the landscape of the planet to which the expedition travels, and the structures and spaceship they discover there. For the ship Prometheus, Max says he wanted “to do something that was state-of-the-art, which would represent a flagship spacecraft with every technology required to probe into the deepest corners of the galaxy. We looked at a lot of NASA and European Space Agency designs, and played around with those ideas in the context of what space travel would be like a generation from now.” Max then worked out the ship’s interior architecture and how it would play to the exterior form.

The bridge of the Prometheus is a two tiered set marked by extraordinary attention to detail and dazzling technology, including a gigantic wraparound jewel-like and faceted windscreen fronting the structure.

Co-screenwriter Jon Spaihts added, “The most difficult thing about writing this story was that nothing was given. Everything had to be invented.  In creating an entire world with Ridley Scott, I had an enormous canvas to paint on.” And co-screenwriter/executive producer Damon Lindelof says that he was “incredibly struck by just how original Ridley’s vision was for this movie. It’s daring, visceral and hopefully, the last thing anyone expects.”

As the script was developed, the story’s big ideas emerged: During a journey to meet what some of the scientist crew believe to be their “makers” – beings who may have created life on our planet – the crew of the spaceship Prometheus and the mega-corporation funding its trillion-dollar mission, are in effect challenging the gods. And, as experienced by the Greek mythological figure from which the ship takes its name, challenging the gods can be a very, very bad idea.

“The film’s central metaphor is about the Greek Titan Prometheus, who defies the gods by giving humans the gift of fire, for which he is horribly punished,” Scott explains.  “When you talk about the myth on which the title is based, you’re dealing with humankind’s relationship with the gods – the beings who created us – and what happens when we defy them.”

But ultimately, notes Lindelof, PROMETHEUS is centered around… us. “It’s about humanity in the future, challenging some of our most cherished scientific and philosophic ideas.”

In returning to the genre he helped define, Ridley Scott continues to push the boundaries of storytelling, both visually and thematically. As he notes, he’s all about the “everything” – from story structure to casting, from sets and costumes to new ways of telling a story. And while the renowned filmmaker is scaring the shit out of you, he never loses sight of the big picture.  “After you’ve seen Prometheus,” Scott concludes, “you will have experienced something completely unexpected.”

PROMETHEUS arrives in UK cinemas on June 1 and in US theaters June 8. The film is rated R.

Visit the official site:  http://www.projectprometheus.com/
“Like” it on Facebook:  www.Facebook.com/prometheus  and  https://www.facebook.com/PrometheusMovieUK
Follow the film on Twitter:  @PrometheusMovie  and  @UK_Prometheus
YouTube:  www.youtube.com/Prometheus6812
“Building Better Worlds” visit:  https://www.weylandindustries.com/

Exclusive Media Acquires International Rights To Ramin Bahrani’s AT ANY PRICE; Stars Dennis Quaid, Zac Efron, Kim Dickens And Heather Graham

Exclusive Media has acquired international rights in all media to the feature film AT ANY PRICE, directed by acclaimed filmmaker Ramin Bahrani (GOODBYE SOLO, CHOP SHOP) and starring Dennis Quaid (WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING), Zac Efron (THE LUCKY ONE), Kim Dickens (FOOTLOOSE) and Heather Graham (THE HANGOVER), it was announced today by Alex Walton, Exclusive Media’s President of International Sales and Distribution, who will be presenting the film to international buyers at the upcoming Marche du Film in Cannes.

CAA is representing the domestic rights to the film.

The drama, currently in post-production, is written by Hallie Elizabeth Newton who co-writes with Ramin Bahrani.

The film is produced by Black Bear Pictures, TreeHouse Pictures, Killer Films and Noruz Films. Producers are Pamela Koffler, Teddy Schwarzman, Justin Nappi, Kevin Turen, Christine Vachon and co-writer/ director Ramin Bahrani. Ron Curtis, Mo Al Turki, Eric Nyari and Brian Young serve as Executive Producers.

