New Attachments
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Logline: A man seeks revenge against an air traffic controller responsible for the death of his family.
Studio/Distributor(s): Lionsgate
Production Company(s): Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Protozoa Pictures
Producer(s): Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin, Eric Watson, Randall Emmett, George Furla
Writer(s): Javier Gullón
Director(s): Elliott Lester
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Maggie Grace, Scoot McNairy
SSN Insight: McNairy can next be seen in the third season of the AMC series Halt And Catch Fire. He recently finished work on War Machine, alongside Brad Pitt and Sleepless Night, opposite Jamie Foxx.
All Eyez on Me
Logline: This biopic will follow rapper Tupac Shakur’s career, including his time at Death Row Records and his involvement in the rivalry between East coast and West coast rappers, culminating in his murder in 1996.
Studio/Distributor(s): Open Road Films
Production Company(s): Morgan Creek Productions, Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films
Producer(s): James G. Robinson, David C. Robinson, LT Hutton, Randall Emmett, George Furla
Writer(s): John Singleton, Ed Gonzalez, Jeremy Haft, Michael Starrbury, David McKenna
Director(s): Benny Boom
Cast: Demetrius Shipp Jr., Jamal Woolard, Danai Gurira, Katerina Graham, Jamie Hector, Grace Gibson, Lauren Cohan
SSN Insight: Antoine Fuqua was previously attached to direct. Soulja Boy was previously mentioned to star. Project was previously in development at Universal.
Amateur Night
Logline: An out-of-work expectant father accepts a job driving prostitutes around Los Angeles one night.
Studio/Distributor(s): Cinedigm
Producer(s): Diego Del Rio Toca, Jorge Garcia, Shana Eddy-Grouf, Mary Pat Bentel
Writer(s): Lisa Addario, Joe Syracuse
Director(s): Joe Syracuse, Lisa Addario
Cast: Jason Biggs, Ashley Tisdale, Janet Montgomery, Bria Murphy, Jenny Mollen
SSN Insight: Cinedigm has acquired North American rights and plans a mid-2016 theatrical release.
American Honey
Logline: A female teenage runaway travels the country selling magazine subscriptions while joining new friends in an adventure that includes wild partying, loving relationships, and even some criminal activity.
Studio/Distributor(s): A24
Production Company(s): ManDown Pictures & Management, LLC, Parts and Labor , Pulse Films
Producer(s): Lars Knudsen, Thomas Benski, Lucas Ochoa, Pouya Shahbazian, Jay Van Hoy
Writer(s): Andrea Arnold
Director(s): Andrea Arnold
Cast: Shia LaBeouf, Arielle Holmes, McCaul Lombardi
SSN Insight: Indie distributor A24 also distributed Room and the Amy Winehouse documentary Amy. They acquired U.S. rights to this project as well.
Backstabbing for Beginners
Logline: When an idealist gets a job at the U.N.’s Oil for Food program in post-war Iraq, power-hungry nations circling the country’s oil reserves and he discovers a possible conspiracy at the highest level.
Studio/Distributor(s): ,
Production Company(s): JJ Film, Parts and Labor , Eyeworks Sweden, Scythia Films Inc., Waterstone Entertainment, Houndstooth, Creative Alliance, Fortitude International
Producer(s): Lars Knudsen, Jay Van Hoy, Malene Blenkov, Nikolaj Vibe Michelsen
Writer(s): Per Fly, Daniel Pyne
Director(s): Per Fly
Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Ben Kingsley, Theo James (In Discussions)
Details: Inspired by the memoir “Backstabbing for Beginners: My Crash Course in International Diplomacy” written by Michael Soussan and published by Nation Books in 2008.
SSN Insight: Theo James can next be seen in Allegiant, London Fields and later Underworld 5, The Secret Scripture and War on Everyone.
Billy
Logline: A small town in segregated Mississippi reacts when a ten-year-old black boy kills a white girl.
Studio/Distributor(s): Astute Films
Production Company(s): Jerry Leider Productions, Astute Films
Producer(s): Jerry Leider, Wendell Pierce, Fredric I. Bernstein, Martin Davidson
Writer(s): Martin Davidson
Director(s): Martin Davidson
Details: Based on the novel “Billly” written by Albert French and published by Viking in 1993.
