New Attachments
A Storm In The Stars
Logline: The story of the love affair between poet Percy Shelley and 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft, which resulted in Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein.
Production Company(s): Burstein Company, Parallel Films, Gidden Media
Producer(s): Amy Baer, Alan Moloney, Ruth Coady
Writer(s): Emma Jensen
Director(s): Haifaa al-Mansour
Cast: Elle Fanning, Bel Powley, Douglas Booth, Ben Hardy, Tom Sturridge, Maisie Williams, Stephen Dillane, Joanne Froggatt
SSN Insight: Tom Sturridge was just nominated for an Olivier Award for the West End production of American Buffalo. Maisie Williams and Stephen Dillane have both appeared in Game of Thrones.
Alien: Covenant
Logline: The crew of the spaceship Covenant discover what they believe is an uncharted paradise, but in fact it is a dark and dangerous world whose only inhabitant is David.
Studio/Distributor(s): 20th Century Fox, 20th Century Fox Distribution
Production Company(s): Ridley Scott Films
Producer(s): Ridley Scott, Michael Schaefer
Writer(s): Michael Green, Jack Paglen
Director(s): Ridley Scott
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Noomi Rapace, Katherine Waterston, Demián Bichir, Billy Crudup
Details: Sequel to “Prometheus” (2012) directed by Ridley Scott and starring Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender and Charlize Theron.
SSN Insight: Actress Rebecca Ferguson used to be in discussions for this film. It is now unclear if Noomi Rapace will appear in this sequel.
Baywatch
Logline: An elite group of lifeguards are forced to team up with a young, hotshot former Olympian to save their beloved bay.
Studio/Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Production Company(s): The Montecito Picture Company, Contrafilm, Vinson Films, Flynn Picture Co., 7 Bucks Entertainment
Producer(s): Beau Flynn, Ivan Reitman, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Michael Berk
Writer(s): Damian Shannon, Mark Swift, Barry Schwartz, Justin Malen, Robert Ben Garant
Director(s): Seth Gordon
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Alexandra Daddario, Kelly Rohrbach, Ilfenesh Hadera, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Details: Based on the NBC television show “Baywatch” (1989-2000) starring David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra and Yasmine Bleeth.
SSN Insight: Project was originally in development at Dreamworks, which paid seven figures for the film rights to the TV show. Jeremy Garelick was previously attached to direct.
Blood’s a Rover
Logline: During the late 1960’s the lives of three dangerous men collides with a mysterious woman who might impact the course of history.
Production Company(s): Mark Gordon Company, Story and Film, Inc.
Producer(s): Vincent Sieber, Clark Peterson, Mark R. Gordon
Writer(s): Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Details: Based on the novel “Blood’s a Rover,” written by James Ellroy and published by Knopf on September 22, 2009.
SSN Insight: The Mark Gordon Company will produce and finance this film. Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby received an Oscar nomination for Children of Men.
Ghost in the Shell
Logline: The exploits of Motoko Kusanagi, a member of the covert operations section of the National Public Safety Commission, Section 9, which specializes in fighting technology-related crime.
Studio/Distributor(s): Amblin Partners, Paramount Pictures
Production Company(s): Crystal Sky Entertainment, Arad Productions, Inc.
Producer(s): Avi Arad, Ari Arad, Steven Paul
Writer(s): Jonathan Herman, Bill Wheeler, Laeta Kalogridis, Jamie Moss
Director(s): Rupert Sanders
Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Sam Riley, Johan “Pilou” Asbaek, Michael Pitt, Takeshi “Beat” Kitano
Details: Based on the Japanese manga “Ghost in the Shell” created by Masamune Shirow and first published in Young Magazine in 1989. The manga series “Ghost in the Shell” has been previously adapted into two animated films: “Ghost in the Shell” (Japan/1995) and “Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence” (Japan/2004). An animated television series, “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Solid State Society,” aired from 2004 to 2005.
SSN Insight: Margot Robbie was previously in talks to star. This will be Kitano’s first U.S. role since Keanu Reeves’ Johnny Mnemonic in 1995.
Hunter Killer
Logline: Navy SEALs try to stop a renegade Russian military leader who wants to start a war.
Studio/Distributor(s): ,
Production Company(s): Original Film, Tooley Productions, G-BASE
Producer(s): Neal H. Moritz, Toby Jaffe, Tucker Tooley, Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel
Writer(s): Peter Craig, Jamie Moss, John Kolvenbach, Arne L Schmidt
Director(s): Donovan Marsh
Cast: Gerard Butler, Common, Billy Bob Thornton, Gary Oldman
Details: Based on the novel “Firing Point” written by Don Keith and George Wallace and published by Signet in 2012.
