New Attachments
Bastards
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
Producer(s): Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove, Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock, Ali Bell
Writer(s): Justin Malen
Director(s): Lawrence Sher
Cast: Owen Wilson, Ed Helms, J.K. Simmons, Ving Rhames, Katt Williams, Harry Shearer
SSN Insight: Warner Bros. 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.
Blind
Logline: About a novelist who was blinded in a car crash that killed his wife. Several years later, he rediscovers his passion for life and writing when he embarks on an affair with the neglected wife of an indicted businessman.
Production Company(s): Michael Mailer Films
Producer(s): Michael Mailer, Alec Baldwin, Mallory Schwartz, Diane Fisher
Writer(s): John Buffalo Mailer
Director(s): Michael Mailer
Cast: Alec Baldwin, Demi Moore, Dylan McDermott
SSN Insight: Clive Owen was previously mentioned to star. Project was included on the 2005 Black List. Uma Thurman and Jeffrey Dean Morgan were previously attached to star.
Collide
Logline: A young American couple Casey and Juliette are plunged into an adrenaline-pumping game of cat and mouse across Germany when they find themselves caught between two ruthless feuding criminals.
Studio/Distributor(s): Open Road Films
Production Company(s): Silver Pictures, Action Concept, IM Global, 42, Sycamore Pictures
Producer(s): Joel Silver, Rory Aitken, Benjamin Pugh, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Daniel Hetzer
Writer(s): Eran Creevy, F Scott Frazier
Director(s): Eran Creevy
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Felicity Jones, Ben Kingsley, Anthony Hopkins, Marwan Kenzari
SSN Insight: Relativity was originally set to distribute, but those plans were put on hold following that company’s bankruptcy, allowing IM Global to take it back and ink a deal with Open Road instead.
Colossal
Logline: After a giant lizard starts destroying Tokyo, a young woman in New York comes to realize that the power of her mind is connected to the far-off events and she tries to halt the destruction.
Production Company(s): Brightlight Pictures, Voltage Pictures, Sayaka Producciones
Producer(s): Nicolas Chartier, Shawn Williamson, Nahikari Ipina, Anne Hathaway
Writer(s): Nacho Vigalondo
Director(s): Nacho Vigalondo
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Jason Sudeikis, Austin Stowell, Tim Blake Nelson
SSN Insight: Stowell recently appeared in Bridge of Spies and currently co-stars on TNT’s Public Morals. His upcoming films include Stratton opposite Dominic Cooper and In Dubious Battle and The Long Home both directed by James Franco.
Freak Show
Logline: Cross-dressing teen Billy is a new student at an ultra-conservative high school who takes a stand for his individuality by running for Homecoming Queen.
Production Company(s): Flower Films, Maven Pictures
Producer(s): Trudie Styler, Celine Rattray, Charlotte Ubben, Drew Barrymore, Nancy Juvonen
Writer(s): Beth Rigazio, P.J. Clifton
Director(s): Trudie Styler
Cast: Bette Midler, AnnaSophia Robb, Ian Nelson, Lorraine Toussaint, Alex Lawther
Details: Based on the novel “Freak Show” written by James St. James and published by Dutton Children’s Books in 2007.
SSN Insight: Alex Lawther, previously seen in The Imitation Game, is set to play the lead role of Billy.
Hacksaw Ridge
Logline: About World War II American Army medic Desmond T. Doss, the first conscientious objector in U.S. history to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service during the Battle of Okinawa.
Studio/Distributor(s): Lionsgate
Production Company(s): Permut Productions, Pandemonium, Demarest Films, Cross Creek Pictures, Kilburn Media
Producer(s): Terry Benedict, David Permut, Bill Mechanic, Brian Oliver, Tyler Thompson
Writer(s): Robert Schenkkan, Randall Wallace
Director(s): Mel Gibson
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington, Teresa Palmer, Luke Bracey, Hugo Weaving
SSN Insight: Previously set up at Walt Disney Pictures. Terry Benedict was originally hired to write the screenplay at the studio. Randall Wallace was previously attached to direct.
Like a Virgin
Logline: After a night of intense partying, a girl named Mary is visited by the Angel Gabriel who tells her she’s been chosen to give birth to the next Messiah.
Production Company(s): BFI, Fly Film Company
Producer(s): Kate Ogborn
Director(s): Catherine Shepherd
Cast: Gemma Arterton
SSN Insight: Marks the directorial debut for Shepherd.
Megan Leavey
Logline: Megan Leavey, a US Marine who was injured with her dog Rex by an IED while on patrol in Iraq, was awarded the Purple Heart, and years later fought through bureaucratic red tape to adopt and reunite with Rex upon his retirement from duty.
Production Company(s): LD Entertainment
Producer(s): Mickey Liddell, Jennifer Hilton Monroe, Pete Shilaimon
Writer(s): Annie Mumolo, Tim Lovestedt, Jordan Roberts, Pamela Gray
Director(s): Gabriela Cowperthwaite
Cast: Kate Mara, Edie Falco, Ramon Rodriguez
SSN Insight: Ramon Rodriguez will play the male lead role of Cpl. Matt Morales.
