Awesomeness Films, the feature production arm of multi-platform producer and MCN AwesomenessTV, has inked a first look deal with Jurassic Party, a new production company targeting young adult content headed by Brian Duffield and Nicki Cortese. Duffield is the EP and writer of the feature The Babysitter, currently in production and being directed by McG. Cortese spent two years as VP of film and television at producers Douglas Wick and Lucy Fisher’s Red Wagon Entertainment.
Writer-director-producers Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg have signed a first-look television deal with Lionsgate to develop and produce original, scripted comedy programming. The first project in the deal is Fair and Balanced, a single-camera comedy that was set up at ABC with Kal Penn attached to star and executive produce. They previously were the team behind the Harold & Kumar films. On the film side the duo are producing The Pact at Good Universe, along with Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Point Grey Pictures for Kay Cannon to direct.
Indie distributor Front Row Entertainment has signed a five-year first-run output deal for the Middle East and North Africa with Qatar’s Al-Jazeera Media Network, beIN Media. Titles under the deal include Oliver Stone’s Snowden, Mel Gibson’s thriller Blood Father, and Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire. beIN Media is the dominant sports broadcaster in the Arab world after re-branding from Al Jazeera Sports in 2014. The platform is available across the Middle East and North Africa, France, the U.S., Canada, Indonesia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Philippines and Australia.
Pure Flix Entertainment, has formed its own U.S. theatrical distribution arm and hired Regal Entertainment VP of Film, Ken Rather to head the new division, with former Disney exec Daniel Lange signed on as their General Sales Manager. The company was behind the very successful faith-based film, God’s Not Dead which grossed $60 million and is also prepping the sequel for a April 1 release. The company released Do You Believe? and Woodlawn this year as part of a plan to release four films per year.
Producers Peter Pastorelli, Marshall Johnson and Eddie Rubin have together launched Long Road Film, a production company with the target of producing multiple films per year with budgets in the $5 million to $10 million range. Gersh will rep the venture. Their first project will be the The Last Poker Game, a drama starring Martin Landau, Paul Sorvino and Maria Dizzia. Also in development from Long Road is the film Consume, written by Milan Tomasevic.