SSN Insight: Former Sony and MCA exec Fred Bernstein, launched production company Astute Films, backed by $50 million in private equity funding. Billy is its first acquisition.
Boomtown
Logline: To make ends meet, a man leaves his family behind and goes to Williston, North Dakota to pursue a job in the booming oil industry.
Director(s): Sabyn Mayfield
Cast: Tyler Riggs, Boyd Holbrook, Rachel Brosnahan, Jocelin Donahue, Dwight Yoakam
SSN Insight: The project is currently shooting in Los Angeles.
Friend Request
Logline: When a college student “unfriends” a mysterious girl, she finds herself fighting a demonic presence.
Studio/Distributor(s): Freestyle Releasing
Production Company(s): Wiedemann & Berg Filmproduktion GmbH & Co. KG
Producer(s): Quirin Berg, Max Wiedemann
Writer(s): Simon Verhoeven, Matthew Ballen, Philip Koch
Director(s): Simon Verhoeven
Cast: Alycia Debnam-Carey, William Moseley, Connor Paolo, Brittany Morgan
SSN Insight: International theatrical distribution is being controlled by The Exchange, which sold rights in Australia, France, Italy, Eastern Europe, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Latin America and India among others.
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
Logline: When a young nurse is hired to take care of an elderly author of best-selling ghost stories at her country home, she finds that the house has a ghost story of its own.
Production Company(s): Zed Filmworks, Paris Film, Inc., Go Insane
Producer(s): Rob Paris, Robert Menzies
Writer(s): Oz Perkins
Director(s): Oz Perkins
Cast: Ruth Wilson, Bob Balaban, Lucy Boynton
SSN Insight: Wilson won the Golden Globe last year for her starring role in The Affair. Balaban’s recent credits include The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom.
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
Logline: Former military cop Jack Reacher finds himself embroiled in a quandary when he visits his old unit.
Studio/Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Production Company(s): Skydance Productions, Don Granger Productions
Producer(s): Tom Cruise, Don Granger, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Christopher McQuarrie
Writer(s): Richard Wenk, Marshall Herskovitz, Edward Zwick
Director(s): Edward Zwick
Cast: Tom Cruise, Cobie Smulders, Danika Yarosh, Austin Hebert, Patrick Heusinger, Robert Knepper
Details: Sequel to “Jack Reacher” (USA/2012) directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise. Based on the novel “Never Go Back” written by Lee Child and published by Delacorte Press on September 3, 2013.
SSN Insight: Knepper plays Gen. Harkness, a retired general-turned-CEO of a private military contractor firm. He’s described as a man of power, experience and authority who thinks he’s the hero and is not afraid to do what’s necessary.
JL Ranch
Logline: The film follows veteran rancher and former sheriff John Landsburg, who is forced to face the federal bureaucracy when an old enemy seeking revenge over a decades-old grudge falsifies documents and alleges Landsburg doesn’t actually own his beloved family ranch. John however isn’t the type to go down without a fight.
Production Company(s): Crystal Sky Entertainment
Cast: Jon Voight, Teri Polo, James Caan, Melanie Griffith, Jeff Fahey
SSN Insight: Filming is on location in Kentucky. Polo was seen in Outlaws And Angels, which is playing Sundance 2016, and she in the cast of ABC’s The Fosters.
Jumanji
Logline: A re-imagination of the children’s book and 1995 feature film about an adventure board game, filled with wild animals, that comes to life.
Studio/Distributor(s): Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing
Production Company(s): Golden Mean Productions, Radar Pictures, Matt Tolmach Productions
Producer(s): Matt Tolmach, William Teitler
Writer(s): Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Chris McKenna, Erik Sommers, Zach Helm
Director(s): Jake Kasdan
Details: Remake of “Jumanji” (USA/1995) directed by Joe Johnston and starring Robin Williams and Kirsten Dunst. Based on the short story “Jumanji” written by Chris Van Allsburg and published by Houghton Mifflin April 27, 1981.
SSN Insight: Set for a December 25, 2016 release. Kasdan’s credits include Bad Teacher, Sex Tape, Freaks and Geeks, New Girl and The Grinder.
Marita
Logline: Marita Lorenz began an affair with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in 1959 when she was 19 years old, left Cuba for the U.S., and was recruited by the CIA for an assassination mission.
