STARTS
Bastards
10/5/15
Logline: Two brothers, raised to believe their biological father died, find out their mother slept with many powerful and famous men in the 1970s and the siblings hit the road to find their real father.
Studio/Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Production Company(s): Alcon Entertainment, The Montecito Picture Company, DMG Entertainment
Director(s): Lawrence Sher
Executive Producer(s): Chris Fenton, Chris Cowles
Producer(s): Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove, Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock, Ali Bell
Cast: Owen Wilson, Ed Helms, J.K. Simmons, Ving Rhames, Katt Williams
Writer(s): Justin Malen
SSN Insight:Paramount Pictures acquired the spec script from writer Justin Malen in a reported six-figure deal. Project was previously set up at Paramount, but went into turnaround. Jason Sudeikis was previously attached to co-star.
Gifted
10/7/15
Logline: A thirty year old man attempts to continue raising his deceased sister’s seven year old daughter, a kid-genius, while battling his own mother for custody.
Production Company(s): FilmNation
Director(s): Marc Webb
Producer(s): Karen Lunder, Andy Cohen
Cast: Chris Evans, Octavia Spencer, McKenna Grace, Lindsay Duncan
Writer(s): Tom Flynn
SSN Insight:Webb is also directing and executive producing Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to be seen on the CW. He’s also currently attached to the films Age of Rage, How to Catch a Russian Spy and The Only Living Boy in New York, all in development.
Nocturnal Animals
10/6/15
Logline: Susan receives a manuscript from her ex-husband, and reading it causes her recall her first marriage and confront some dark truths about herself.
Studio/Distributor(s): Focus Features, Focus Features
Production Company(s): Fade to Black Productions
Director(s): Tom Ford
Producer(s): Tom Ford, Robert Salerno, Diane Sabatini
Cast: Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Kim Basinger
Writer(s): Tom Ford
Details: Based on the novel “Tony and Susan” written by Austin Wright and published by Baskerville Publishers in 1993.
SSN Insight:Project was previously in development at Smokehouse Pictures with George Clooney and Grant Heslov attached to produce. Focus Features and Universal Pictures International secured the rights at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in a reportedly $20 Million deal, marking one of the biggest deal in Cannes history.
Three Days in August
10/5/15
Logline: A woman who was given up for adoption searches for her birth parents.
Production Company(s): Ubiquimedia
Director(s): Johnathan Brownlee
Executive Producer(s): Shannon Kincaid, Allen Stringer, David Kiger
Producer(s): Johnathan Brownlee, Adam Donaghey
Cast: Barry Bostwick, Mariette Hartley, Edward James Hyland, Mollie Milligan, Meg Foster
Writer(s): Chad Berry, David Langlinais
SSN Insight:Marks the directorial feature debut for Johnathan Brownlee and the first feature for Ubiquimedia.
Underworld V
10/6/15
Logline: In this fifth installment of the “Underworld” franchise, a new, younger generation of vampires and werewolves are embroiled in a supernatural race war.
Studio/Distributor(s): Screen Gems,
Production Company(s): Lakeshore Entertainment
Director(s): Anna Foerster
Producer(s): Tom Rosenberg, Gary Lucchesi, Richard Wright, David Kern, Len Wiseman
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Clementine Nicholson, Lara Pulver
Writer(s): Cory Goodman, Kyle Ward
SSN Insight:Anna Foerster is the first woman to direct a film in the “Underworld” franchise.
WRAPS
A Cure for Wellness
10/9/15
Logline: An employee sent to rescue his boss from a European spa soon realizes he’s trapped.
Studio/Distributor(s): New Regency Productions, 20th Century Fox Distribution
Production Company(s): BlindWink Productions
Director(s): Gore Verbinski
Producer(s): Gore Verbinski
Cast: Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth, Jason Isaacs
Writer(s): Justin Haythe
SSN Insight:Gore Verbinski is attached to the features Clean Slate, Driverless Car Race for Sony, Ten Seconds to Hell, The Dubber and Spaceless among others in development.
Mother’s Day
10/7/15
Logline: The stories of several mothers intertwine during the day leading up to the Mother’s Day holiday.
Studio/Distributor(s): Open Road Films
Production Company(s): PalmStar Entertainment, Gulfstream Pictures
Director(s): Garry Marshall
Executive Producer(s): Mark Benton Johnson, Ankur Rungta, Heather Hall
Producer(s): Wayne Rice, Mike Karz, Daniel Diamond, Kevin Scott Frakes, Brandt Andersen
Cast: Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson, Jason Sudeikis, Ella Anderson
Writer(s): Anya Kochoff, Lily Hollander, Matt Walker, Tom Hines
SSN Insight:Garry Marshall is also signed on to direct and write Royal Ice, about Monaco’s bobsled team. He’s also an executive consultant on the new series Grandfathered.
Running Wild
10/3/15
Logline: A widow works with convicts to rehabilitate a herd of wild horses that wandered on to her ranch.
Production Company(s): ESX Entertainment
Director(s): Alex Ranarivelo
Producer(s): Ali Afshar, Forrest Lucas
Cast: Sharon Stone, Dorian Brown, Jason Lewis, Tommy J Flanagan
Writer(s): Brian Rudnick, Christina Moore
SSN Insight:New studio ESX’s film slate includes social issue drama The Wrong Side Of Right with Lea Thompson, coming-of-age story The Wizard starring Jon Voight and Afshar’s Born To Race franchise which includes a TV series.
SFv1
10/3/15
Logline: In the future when humanity live in interplanetary colonies, a drifter falls in love with a contractor who is trying to save his daughter from danger while avoiding a global crisis caused by his military contracting company.
Production Company(s): Storm Alley Entertainment, Eclectik Vision, Phonetic Images
Director(s): Shane Abbess
Producer(s): Brett Thornquest, Matthew Graham, Sidonie Abbene, Steven Matusko
Cast: Isabel Lucas, Luke Ford, Kellan Lutz, Daniel MacPherson, Teagan Croft
Writer(s): Shane Abbess
SSN Insight:The film was shot in Sydney and the Australian Outback. Worldwide sales are being overseen by XYZ Films.