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Ashes in the Snow
02/01/2016
Logline: A 15-year-old aspiring artist from the Baltic region is deported to Siberia during Joseph Stalin’s reign during WWII.
Production Company(s): Unanimous Pictures, Super Crispy Entertainment, Sorrento Productions, Tauras Films
Director(s): Marius A Markevicius
Producer(s): Zilvinas Naujokas, Marius A Markevicius, Jonathan Schwartz, Chris Coen
Cast: Bel Powley, Jonah Hauer-King
Writer(s): Ben York Jones
Details: Based on the novel “Between Shades of Gray” written by Ruta Sepety and published by Philomel Books in 2011.
SSN Insight: Powley is most known for her performance in Diary of a Teenage Girl. She will next be seen in Equals, alongside Nicholas Hoult and Kristen Stewart. She also wrapped production on Christopher Smith’s thriller Detour and is attached to star in A Storm in The Stars.
Mad to be Normal
02/01/2016
Logline: Controversial psychiatrist R.D. Laing, whose experimental methods and use of LSD with patients in 1960s and ‘70s shocked the psychiatric establishment, is the subject of this biopic.
Production Company(s): MMC Independent GmbH, Gizmo Films, Bad Penny Productions
Director(s): Robert Mullan
Executive Producer(s): Peter Dunphy
Producer(s): Phin Glynn, Charlotte Arden, Harriet Hammond
Cast: David Tennant, Elisabeth Moss, Michael Gambon, Gabriel Byrne
Writer(s): Robert Mullan
SSN Insight: Mullan has produced over 40 documentary films for Channel 4, BBC 2, Discovery, Vision TV, and ZDF, including both the award-winning The Man Under the Sea and Bhagwan: My Dance is Complete.
The Last Word
02/03/2016
Logline: Retired businesswoman Harriet, controlling to the end, writes her own obituary, but the newspaper writer tasked with the piece insists on learning the truth about Harriet’s life and the two become reluctant partners and friends.
Production Company(s): Pellington Films, Wondros
Director(s): Mark Pellington
Executive Producer(s): Aaron Magnani, Pat Peach
Producer(s): Kirk D’Amico, Mark Pellington, Anne-Marie Mackay
Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried, Steven Culp
Writer(s): Stuart Fink
SSN Insight: Mark Pellington is the executive producer on NBC’s Blindspot. He also directed the features I Melt with You, Henry Poole is Here and the documentary U2 3D among others.
The Titan
02/01/2016
Logline: In the near future, a military family is relocated so they can participate in a ground-breaking experiment of man’s genetic evolution into space.
Production Company(s): Motion Picture Capital, 42, Automatik
Director(s): Lennart Ruff
Executive Producer(s): Fred Berger
Producer(s): Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Benjamin Pugh, Rory Aitken, Arash Amel, Leon Clarance
Cast: Sam Worthington, Ruth Wilson, Sofia Boutella, Taylor Schilling, Tom Wilkinson
Writer(s): Max Hurwitz
SSN Insight: Sam Worthington recently wrapped production on Hacksaw Ridge and Hunter’s Prayer. He’s also attached to films in active development including Avatar 2, Den of Thieves and Thunder Run.
Welcome to Willits
02/01/2016
Logline: Locals in the Northern California woods are being attacked by perceived supernatural threats, and when the situation escalates into carnage, a farmer struggles to defend his family.
Production Company(s): Real Horror Show Pictures
Director(s): Trevor Ryan
Cast: Bill Sage, Dolph Lundgren, Anastasia Baranova
Writer(s): Tim Ryan
Details: Based on the short film “Welcome to Willits: After Sundown” (2013) directed by Trevor Ryan.
SSN Insight: Trevor Ryan makes his feature directorial debut with this film. Mark Webber and Teresa Palmer both starred in the Willits short and were originally set to reprise their roles are no longer attached due to scheduling conflicts.
xXx: The Return of Xander Cage
02/01/2016
Logline: The adventures of Xander “XXX” Cage continue.
