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Bad Santa 2
01/11/2016
Logline: Storyline is under wraps.
Studio/Distributor(s): Miramax Films, Broad Green Pictures
Production Company(s): Media Talent Group
Director(s): Mark Waters
Executive Producer(s): Doug Ellin, Jessica Tuchinsky, Mark Waters, David Thwaites, Zanne Devine
Producer(s): Geyer Kosinski, Andrew Gunn
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Kathy Bates, Tony Cox, Brett Kelly, Christina Hendricks
Writer(s): Doug Ellin, Johnny Rosenthal, John Phillips
Details: Sequel to “Bad Santa” (USA/2003) directed by Terry Zwigoff and starring Billy Bob Thornton.
SSN Insight: Johnny Rosenthal and John Phillips were both hired to write separate drafts of the script, giving the studios a choice between the two screenplays and the possibility of using one for a third film. Steve Pink was previously in discussions to direct and rewrite.
Let Me Go
01/11/2016
Logline: Based on the true-life story of Helga Schneider who was abandoned by her mother to devote herself to Hitler. The film is set in the present day, following not only Helga and her mother’s journeys but the next two generations and how they suffer from the trauma created over 70 years ago.
Production Company(s): In Trust Films
Director(s): Polly Steele
Executive Producer(s): Georges Tsitos
Producer(s): David Broder, Lizzie Pickering
Cast: Juliet Stevenson, Jodhi May, Lucy Boynton, Karin Bertling, Stanley Weber
Writer(s): Polly Steele
SSN Insight: UK-based Polly Steele was a co-founder of Elton John’s Rocket Pictures with David Furnish, developing and producing films together for 5 years. Philip Selway, the drummer for Radiohead, is on board as the Musical Curator.
Swing State
01/11/2016
Logline: DJ Ethan Smith, host of a Seattle-based public music radio program, takes over a Conservative talk show and creates a fictional Republican persona, “Charles Fern.” When his fictional persona is a huge hit with listeners, he continues the ruse and becomes nationally famous, while in his personal life he experiences a series of misadventures.
Production Company(s): Thunk Enterprises
Director(s): Jonathan Sheldon
Producer(s): Adam Falkoff, Arthur Bernstein, Diego Espana, Jonathan Sheldon
Cast: Alex Beh, Billy Zane, Sean Astin, Taryn Manning, Ted Levine
SSN Insight: This is the feature directorial debut for Jonathan Sheldon.
Untitled STX Mom Comedy Project
01/11/2016
Logline: Three moms go on a quest to free themselves from their mundane, everyday chores, but they accidentally end up on a collision course with their children’s school’s PTA president and her devoted clique of “perfect” moms.
Studio/Distributor(s): STX Entertainment
Production Company(s): Team Todd, PalmStar Entertainment, Merced Media Partners, BillBlock Media
Director(s): Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
Executive Producer(s): John Friedberg
Producer(s): Suzanne Todd, Bill Block, Raj Singh, Kevin Scott Frakes, Josh Church
Cast: Mila Kunis, Christina Applegate, Kristen Bell, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kathryn Hahn
Writer(s): Jon Lucas, Scott Moore
SSN Insight: Leslie Mann was previously attached to star, with husband Judd Apatow previously attached as producer.
WRAPS
CHiPs
01/11/2016
Logline: California motorcycle cops take down a criminal organization.
Studio/Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Company(s): Panay Films, Primate Pictures
Director(s): Dax Shepard
Executive Producer(s): Rick Rosner
Producer(s): Andrew Panay, Dax Shepard
Cast: Dax Shepard, Michael Peña, Vincent D’Onofrio, Kristen Bell, Rosa Salazar
Writer(s): Dax Shepard, Paul A Kaplan, Mark Torgove
Details: Feature film version of television series “CHiPs” (USA/1977-1983), which featured Larry Wilcox and Erik Estrada.
SSN Insight: Wilmer Valderrama previously attached to star as Ponch. Previously in development with Tapestry Films.
Kung Fu Yoga
01/15/2016
Logline: A detective from Hong Kong teams up with an American gambler to battle against a notorious Chinese criminal.
Production Company(s): Pegasus & Taihe Entertainment International
Director(s): Stanley Tong
Executive Producer(s): Sun Jianjun
Cast: Jackie Chan, Katrina Kaif, Sonu Sood
SSN Insight: The film is the first of a three-movie pact signed by the Indian and Chinese governments during a visit by the Chinese president Xi Jinping to India last year. The film was shot on location in Dubai and India. Viacom18 was previously attached as production company, but exited the project during principal photography.
She Has A Name
01/15/2016
Logline: An American lawyer tries to convince a young girl in Bangkok to testify against her pimp, putting her life in danger.
Production Company(s): Unveil Studios
Director(s): Matthew Kooman, Daniel Kooman
Producer(s): Donna Abraham, Shari Aspinall, Daniel Kooman, Matthew Kooman, Andrew Kooman
Cast: Will Yun Lee, Eugenia Yuan, Teresa Ting, Giovanni Mocibob, Gil Bellows
Writer(s): Andrew Kooman
SSN Insight: Will Yun Lee was recently seen in Spy and San Andreas and on the TV side was cast in the Falling Water pilot for USA.
The Odyssey
01/15/2016
Logline: The life and times of French oceanographer and filmmaker Jean-Yves Cousteau.
Production Company(s): Fidélité Films, Pan Europeenne
Director(s): Jérôme Salle
Producer(s): Nathalie Gastaldo, Olivier Delbosc, Marc Missonnier
Cast: Lambert Wilson, Pierre Niney, Audrey Tautou
Writer(s): Laurent Turner
Details: Based on the book “Capitaine de La Calypso” written by Albert Falco and published by Robert Laffont on May 29, 1990.
SSN Insight: Wild Bunch launched sales for the film at Cannes.
The Shallows
01/15/2016
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)
Director(s): Jaume Collet-Serra
Producer(s): Lynn Harris, Matti Leshem
Cast: Blake Lively, Óscar Jaenada
Writer(s): Anthony Jaswinski
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.
Untitled Jason Bourne Sequel
01/15/2016
Logline: Storyline is under wraps.
Studio/Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
Production Company(s): Kennedy/Marshall Company, Pearl Street Films, Captivate Entertainment
Director(s): Paul Greengrass
Executive Producer(s): Christopher Rouse, Henry Morrison
Producer(s): Frank Marshall, Matt Damon, Paul Greengrass, Jeffrey Weiner, Ben Smith
Cast: Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Julia Stiles, Tommy Lee Jones, Vincent Cassel
Writer(s): Matt Damon, Paul Greengrass, Christopher Rouse
Details: Sequel to “The Bourne Identity” (2002) directed by Doug Liman and starring Matt Damon. Based on the novel “The Bourne Supremacy” written by Robert Ludlum and published by Bantam Books in 1987.
SSN Insight: Alicia Vikander was recently seen in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Ex Machina and The Danish Girl. She can next be seen in Weinstein Company’s Tulip Fever, John Wells’ Adam Jones with Bradley Cooper and The Light Between Oceans opposite Michael Fassbender.