Studio/Distributor(s): Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing
Production Company(s): MTS Films, Matt Tolmach Productions
Producer(s): Matt Tolmach, Jennifer Lawrence, Scott Mednick, André Rouleau
Writer(s): Eric Warren Singer
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence
SSN Insight: Lawrence will play Marita Lorenz – the real-life femme fatale who romanced Castro, was involved in a plot to assassinate him, and even observed a conspiracy to kill JFK.
Marshall
Logline: Young Thurgood Marshall goes conservative 1940s Connecticut to defend a black chauffeur in a famous attempted murder trial.
Production Company(s): Chestnut Ridge Productions, Super Hero Films, Ltd.
Producer(s): Paula Wagner, Reginald Hudlin, Jonathan Sanger, Jun Dong
Writer(s): Michael Koskoff, Jacob Koskoff
Director(s): Reginald Hudlin
Cast: Chadwick A Boseman, Josh Gad
SSN Insight: Gad can next be seen as Roger Ebert opposite Will Ferrell in STX’s Russ & Roger. In this film, he will play insurance lawyer Sam Friedman who partners with Marshall on what becomes a controversial and high-profile case.
Novitiate
Logline: A young woman in training to become a nun in the early 1960s begins to question her faith.
Production Company(s): DeerJen Productions
Producer(s): Jen Gatien
Writer(s): Margaret Betts
Director(s): Margaret Betts
Cast: Melissa Leo, Dianna Agron, Margaret Qualley, Julianne Nicholson, Stacy Martin, Liana Liberato
SSN Insight: Liberato will play Sister Emily, a fellow postulant whose family has a long line of members in the sisterhood. Production has already kicked off in Nashville.
Rebel in the Rye
Logline: JD Salinger is followed from the early days of his writing career, though his service in WWII, which change him forever and help him find his voice as a writer.
Production Company(s): Blue Star Entertainment, Bruce Cohen Productions, Black Label Media
Producer(s): Danny Strong, Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill, Thad Luckinbill, Bruce Cohen
Writer(s): Danny Strong
Director(s): Danny Strong
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Spacey
Details: Based on the biography “JD Salinger: A Life” written by Kenneth Slawenski and published by Random House in 2010.
SSN Insight:Two-time Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey is also set to become chairman of Relativity Studios following Relativity’s acquisition of his Trigger Street Productions.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Logline: In order to save their town, some outcast children have to face their fears when their nightmares come to life.
Studio/Distributor(s): CBS Films,
Production Company(s): The Sean Daniel Company, Del Toro Productions, 1212 Entertainment
Producer(s): Sean Daniel, Jason F. Brown, Elizabeth Grave, Guillermo Del Toro
Writer(s): John August, Patrick Melton, Marcus Dunstan
Director(s): Guillermo Del Toro (In Talks)
Details: Based on the collection of tales “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” collected from folklore by Alvin Schwartz and published by Lippincott Co. in 1981.
SSN Insight: Del Toro will produce the feature with the potential to also direct it.
The Comedian
Logline: A once-loved, but past-his-prime rage comedian is sentenced to community service after hitting an audience member in the head with his microphone. It’s there that he meets a woman who changes his life.
Production Company(s): The Linson Company, Atmosphere Entertainment MM LLC
Producer(s): Art Linson, Courtney Solomon, Mark Canton, John Linson, Jon Kilik
Writer(s): Art Linson, Jeffrey Ross
Director(s): Taylor Hackford
Cast: Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann
SSN Insight: Leslie Mann has replaced Jennifer Aniston’s role in the film. Her character befriends the acerbic comedian after they unexpectedly connect at a wedding. The film will shoot early this year in New York.
The Deep End
Logline: Two sisters become trapped under the fiberglass cover of a public pool.
Production Company(s): Citizen Skull Productions
Writer(s): Matt Eskandari, Michael Hultquist
Director(s): Matt Eskandari
Cast: Alexandra Park, Nora-Jane Noone
SSN Insight: The Ireland-born actress, Nora-Jane Noone can be seen in Fox Searchlight’s now-Best Picture Oscar-nominated pic Brookyln.
The Dinner
Logline: As two couples dine at an upscale restaurant, their polite discourse disguises the fact that they are struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives over dinner.