AT ANY PRICE revolves around rebellious Dean Whipple (Efron), who wants nothing more than to pursue his dream of becoming a professional race car driver, whilst trying to avoid the obligations to his family’s farming empire. But Dean’s ambitious father Henry (Quaid), whose manic pursuit of expansion has alienated the whole family, sets his sights on Dean’s succession. When a high-stakes investigation into their business is exposed, father and son are pushed into an unexpected situation that threatens the family’s entire livelihood.

“The cast in the film is incredibly talented and the universal themes in the story are sure to resonate with our buyers,” said Alex Walton. “Ramin Bahrani is an exceptional filmmaker delivering compelling and socially relevant films and we are delighted to be able to present his next project, AT ANY PRICE, to buyers in Cannes,” he continued.

The rights deal was negotiated by Teddy Schwarzman of Black Bear Pictures with Exclusive Media’s Alex Walton.

Dennis Quaid is one of the most successful actors in the industry whose credits include ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, THE PARENT TRAP, TRAFFIC and FAR FROM HEAVEN. His performance in the latter led to Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Best Supporting Actor nominations. He was most recently seen in 2011’s SOUL SURFER and FOOTLOOSE and was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance as Bill Clinton in HBO’s “The Special Relationship.” His upcoming films include Lionsgate’s May release of WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING opposite Jennifer Lopez, Cameron Diaz, Elizabeth Banks and Brooklyn Decker as well as CBS Films’ THE WORDS opposite Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Zoë Saldana and Olivia Wilde to be released in October.

Zac Efron is one of Hollywood’s most sought after young actors following his breakout performances in Disney’s “High School Musical” television films. He has since appeared in several films including the current box office hit THE LUCKY ONE from Warner Bros. Pictures, HAIRSPRAY, 17 AGAIN, CHARLIE ST. CLOUD and provided his voice in Universal’s Dr. Seuss’ THE LORAX, currently in theatres nationwide. He will next be seen in Lee Daniels’ THE PAPER BOY co-starring Matthew McConaughey, John Cusack and Nicole Kidman, which will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in competition.

Kim Dickens was most recently seen in last year’s FOOTLOOSE opposite Dennis Quaid and THE BLIND SIDE opposite Sandra Bullock. She is a regular on the current HBO series “Treme,” had a recurring role in the 2008-2009 season of NBC’s Emmy Award-winning “Friday Night Lights” and was a series regular on HBO’s Emmy Award-winning “Deadwood.” Her lead performance in THINGS BEHIND THE SUN led to an Independent Spirit Award nomination.

Heather Graham’s credits include her co-starring role in Warner Bros. Pictures worldwide box office phenomenon THE HANGOVER opposite Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Justin Bartha and the box office hit AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME opposite Mike Myers. She also starred in BOWFINGER co-starring Eddie Murphy and BOBBY opposite Emilio Estevez, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt and Demi Moore which was nominated for a SAG Award for Outstanding Cast in a Motion Picture in 2007. In 2011 Graham starred in Relativity Media’s JUDY MOODY AND THE NOT BUMMER SUMMER and next appears in CHERRY co-starring James Franco, Dev Patel and Lili Taylor to be released by IFC Films.

Ramin Bahrani made his impressive feature film debut at the Venice Film Festival with MAN PUSH CART which won the prestigious FIPRESCI International Critics Award at the London Film Festival and received multiple nominations at the Independent Spirit Awards. His second feature, CHOP SHOP, screened at Cannes, Toronto and Berlin and won him the Acura Someone to Watch Award at the Independent Spirit Awards. His most recent film, GOODBYE SOLO, went on to win the FIPRESCI International Critics Award at Venice in 2008. The following year, his short film PLASTIC BAG, narrated by Werner Herzog, was the opening night film of the shorts section in Venice. In addition to receiving the prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship, legendary American critic Roger Ebert proclaimed him “the director of the decade.”

Black Bear Pictures, run by Teddy Schwarzman, has several feature films in post production, including BROKEN CITY, starring Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and comedy ADULT CHILDREN OF DIVORCE (aka A.C.O.D.) starring Adam Scott, Richard Jenkins, Catherine O’Hara, Amy Poehler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clark Duke, Jessica Alba and Jane Lynch. Black Bear is currently in pre-production on ALL IS LOST to be directed by JC Chandor (MARGIN CALL) and starring Robert Redford, and is developing KING OF HEISTS, with Jeremy Renner attached to star and produce alongside Black Bear.