Monster High
Logline: The teenage offspring of famous monsters including Dracula and Frankenstein endure the trials and tribulations of high school.
Studio/Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
Production Company(s): Storyline Entertainment, Mattel, Inc., Fake Empire
Producer(s): Craig Zadan, Neil Meron, Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage
Writer(s): Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Alfred Gough, Miles Millar
Director(s): Ari Sandel
Details: Based on the toy line created by Mattel, Inc. in 2010.
SSN Insight: Sandel won the Oscar for his short film West Bank Story and recently directed The Duff for CBS Films.
Moonlight
Logline: A young man deals with his dysfunctional home life and comes of age in Miami during the War on Drugs era.
Production Company(s): Plan B Entertainment, A24
Producer(s): Adele Romanski
Writer(s): Barry Jenkins
Director(s): Barry Jenkins
Cast: Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monae
Details: Based on the stage play “In Moonlight Black Boys Look Blue” written by Tarell McCraney.
SSN Insight: Moonlight is being filmed on location in Miami.
Mother/Daughter
Logline: A mother and daughter are trapped with one another on a vacation gone awry.
Studio/Distributor(s): 20th Century Fox, 20th Century Fox
Production Company(s): Chernin Entertainment, Feigco Entertainment
Producer(s): Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson
Writer(s): Amy Schumer, Kim Caramele, Katie Dippold
Director(s): Jonathan Levine
Cast: Amy Schumer
SSN Insight: Chernin Entertainment bought the script by Katie Dippold for a reported low seven-figures.
Railhead
Logline: In a futuristic world where trains travel in space through portals, a thief is hired to steal something so important that his actions could change the destiny of the galaxy.
Studio/Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Company(s): Di Novi Pictures, Hypnotic
Producer(s): Denise Di Novi, Alison Greenspan, Doug Liman, David Bartis
Writer(s): Gary Graham
Director(s): Doug Liman
Details: Based on the children’s novel “Railhead” written by Philip Reeve and to be published by Oxford University Press in the fall of 2015.
SSN Insight: Gary Graham previously wrote the script for the reboot of I Am Legend.
Robin Hood: Origins
Logline: A gritty story of when Robin Hood returns to Sherwood Forest after The Crusades and finds only corruption and evil, so he forms a posse of outlaws to take over.
Studio/Distributor(s): Lionsgate
Production Company(s): Appian Way, Safehouse Pictures
Producer(s): Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Tory Tunnell, Joby Harold
Writer(s): Joby Harold
Director(s): Otto Bathurst
Cast: Taron Egerton, Eve Hewson
SSN Insight: Guy Ritchie was previously attached to direct. Hewson will play the part of Maid Marian.
Security
Logline: A mall security guard must protect a female witness from a gang of thugs after all communication is eliminated from a storm.
Studio/Distributor(s): Millennium Films
Producer(s): Jonathan Yunger, Jeffrey Greenstein, David Harris
Writer(s): John Sullivan
Director(s): Alain DesRochers
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Ben Kingsley, Chad Lindberg
SSN Insight: The film is set to start production next month in Bulgaria. Lindberg will next appear on Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and in the Lifetime movie Manson’s Lost Girls.
The Girl in the Book
Logline: The daughter of a powerful New York City literary agent is forced to confront painful events in her past when asked to work on the re-release of her father’s star client’s best-selling novel.
Studio/Distributor(s): Myriad Pictures, Freestyle Releasing
Production Company(s): Busted Buggy Entertainment, VariEnt
Producer(s): Gina Resnick, Kyle Heller
Writer(s): Marya Cohn
Director(s): Marya Cohn
Cast: Emily VanCamp, Michael Nyqvist, Ana Mulvoy Ten, Talia Balsam, Michael Cristofer
SSN Insight: Myriad is also handling foreign sales on the film and it’s the third joint release with Freestyle following Three Night Stand and After the Ball this year.
The Shallows
Logline: A young woman who has recently lost her mother is surfing in an isolated area when she gets stranded on a buoy, and a gigantic great white shark is between her and the shore.
Studio/Distributor(s): Columbia Pictures
Production Company(s): Weimaraner Republic Pictures (WRPCO)
Producer(s): Lynn Harris, Matti Leshem
Writer(s): Anthony Jaswinski
Director(s): Jaume Collet-Serra
Cast: Blake Lively, Oscar Jaenada
SSN Insight: Colulmbia Pictures won the active bidding battle set at high-six figures for the spec script by Tony Jaswinski. Project was included on the 2014 Black List. Screenplay was included in the 2014 Hit List
The Yellow Birds
Logline: A look at the harrowing lives of two soldiers in Iraq and the effects of war on their families at home.
Production Company(s): Story Mining & Supply Co., Cinelou Films
Producer(s): Jeffrey Sharp, Evan Hayes, Mark Canton, Courtney Solomon
Writer(s): R. F. I. Porto, David Lowery
Director(s): Alexandre Moors
Cast: Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, Alden Ehrenreich, Jennifer Aniston, Daniel Jose Molina
Details: Based on the novel “The Yellow Birds” written by Kevin Powers and published by Little, Brown and Company September 11, 2012.