Production Company(s): ChubbCo Film Co., Code Red Productions, Blackbird Films
Producer(s): Cotty Chubb, Lawrence Inglee, Edward Vaisman, Julia Lebedev
Writer(s): Oren Moverman
Director(s): Oren Moverman
Cast: Laura Linney, Rebecca Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Richard Gere, Steve Coogan
Details: Based on the novel “The Dinner” written by Herman Koch, first published in Amsterdam by Anthos as “Het Diner” in 2009, and translated into English and published in the U.S. by Atlantic Books in 2012.
SSN Insight: Cate Blanchett was previously attached to direct.
The Fits
Logline: Centers on 11-year-old tomboy Toni who is bewitched by the tight-knit dance team she sees practicing in the same Cincinnati gymnasium where she boxes. But when a mysterious outbreak of fainting spells plagues the team, Toni’s desire for acceptance becomes more complicated.
Studio/Distributor(s): Oscilloscope Pictures
Production Company(s): Yes Ma’am!
Producer(s): Anna Rose Holmer, Lisa Kjerulff
Writer(s): Anna Rose Holmer, Saela Davis, Lisa Kjerulff
Director(s): Anna Rose Holmer
Cast: Royalty Hightower, Alexis Neblett, Da’Sean Minor, Lauren Gibson, Makyla Burnam
SSN Insight: Oscilloscope acquired domestic rights prior to the film’s North American premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.
The Legacy Of A Whitetail Deer Hunter
Logline: Storyline is under wraps.
Production Company(s): Scott Rudin Productions, Rough House Pictures
Producer(s): Scott Rudin, Jody Hill, Eli Bush
Writer(s): Jody Hill, Danny McBride, John Carcieri
Director(s): Jody Hill
Cast: Josh Brolin, Danny McBride, Scoot McNairy
SSN Insight: McNairy can currently be seen in Ross Partridge’s feature film, Lamb from distributor The Orchard. McNairy will also be seen in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice on March 25.
The Paladin
Logline: The true story of how Winston Churchill used a top-secret program during WWII to turn a 15-year-old boy into a deadly assassin.
Production Company(s): The Firm
Producer(s): Robbie Brenner, Jason Keller, David Dobkin, Jeff Kleeman
Writer(s): Jason Keller, Eric Pfeffinger
Director(s): Peter Chelsom
Details: Based on the novel “The Paladin” written by Brian Garfield and published by Simon and Schuster in 1979.
SSN Insight: Chelsom’s credits include Shall We Dance, Hector And The Search For Happiness and Serendipity.
The Robber
Logline: A serial bank robber develops a talent as a record-breaking marathon runner.
Production Company(s): Before the Door Pictures
Producer(s): Neal Dodson, Anna Gerb, J.C. Chandor
Writer(s): Chase Palmer, David Arata
Director(s): J.C. Chandor
Details: Remake of “Der Raüber” (Germany/2010) directed by Benjamin Heisenberg, which was based on the novella of the same name written by Martin Prinz and published in Germany by Jung und Jung Verlag GmbH in 2007.
SSN Insight: Previously in development with Columbia Pictures.
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, Jason Patric, Olivia Crocicchia
Details: Based on the novel “The Yellow Birds” written by Kevin Powers and published by Little, Brown and Company September 11, 2012.
SSN Insight: Crocicchia will take the part of Tess, the ex-girlfriend of Ehrenreich’s character. Her previous credits include Men, Women & Children, Teacher Of The Year and the upcoming Actors Anonymous.
Wind River
Logline: A lone female FBI agent is sent to investigate a murder on a remote Indian Reservation in the dead of winter, and she finds assistance from a man with a haunted past.
Production Company(s): Thunder Road Pictures, Film 44, Acacia Entertainment, Savvy Media Holdings
Producer(s): Basil Iwanyk, Peter Berg, Matthew George
Writer(s): Taylor Sheridan
Director(s): Taylor Sheridan
Cast: Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner
SSN Insight: Chris Pine was previously attached to co-star. Renner and Olsen previously were seen together in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
New Projects
Bad Influence
Logline: About a single mom who faces off against her son’s ex-girlfriend after a passionate romance turns to obsession.
Production Company(s): Offspring, Broad Green
Producer(s): Jennifer Gibgot, Adam Shankman
Writer(s): Tyger Williams
SSN Insight: Tyger Williams wrote the screenplay for the Screen Gems hit The Perfect Guy. Alix Madigan will oversee for Broad Green.