Justin Nappi and Kevin Turen of TreeHouse Pictures most recently produced the thriller ARBITRAGE starring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Tim Roth which screened at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and will be released later this year through Roadside Attractions. They recently produced the satirical comedy ADULT WORLD starring John Cusack and Emma Roberts in post-production and are also producing JC Chandor’s ALL IS LOST with Black Bear Pictures.

Killer Films’ Pamela Koffler and Christine Vachon have produced more than 45 film and television projects including John Cameron Mitchell’s HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, BOYS DON’T CRY starring Oscar-winner Hilary Swank, ONE HOUR PHOTO starring Robin Williams, Todd Haynes’ FAR FROM HEAVEN and I’M NOT THERE, and Helen Hunt’s THEN SHE FOUND ME. Upcoming projects in production include DEEP POWDER starring Hayley Bennett, KILL YOUR DARLINGS, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Elizabeth Olsen and Michael C. Hall and INNOCENCE starring Joshua Jackson and Marisa Tomei.

Exclusive Media offers a number of high profile third party productions at Cannes 2012 which currently include THÉRÈSE from producers Mickey Liddell and William Horberg, starring Jessica Lange, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Felton and Oscar Isaac; HIT AND RUN (aka OUTRUN) from writer/director Dax Shepard who also stars with Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper and Tom Arnold to be released in the US by Open Road Films on August 24; the ensemble DISCONNECT also produced by Horberg and Liddell with Jennifer Hilton; Sundance favorite ROBOT & FRANK starring Frank Langella to be released in the US through Sony Pictures and LOOK OF LOVE starring Annette Bening, Ed Harris and Robin Williams, from producers Julie Lynn and Bonnie Curtis of Mockingbird Pictures.

Exclusive Media is also a leading producer of feature films with recent titles that include George Clooney’s THE IDES OF MARCH produced by Smokehouse Pictures and co-produced by Exclusive Media with Cross Creek Pictures. The company also produced the box office hit THE WOMAN IN BLACK starring Daniel Radcliffe and recently announced the next installment in the series, THE WOMAN IN BLACK: ANGELS OF DEATH, that it will again produce with Talisman, Cross Creek Pictures and Alliance Films.

Exclusive Media’s current production slate also includes Ron Howard’s epic RUSH starring Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl and produced with production partners Cross Creek Pictures, Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Brian Grazer, and Revolution Films to be released in the US through Universal; END OF WATCH starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Anna Kendrick and America Ferrera set for release through Open Road Films on September 28; SO UNDERCOVER starring Miley Cyrus; SNITCH starring Dwayne Johnson and Susan Sarandon in post-production and to be released in the US through Summit Entertainment; THE QUIET ONES to be directed by John Pogue and starring Jared Harris and BONESHAKER to be produced with Cross Creek Pictures.

Recent titles from Exclusive Media’s documentary film division, Spitfire Pictures, include the Academy Award winning UNDEFEATED currently in release through The Weinstein Company, the Grammy Award winning FOO FIGHTERS: BACK AND FORTH produced in association with Allentown Productions and Martin Scorsese’s award winning GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD produced by Martin Scorsese, Nigel Sinclair and Olivia Harrison.

Academy Announces U.S. Winners for 2012 Student Academy Awards

Ten students from nine U.S. colleges and universities have been selected as winners in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 39th Annual Student Academy Awards competition. Winners will be brought to Los Angeles to join the international student winners in the Foreign Film category for a week of industry activities. The festivities will culminate in the awards ceremony on Saturday, June 9, at 6 p.m. at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, where the placements in each category will be announced.

The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title in each category):

Alternative
“The Reality Clock,” Amanda Tasse, University of Southern California*
*Only one winner was selected in this category.