Studio/Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures, Revolution Studios,
Production Company(s): One Race, Roth Kirschenbaum Films
Director(s): D.J. Caruso
Executive Producer(s): Ric Kidney
Producer(s): Joe Roth, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Samantha Vincent, Vin Diesel
Cast: Vin Diesel, Jet Li, Tony Jaa, Deepika Padukone, Nina Dobrev
Writer(s): F Scott Frazier, Chad St. John
Details: Sequel to “XXX” (2002) directed by Rob Cohen and starring Vin Diesel and “XXX: State of the Union” (2004) directed by Lee Tamahori and starring Ice Cube.
SSN Insight: Ericson Core was previously attached to direct. Rob Cohen was previously attached to direct.
WRAPS
Aux
02/05/2016
Logline: Two boys discover a hidden WWII military bunker that contains something that kills every policeman who investigates, but an elderly vet in nursing home knows what it is and gets involved.
Production Company(s): Evolutionary Films
Director(s): John Adams
Executive Producer(s): John Rhys-Davies
Producer(s): John Adams, Diane Shorthouse
Cast: John Rhys-Davies, Rosie Fellner, Tristam Summers, Jack Derges, Anniwaa Buachie
Writer(s): John Adams, Peter Adams
SSN Insight: John Rhys-Davies recently wrapped on the feature Catching Kringle. He’s also currently attached to Black Angel, Junior Crew and The Lion Inside, all in active development.
Girl on the Train
01/30/2016
Logline: A young woman gets mixed up in a murder investigation because of what she sees on her daily commute.
Studio/Distributor(s): Amblin Partners, Universal Pictures
Production Company(s): Marc Platt Productions
Director(s): Tate Taylor
Executive Producer(s): Jared LeBoff, Celia D Costas
Producer(s): Marc Platt
Cast: Haley Bennett, Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Édgar Ramírez, Luke Evans
Writer(s): Erin Cressida Wilson
Details: Based on the novel “Girl on the Train” written by Paula Hawkins and published by Riverhead Books in 2015.
SSN Insight: Kate Mara was mentioned to co-star. Chris Evans was previously in negotiations for the role filled by Justin Theroux.
HHHH
02/01/2016
Logline: The true story of the assassination of Hitler’s colleague, Reinhard Heydrich.
Production Company(s): Légende Films, Echo Lake Entertainment, FilmNation, Adama Pictures
Director(s): Cédric Jimenez
Producer(s): Ilan Goldman, Daniel Crown, Simon Istolainen
Cast: Jason Clarke, Rosamund Pike, Jack O’Connell, Jack Reynor, Stephen Graham
Writer(s): David Farr, Audrey Diwan, Cédric Jimenez
Details: Based on the book “HHhH” by Laurent Binet; published by Grasset in 2009.
SSN Insight: Screenplay was included in the 2014 Brit List. Title refers to an acronym for “Himmlers Hirn Heisst Heydrich” (“Himmler’s Brain Is Called Heydrich”).
Live by Night
02/03/2016
Logline: A young gangster climbs through the ranks during the Prohibition era.
Studio/Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Company(s): Pearl Street Films, Appian Way
Director(s): Ben Affleck
Executive Producer(s): Dennis Lehane
Producer(s): Ben Affleck, Jennifer Davisson Killoran, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Todd
Cast: Ben Affleck, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, Elle Fanning, Chris Messina
Writer(s): Ben Affleck
Details: Based on the novel “Live by Night,” written by Dennis Lehane and published by William Morrow on October 2, 2012.
SSN Insight: Aside from his role as Batman across films for WB, Affleck is also developing Bunker Hill, House of Deceit, Race to the South Pole, Sleeper and an Untitled Africa Thriller Project at Warner Bros. he will also direct and star in.
Untitled Jason Bourne Sequel
02/01/2016
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: Originally the film was set to wrap on January 15. Alicia Vikander was recently seen in The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Ex Machina, 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.