SSN Insight: Pierre Morel and Phillip Noyce were both previously attached to direct.
iBoy
Logline: Before the attack, Tom Harvey was just an average teen, but a head-on collision with high technology leaves him with fragments from a broken iPhone embedded into his brain and turned him into an actualized App with super human powers.
Studio/Distributor(s): ,
Production Company(s): Pretty Pictures, XYZ Films, Wigwam Films
Producer(s): Emily Leo, Gail Mutrux, Oliver Roskill
Writer(s): Joe Barton
Director(s): Adam Randall
Cast: Bill Milner, Maisie Williams, Miranda Richardson, Rory Kinnear
Details: Based on the novel “iBoy” written by Kevin Brooks and published by Puffin Books on July 1, 2010.
SSN Insight: Will Poulter and Sarah Bolger were previously attached to co-star. Milner’s credits include X-Men: First Class and Son of Rambow.
It’s a Small World
Logline: Storyline is under wraps for a film based on the popular Disney attraction featuring animatronic children signing about international peace and unity.
Studio/Distributor(s): Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures,
Production Company(s): Junction Entertainment, Lin Pictures
Producer(s): Jon Turteltaub, Dan Lin
Writer(s): Tim Rasmussen, Vince Di Meglio
Director(s): Jon Turteltaub
Details: Based on the “It’s a Small World” attraction and ride which was created for the 1964-65 New York World’s Fair in honor of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and reopened at Disneyland Park on May 28, 1966.
SSN Insight: The project is envisioned as a potential franchise for the studio. The screenwriting duo wrote Meet The Fockers and The Girlfriend Equation.
Jackie
Logline: Examines the days immediately following the assassination of John F. Kennedy from Jackie Kennedy’s point-of-view.
Production Company(s): Why Not Productions, Protozoa Pictures, LD Entertainment, Fabula Producciones , Bliss Media
Producer(s): Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin, Ari Handel, Juan de Dios Larraín, Mickey Liddell
Writer(s): Noah Oppenheim
Director(s): Pablo Larraín
Cast: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, John Hurt, Billy Crudup
SSN Insight: Previously in development with New Regency. Rachel Weisz previously attached to star. Darren Aronofsky previously attached to direct.
Joshy
Logline: Josh treats what would have been his bachelor party as an opportunity to reconnect with his friends.
Studio/Distributor(s): Lionsgate, Hulu
Production Company(s): American Zoetrope, StarStream Entertainment, Bow & Arrow Entertainment, Destro Films
Producer(s): Elizabeth Destro, Michael Zakin
Writer(s): Jeff Baena
Director(s): Jeff Baena
Cast: Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Alex Ross Perry, Nick Kroll, Brett Gelman
SSN Insight: Lionsgate and Hulu together have acquired North American rights to the film, which will be distributed through Lionsgate Premiere and stream exclusively on Hulu following its theatrical bow. Joshy premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
Kursk
Logline: On August 12, 2000, explosions aboard the Russian submarine Kursk caused it to sink during a naval exercise in the Barents Sea, and twenty-three trapped survivors desperately waited for help to arrive as their oxygen supply quickly diminished.
Studio/Distributor(s): EuropaCorp
Production Company(s): EuropaCorp
Writer(s): Robert Rodat
Director(s): Thomas Vinterberg
Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts
Details: Based on the book “A Time to Die” written by Robert Moore and published by Crown in 2002.
SSN Insight: Martin Zandvliet was previously on board to direct.
Miss Sloane
Logline: A powerful lobbyist sacrifices her career on Federal Hill so she can push through an amendment enforcing stricter federal laws regulating guns.
Studio/Distributor(s): EuropaCorp
Production Company(s): EuropaCorp, FilmNation
Producer(s): Ben Browning, Kris Thykier, Ariel Zeitoun, Jonathan Vanger
Writer(s): Jonathan “Jonny” Perera
Director(s): John Madden
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Alison Pill, Jake Lacy, Michael Stuhlbarg, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Ennis Esmer
SSN Insight: Project was included in the 2015 Black List.
Patriots Day
Logline: Surrounds the events surrounding the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing.
Studio/Distributor(s): CBS Films, Lionsgate
Production Company(s): Leverage Management, Closest To The Hole Productions, Bluegrass Films
Producer(s): Scott Stuber, Dylan Clark, Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Michael Radutzky
Writer(s): Matt Charman
Director(s): Peter Berg
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, J.K. Simmons
Details: Based on the firsthand account of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, whose life rights have been optioned by CBS Films, and on research done and footage shot by “60 Minutes.”
SSN Insight: The film starts shooting next month in Boston. Simmons will play Watertown PD Sgt. Jeffrey Pugliese.