Animation
“Eyrie,” David Wolter, California Institute of the Arts
“The Jockstrap Raiders,” Mark Nelson, University of California, Los Angeles
“My Little Friend,” Eric Prah, Ringling College of Art and Design

Documentary
“Dying Green,” Ellen Tripler, American University
“Hiro: A Story of Japanese Internment,” Keiko Wright, New York University
“Lost Country,” Heather Burky, Art Institute of Jacksonville

Narrative
“Nani,” Justin Tipping, American Film Institute
“Narcocorrido,” Ryan Prows, American Film Institute
“Under,” Mark Raso, Columbia University

This is the first time that a student from the Art Institute of Jacksonville has won a Student Academy Award.

To reach this stage, U.S. students competed in one of three regional competitions. Each region is permitted to send to the Academy up to three finalists in each of the four categories. Academy members earlier selected students from Germany and the United Kingdom as finalists in the Foreign Film category.

To follow the journeys of the 2012 Student Academy Award winners, visit Studentacademyawards.tumblr.com.

The Academy established the Student Academy Awards in 1972 to support and encourage excellence in filmmaking at the collegiate level. Past Student Academy Award® winners have gone on to receive 46 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. At the 84th Academy Awards earlier this year, 2011 Student Academy Award winners Hallvar Witzø and Max Zähle were nominated in the Live Action Short Film category for “Tuba Atlantic” and “Raju,” respectively. James Spione, a Student Academy Award winner in 1987, earned a nomination in the Documentary Short Subject category for “Incident in New Baghdad.”

The 39th Annual Student Academy Awards ceremony on June 9 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. Tickets are available online at www.oscars.org, in person at the Academy box office, or by mail. The Samuel Goldwyn Theater is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call (310) 247-3600.

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CBS Films Finds The ENDS OF THE EARTH

CBS Films announced today it has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to the action thriller ENDS OF THE EARTH. CBS Films Co-President, Wolfgang Hammer and EVP of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Scott Shooman, who acquired the film preemptively ahead of Cannes, made the announcement jointly.

Written and directed by Derek Lee and Clif Prowse, ENDS OF THE EARTH follows two best friends on a whirlwind trip around the world. Things take a turn for the surreal when they encounter an impossible phenomenon that will change one of them forever. Chris Ferguson and Zach Lipovsky produced the film with backing by Telefilm Canada. IM Global’s Stuart Ford, Automatik’s Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Alliance’s Charles Layton are on board as executive producers.

The deal was negotiated by Ford, IM Global’s Jonathan Deckter, Kavanaugh-Jones and Verve, who represent the filmmakers. Jack Bleck and Scott Shooman negotiated for CBS Films. IM Global will be handling the sale of international territories at the Cannes Film Festival, with Alliance holding the rights to the film in Canada, the U.K. and Spain.

Irish DreamTime/The Solution To Finance & Distribute NOVEMBER MAN; Starring Pierce Brosnan, Dominic Cooper, Directed By Roger Donaldson

Pierce Brosnan’s production company Irish DreamTime has entered into a multi-picture financing and distribution deal with The Solution Entertainment Group (“The Solution”), it was announced by The Solution’s co-founders and partners Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel and Irish DreamTime’s Brosnan and partner Beau St. Clair.

The first film under the deal is the espionage action-thriller NOVEMBER MAN starring Brosnan (THE GHOST WRITER, THE MATADOR) and Dominic Cooper (THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE, MY WEEK WITH MARILYN), directed by Roger Donaldson (THE BANK JOB) from a script by Michael Finch (PREDATORS) & Karl Gajdusek (TRESPASS).

Based on the book There Are No Spies by Bill Granger, NOVEMBER MAN is the first film from a series of beloved espionage novels and is being developed as a franchise opportunity. Beau St. Clair is producing alongside Sriram Das of Das Films, who jointly developed the script.  Dino Conte is executive producing.

NOVEMBER MAN tells the tale of an ex-CIA operative who is brought back in on a very personal mission and finds himself pitted against his former pupil in a deadly game involving high level CIA officials and the Russian president-elect. The film is scheduled to start shooting in October on location in Berlin.