Category 5
Logline: Amidst a hurricane, a team of hackers attempt to steal $100 million from a U.S. Mint facility in a small coastal town.
Production Company(s): Foresight Unlimited
Producer(s): Karen Baldwin, Michael Tadross Jr., Danny Roth
Director(s): Rob Cohen
SSN Insight: Production is scheduled to begin by summer 2016. Foresight Unlimited will lever foreign sales. Casting is currently underway.
Crossing to Safety
Logline: The marriages and friendship of two academic couples who meet in Madison, Wisconsin are followed over the course of several decades.
Production Company(s): Escape Artists
Producer(s): David Bloomfield, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch
Writer(s): David Bloomfield
Details: Based on the novel “Crossing to Safety” written by Wallace Stegner and published by Penguin Books in 1987.
SSN Insight: Escape Artists has a first-look deal with Sony Pictures.
Dead Mall
Logline: A group of forty somethings try to escape a killer, set in the backdrop of a deserted mall.
Studio/Distributor(s): 20th Century Fox
Production Company(s): B Story
Producer(s): Kevin J Walsh
Writer(s): Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Director(s): Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
SSN Insight: Nat Faxon and Jim Rash won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay with Alexander Payne for The Descendants and wrote and directed the previous Sundance hit The Way Way Back.
Do Nothing Bitches
Logline: Wealthy, pampered wives are whipped into shape by a no-nonsense camp instructor.
Studio/Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
Production Company(s): Little Stranger, Inc.
Producer(s): Tina Fey, Paula Pell
Writer(s): Paula Pell
Cast: Tina Fey, Ronda Rousey
SSN Insight: The idea for the script was sparked by a videotaped interview Ronda Rousey gave about women empowerment and body image in the summer of 2015. Universal acquired the pitch from Paula Pell for a reported high six figures.
Frog Music
Logline: Inspired by a real-life unsolved murder, and set in San Francisco during the summer of 1876, a burlesque dancer must risk everything to piece together clues in her friend’s murder, all while she and the city endure a record-breaking heatwave, a smallpox epidemic, as well as racism and fear.
Production Company(s): Monumental Pictures, Palantir Group
Producer(s): Alison Owen, Debra Hayward, Scott Lastaiti
Writer(s): Emma Donoghue
SSN Insight: Owen and Hayward laucnhed Monumental Pictures in 2014. Last year ITV Studios Global took a minority stake in their television shingle, Monumental Television.
Stan & Ollie
Logline: The film follows the legendary comedy duo during their 1953 variety hall tour of Britain which began with low attendance and eventually became a hit with old and new fans.
Production Company(s): BBC Films, Fable Pictures, Sonesa Films
Producer(s): Faye Ward, Jeff Pope
Writer(s): Jeff Pope
Director(s): Jon S Baird
Cast: Steve Coogan, John C Reilly
SSN Insight: Ward previously produced Suffragette and is prepping Country Music, with trending actress Karen Gillan attached.
Untitled Alexander McQueen Biopic
Logline: A biopic about the working class son of a taxi driver, Alexander McQueen, who began as a tailor’s apprentice on London’s Savile Row and became one of the world’s top fashion designers.
Studio/Distributor(s): Pathe International
Production Company(s): DJ Films Limited
Producer(s): Damian Jones
Writer(s): Chris Urch
Director(s): Andrew Haigh
SSN Insight: Screenwriter Chris Urch incorporated biographical research into his screenplay for the project, including, but not limited to, the 2015 biography of Alexander McQueen, “Blood Beneath the Skin,” by Andrew Wilson, which producer Damian Jones optioned.
Untitled Mary Magdalene Biopic
Logline: A portrait of Mary Magdalene, a devoted follower of Jesus Christ and one of the most enigmatic and misunderstood spiritual figures in history.
Studio/Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
Production Company(s): See-Saw Films
Producer(s): Iain Canning, Emile Sherman
Writer(s): Helen Edmundson, Philippa Goslett
Director(s): Garth Davis
SSN Insight: Universal will distribute the film in all international territories except Australia and New Zealand, where it will be overseen by See Saw’s partners Transmission Films. Film4 co-developed the project with See-Saw Films.