Solo Pass
Logline: Follows the story of a psychiatric patient confined to the psychiatric ward of a city hospital after suffering a breakdown. Finally granted a one day “solo pass” to leave the facility and venture into the world, he begins to confront the experiences and fears that led him to his breakdown.
Studio/Distributor(s): Great Point Media
Production Company(s): Gotham Entertainment Group, Olive Productions
Producer(s): Steve Buscemi, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Lee Stollman, Wren Arthur, Stanley Tucci
Writer(s): Stu Zicherman
Director(s): Steve Buscemi
Cast: Steve Buscemi
Details: Based on the novel “Solo Pass” written by Ronald De Feo and published by Other Press in 2013.
SSN Insight: Robert Halmi Jr.’s Great Point Media will finance development and production on the film.
Speed the Plow
Logline: A movie studio executive Bobby Gould needs a hit, colleague Charlie Fox gives him a tip that will benefit himself, and both men bet on who can sleep with a pretty temp who has an angle of her own.
Studio/Distributor(s): Lionsgate, Lionsgate
Production Company(s): Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Winkler Films, The Fyzz Facility, Great Point Media
Producer(s): Randall Emmett, George Furla, Irwin Winkler
Writer(s): David Mamet
Director(s): Michael Polish
Details: Based on the play “Speed the Plow” written by David Mamet, which premiered on Broadway at the Royal Theatre on May 3, 1988.
SSN Insight: Polish previously directed Big Sur, Stay Cool and The Astronaut Farmer.
The Dark Tower
Logline: The tale of gunslinger Roland Deschain’s quest for the Dark Tower.
Studio/Distributor(s): Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing
Production Company(s): Imagine Entertainment, Weed Road Pictures, Media Rights Capital
Producer(s): Brian Grazer, Akiva Goldsman, Ron Howard, Erica Huggins, Stephen King
Writer(s): Anders Thomas Jensen, Nikolaj Arcel, Akiva Goldsman, Jeff Pinkner
Director(s): Nikolaj Arcel
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Idris Elba, Abbey Lee
Details: Based on the seven-book series “Dark Tower” that begins with “The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger” written by Stephen King and published by Donald M. Grant in 1982.
SSN Insight: Screenwriters Akiva Goldsman and Jeff Pinkner reportedly are basing their new script on the first book in the series. “The Dark Tower” is planned to be the first in a series of movies. A complementary television series is also being developed by co-financier Media Rights Capital.
New Projects
Bright
Logline: Storyline is under wraps on this contemporary cop thriller with fantastical elements.
Production Company(s): Arcade Films, Clubhouse Pictures
Producer(s): Eric Newman, Bryan Unkeless, Max Landis
Director(s): David Ayer
Cast: Will Smith, Joel Edgerton
SSN Insight: David Ayer has written drafts on the features The Wild Bunch, The Wild Geese, Scarface and Dominion, all in development.
Fear, Inc.
Logline: Fear, Inc. follows a company of degenerates who can be hired for a premium to bring your greatest fears to life. But when horror junkie Joe Foster’s customized scare seemingly begins, he and his friends must decide if this company is there to scare them o
Production Company(s): Amasia Entertainment, Lone Suspect
Producer(s): Heather Kasprzak, Vincent Masciale, Luke Barnett, Natalie Masciale
Writer(s): Luke Barnett
Director(s): Vincent Masciale
Cast: Abigail Breslin, Lucas Neff, Caitlin Stasey, Chris Marquette, Stephanie Drake
SSN Insight: Breslin will star as Baby in the Dirty Dancing TV movie remake for ABC. She’s also attached to the features Virgin Mary and Vengeance: A Love Story.
Pax
Logline: Set against the backdrop of war, a boy is separated from his pet fox and they must try to find each other again against all odds.
Production Company(s): Sidney Kimmel Entertainment
Details: Based on the children’s book “Pax” by Sara Pennypacker.
SSN Insight: Sidney Kimmel Entertainment acquired the rights to the book after a bidding war with StudioCanal and Anonymous Content. Pennypacker has written 20 children’s books and is best known for her series, Clementine, which has more than 1.5 million books in print.
Teflon
Logline: This documentary examines the toxic side effects of plastic household products, and the cover up of these concerns by the plastics industry.
Production Company(s): Management 360, Pascal Pictures
Producer(s): Rachel O’Connor
Writer(s): Vanessa Taylor
Details: Based on the upcoming book “Teflon” written by Mariah Blake and her two articles, “Welcome to Beautiful Parkersburg, West Virginia: Home of the Largest Cover-up in Corporate History” published in the Huffington Post, and “The Scary New Evidence on BPA-Free Plastics” published on MotherJones.com, March/April, 2014.
SSN Insight: Vanessa Taylor was previously a co-EP on Game Of Thrones co-exec producer and wrote Divergent along with Hope Springs.