The Solution is arranging the financing and handling international distribution for NOVEMBER MAN.  CAA, which represents Brosnan, Cooper, and Donaldson, brokered the deal on behalf of Irish DreamTime. CAA also represents the U.S. distribution rights to NOVEMBER MAN.

“Myles and Lisa are great partners for us as filmmakers and share our vision for these films,” St. Clair said. “Their extensive creative and financial experience enables our projects to maximize their full potential.  We all believe that the Bill Granger novels and the character of Devereaux feel like the perfect vehicle for Pierce.”

“November Man has been a labor of love for both me and my company,” Brosnan added. “I’m looking forward to working with The Solution, and reuniting with both Roger and Dominic as we prepare to make a great film.”

One of the most internationally recognized actors today, Brosnan has starred in blockbuster hits like THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR, MAMA MIA! and four JAMES BOND films. He’s also starred in critical favorites like Roman Polanksi’s THE GHOST WRITER, John Borman’s THE TAILOR OF PANAMA, and was nominated for a Golden Globe for his turn in THE MATADOR. He’ll be seen next in Oscar-winning director Susanne Bier’s LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED.

Cooper is currently filming DEAD MAN DOWN with Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace. He starred in the box office hit musical MAMMA MIA!, and opposite Carey Mulligan and Peter Sarsgaard in the Oscar-nominated AN EDUCATION. He recently starred in Paramount Pictures’ CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER, The Weinstein Company’s MY WEEK WITH MARILYN and Lionsgate’s THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE. He will be seen next in the highly anticipated fantasy-horror film ABRAHAM LINCOLN: VAMPIRE HUNTER.

Working with some of the industry’s leading actors, Donaldson has directed over sixteen films, including box office hits NO WAY OUT, THE RECRUIT, THIRTEEN DAYS, DANTE’S PEAK, THE BOUNTY, THE GETAWAY, THE BANK JOB, SPECIES and COCKTAIL.  Donaldson also both wrote and directed the acclaimed film THE WORLD’S FASTEST INDIAN starring Anthony Hopkins.

Finch is currently rewriting AMERICAN ASSASSIN for CBS Films and Lorenzo DiBonaventura. He also completed work on Sony’s MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE. Gajdusek rewrote Joseph Kosinski’s OBLIVION starring Tom Cruise, is currently adapting Paramount Pictures’ PUZZLER starring Anne Hathaway, and is rewriting VIKING for Working Title and director Baltasar Kormakur.

The Solution will introduce NOVEMBER MAN to buyers at Cannes as part of their dynamic slate of commercial theatrical titles that includes the psychological thriller GRAND PIANO starring Elijah Wood (LORD OF THE RINGS), produced by Rodrigo Cortes and Adrian Guerra (BURIED, RED LIGHTS) and helmed by Spanish director Eugenio Mira (THE BIRTHDAY), and Joshua Boone’s bittersweet comedy WRITERS, currently in post production starring Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly and Lily Collins and produced by CRAZY HEART’s Judy Cairo.

WAMG At The GIRL IN PROGRESS Press Day

Greetings kids! Melissa here, with some cool new movie schtuff (yes… I said schtuff) for you. Recently, I got to attend the GIRL IN PROGRESS press day, and we have the audio from Eva Mendez, Cierra Ramirez, and Raini Rodriquez just for you!

In GIRL IN PROGRESS Eva Mendes plays Grace, a single mom. She is too busy juggling work, bills, and the very married Dr. Hartford (Matthew Modine), to give her daughter, Ansiedad (Cierra Ramirez) the attention she desperately needs. When Ansiedad’s English teacher, Ms. Armstrong (Patricia Arquette), introduces her students to classic coming-of-age stories, Ansiedad is inspired to skip adolescence and jump-start her life without mom. While Grace becomes preoccupied with the increasing affections of her co-worker (Eugenio Derbez), Ansiedad enlists the help of her loyal friend, Tavita (Raini Rodriguez), to plot her shortcut to adulthood. But as her misguided plan unravels, Ansiedad and Grace must learn that sometimes growing-up means acting your age.