SSN Insight: Benedict Cumberbatch was previously attached to star. David Lowery was previously attached to direct.
Thor 3: Ragnarok
Logline: Storyline is under wraps.
Studio/Distributor(s): Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Production Company(s): Marvel Entertainment
Producer(s): Kevin Feige
Writer(s): Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost
Director(s): Taika Waititi
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Jaimie Alexander, Mark Ruffalo (In Negotiations)
Details: Based on the comic book character Thor who first appeared in “Journey into Mystery” created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and published by Marvel Comics in August 1962. Sequel to “Thor: The Dark World” (2013).
SSN Insight: Ruffalo can next be seen in the film Spotlight.
New Projects
Fender Bender
Logline: A serial killer purposely gets into car accidents to meet his future victims.
Production Company(s): Brainstorm Media, Shout! Factory, EchoWolf Productions
Producer(s): Carl W. Lucas, Joshua Bunting
Writer(s): Mark Pavia
Director(s): Mark Pavia
SSN Insight: Fender Bender is Shout! Factory’s first original feature, is said to be “a return to a more classic style of horror film.”
Hampstead
Logline: An American widow living in the London suburb of Hampstead and a local man who lives on the Heath form an unlikely alliance against unscrupulous property developers in the neighborhood.
Production Company(s): Ecosse Films
Producer(s): Robert Bernstein, Douglas Rae
Writer(s): Robert Festinger
Director(s): Joel Hopkins
Cast: Brendan Gleeson, Diane Keaton
SSN Insight: Cornerstone Films will handle international sales, including North America, and introduce the project to buyers at the American Film Market in Los Angeles in November, 2015.
Mayday 109
Logline: The harrowing story of how John F. Kennedy saved the crew of his PT boat after it was sunk by a Japanese destroyer in WWII is dramatized.
Production Company(s): Thunder Road Pictures, Flynn Picture Co.
Producer(s): Beau Flynn, Basil Iwanyk
Writer(s): Evan Kilgore, Samuel V. Franco
SSN Insight: The story was previously shot as a film with Cliff Robertson playing JFK in PT 109 in 1963.
Meet the Patels Remake
Logline: Storyline is under wraps.
Studio/Distributor(s): Fox Searchlight Pictures
Writer(s): Geeta V. Patel, Ravi Patel
Director(s): Geeta V. Patel, Ravi Patel
Details: Remake of the documentary “Meet the Patels” (2014) directed by Geeta Patel and Ravi Patel.
SSN Insight: Meet The Patels won the Audience Award for its My Big Fat Greek Wedding-like storyline at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
Polaroid
Logline: Two young women find a Polaroid camera and discoverthe horrible past it hides.
Studio/Distributor(s): Dimension Films
Production Company(s): Benderspink, El Dorado Films, Vertigo
Producer(s): Lars Klevberg, Petter Lokke, John Hagen, Chris Bender, Jake Weiner
Director(s): Lars Klevberg
Details: Based on the short film “Polaroid” (Norway/2015) written and directed by Lars Klevberg.
SSN Insight: The short film gained attention after winning at the L.A. Horror short film festival.
The Shave
Logline: After a police officer is cleared on the shooting of a teenager, he visits the boy’s father at his barbershop.
Production Company(s): Maiden Voyage Films, Route One Entertainment, Lost City
Producer(s): Eleanor Columbus, Chris Columbus, Russell Levine, John Finemore, Mason Novick
Writer(s): Miles Hubley, Thomas White
SSN Insight: The film is Route One’s second collaboration with Maiden Voyage after Sian Heder’s upcoming Tallulah starring Ellen Page and Allison Janney.
Untitled Hacker Thriller Project
Logline: As a brilliant kid from New York’s projects becomes a force in the hacking subculture, his friendships, family and loyalties at home are tested.
Production Company(s): Macro
Producer(s): Rick Famuyiwa
Writer(s): Rick Famuyiwa
Director(s): Rick Famuyiwa
SSN Insight: Macro recently closed an eight-figure round of funding that included lead investor Emerson Collective, founded by Steve Jobs’ widow Laurene Powell Jobs.
Untitled David Frigerio/Sci-Fi Project
Logline: The story takes place in space, but storyline is under wraps.
Studio/Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures
Writer(s): David Frigerio
SSN Insight: Frigerio previously wrote the 2014 Sundance Film Festival title The Signal.
Where the White Man Runs Away
Logline: In 2008, rookie Canadian journalist Jay Bahadur’s impulsive plan to embed himself among the pirates of Somalia provided the first close-up look at these men and the forces that drive them.
Production Company(s): Hungry Man, BCDF Pictures, Kalahari Films & Media
Writer(s): Bryan Buckley
Director(s): Bryan Buckley
Cast: Evan Peters
SSN Insight: Production begins this winter in South Africa.