GIRL IN PROGRESS ROUNDTABLE w/ EVA MENDES and CIERRA RAMIREZ

GIRL IN PROGRESS ROUNDTABLE w/RAINI RODRIGUEZ

Check out the trailer here:

STARRING: Eva Mendes, Cierra Ramirez, Patricia Arquette, Eugenio Derbez, Matthew Modine, Raini Rodriguez & Landon Liboiron

DIRECTED BY: Patricia Riggen

FOR MORE INFO:

WEBSITE: http://www.girlinprogressmovie.com

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/GIRLINPROGRESSmovie

GIRL IN PROGRESS IS IN THEATERS NOW

The Weinstein Company Acquires Australian Charmer THE SAPPHIRES

The Weinstein Company announced today that they have acquired from Goalpost Film worldwide rights, with the exception of the UK & Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, France, Canada, Israel, Portugal and airlines, to THE SAPPHIRES. The film, directed by acclaimed Aboriginal actor and theater director Wayne Blair, stars funnyman Chris O’Dowd (BRIDESMAIDS, FRIENDS WITH KIDS), Deborah Mailman (RADIANCE, OFFSPRING), who was the first Aboriginal actress to win the AFI Award for Best Actress, Jessica Mauboy (BRAN NUE DAE), an Australian pop artist who was the runner-up on Australian Idol in 2006 and breakout stars Shari Sebbensand Miranda Tapsell. The screenplay was written by Aboriginal playwright Tony Briggs, whose mother and family members were part of The Sapphires group, and Keith Thompson. Warwick Thornton, previous winner of the Camera d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for SAMSON AND DELILAH, is the film’s Director of Photography. The announcement was made today by TWC Co-Chairman Harvey Weinstein, COO David Glasser, and Co-SVPs of Acquisitions Negeen Yazdi and Dan Guando.

Inspired by a true story, THE SAPPHIRES follows four vivacious, young and talented Australian Aboriginal girls from a remote mission as they learn about love, friendship and war when their all girl group The Sapphires entertains the U.S. troops in Vietnam in 1968. Cynthia (Tapsell), Gail (Mailman), Julie (Mauboy) and Kay (Sebbens) are discovered by Dave (O’Dowd), a good-humored talent scout with a kind heart, very little rhythm but a great knowledge of soul music. As their manager, Dave books the sisters their first true gig giving them their first taste of stardom, and travels them to Vietnam to sing for the American troops.

The film has been chosen as an Official Selection for the 65th Cannes Film Festival and will play on May 19 th, which is the first Saturday of the festival.

“THE SAPPHIRES is a rare and special film, and all of us on director Wayne Blair’s team are thrilled to be working with The Weinstein Company which we know will be the very best home for this film,” said Goalpost Film’s Tristan Whalley.

“Like” it on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheSapphires

Added Goalpost Pictures’ Rosemary Blight, “Passionate, innovative and creative marketing and distribution is what independent films require to reach an audience. The Weinstein Company is one of the most talented distributors of independent films in the world, and we are thrilled that THE SAPPHIRES is in such great hands. It is a wonderful acknowledgement of the extraordinary work of the cast and crew led so magnificently by director Wayne Blair.”

Said Weinstein, “These girls light up the screen as much as their music lights up the stage. We’re thrilled to bring the stories and music from these sisters to audiences all over the world.”

Added Guando and Yazdi, “Wayne Blair tells this story in the most charming way by capturing the excitement, heartbreak and joy these girls experienced on their incredible journey. This is a very real, entertaining and touching story with a stellar cast and an incredible soundtrack. We’ve been passionate about this project since the day we read the script, and have always felt that it would be a perfect fit for The Weinstein Company.”

Produced by Blight and Kylie du Fresne, THE SAPPHIRES is a Goalpost Pictures Australia production.

On behalf of TWC, the deal was negotiated by Glasser, Yazdi and Michal Steinberg, TWC SVP of Acquisitions and Business Affairs.

Whalley and Blight negotiated on behalf of Goalpost, and Christos Michaels and Nicki Parfitt on behalf of Lee and Thompson.