New Attachments
A Tale of Love and Darkness
Logline: Israeli writer Amos Oz reflects on his memories of growing up in Jerusalem in the years before Israeli statehood.
Studio/Distributor(s): Focus World
Production Company(s): Keshet Media Group, Handsomecharlie Films, Movieplus Productions
Producer(s): Natalie Portman, Annette Savitch, Ram Bergman, David Mandil
Writer(s): Natalie Portman, Naomi Foner
Director(s): Natalie Portman
Cast: Natalie Portman, Gilad Kahana, Amir Tessler
Details: Based on the memoir “A Tale of Love and Darkness” written by Amos Oz with translation from original Hebrew by Nicholas de Lange and published by Harcourt in November 2004.
SSN Insight: Focus Features’ multiplatform label Focus World bought the U.S. rights to Portman’s feature directorial debut that premiered at Cannes last year.
American Assassin
Logline: After college student Mitch Rapp’s girlfriend is killed in a terrorist attack, he is recruited by the CIA and becomes part of a new group of clandestine operatives.
Studio/Distributor(s): CBS Films, Lionsgate
Production Company(s): Di Bonaventura Pictures, Nick Wechsler Productions
Producer(s): Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Nick Wechsler
Writer(s): Stephen Schiff, Jeffrey Nachmanoff, Michael Finch, Edward Zwick, Marshall Herskovitz
Director(s): Michael Cuesta
Cast: Michael Keaton
Details: Based on the novel “American Assassin” written by Vince Flynn and published by Atria on October 12, 2010. It is the 11th book in the Mitch Rapp series written by Vince Flynn. Other titles in the series include: “Transfer of Power” (2000), “The Third Option” (2001), “Separation of Power” (2002), “Executive Power” (2003), “Memorial Day” (2004), “Consent to Kill” (2005), “Act of Treason” (2006), “Protect and Defend” (2007) and “Pursuit of Honor” (2009).
SSN Insight: Ed Zwick was previously attached to direct. Chris Hemsworth was previously in talks to star.
Anon
Logline: A detective lives in a world with no privacy, ignorance or anonymity. It seems to be the end of crime, but when he comes across a woman who doesn’t exist, he finds it might be the beginning.
Production Company(s): Niccol Films, K5 Media Group GmbH
Producer(s): Oliver Simon, Daniel Baur, Andrew Niccol
Director(s): Andrew Niccol
Cast: Clive Owen, Amanda Seyfried
SSN Insight: Seyfried most recently starred in Ted 2 and Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young.
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
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, Jack Kesy, Amin Joseph
Details: Based on the NBC television show “Baywatch” (1989-2000) starring David Hasselhoff, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra and Yasmine Bleeth.
SSN Insight: Jeremy Garelick was previously attached to direct. Project was originally in development at Dreamworks, which paid seven figures for the film rights to the TV show.
Death Wish
Logline: A mild-mannered man turns to vigilantism after his family is attacked.
Studio/Distributor(s): Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), Paramount Pictures,
Production Company(s): Ridley Scott Films , RSA Films Ltd., PIN HIGH
Producer(s): Jules Daly, Ridley Scott, Roger Birnbaum
Writer(s): Graham Yost, Dan Gilroy, Joe Carnahan, Michael Ferris, John Brancato
Director(s): Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado
Cast: Bruce Willis
Details: Remake of “Death Wish” (1974) directed by Michael Winner and starring Charles Bronson. Based on the novel “Death Wish” written by Brian Garfield and published by Fawcett in 1972.
SSN Insight: Sylvester Stallone was previously in discussions to star and direct.
Five Seconds of Silence
Logline: While on a mission to kill a German official, two assassins fall in love, get married and then discover that one is a double agent that the other now must eliminate.
Studio/Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures, Paramount Pictures
Production Company(s): ImageMovers, New Regency Productions, GK Films
Producer(s): Graham King, Robert Zemeckis, Steve Starkey
Writer(s): Steven Knight
Director(s): Robert Zemeckis
Cast: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris, Lizzy Caplan
SSN Insight: Caplan will play Pitt’s character’s sister. She will next be seen in Now You See Me 2 coming out in June and she has begun production on season 4 of Showtime’s Masters Of Sex.
Free Fire
Logline: In 1978, an arms deal in Boston goes terribly wrong.
Studio/Distributor(s): A24
Production Company(s): Rook Films
Producer(s): Andy Starke, Ben Wheatley
Writer(s): Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump
Director(s): Ben Wheatley
Cast: Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Michael Smiley, Sharlto Copley
SSN Insight: Olivia Wilde was previously attached to the role played by Brie Larson. Alchemy originally acquired domestic rights for an amount estimated to be above $3 million at 2015 AFM, but due to financial issues put the rights up for sale. Protagonist Pictures is handling international sales.
Headhunters
Logline: A corporate headhunter who steals art from the homes of his applicants gets caught up in a murderous scheme.
Production Company(s): Yellow Bird, Norse Code
Producer(s): Marianne Gray, Ole Søndberg, Berna Levin, Morten Tyldum, Janne Tyldum
Writer(s): Sacha Gervasi
Director(s): Morten Tyldum
Details: Remake of “Headhunters” (Norway/2011) directed by Morten Tyldum and starring Aksel Hennie and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, which was based on the Norwegian novel “Hodejegerne” by Jo Nesbo and published by Lydbokforl in 2008.
SSN Insight: Project was previously in development at Summit Entertainment and Friland Norway. Tyldum previously directed The Imitation Game.
Hostiles
Logline: In 1892, an Army captain, a dying Cheyenne chief and his family, and a young widow join forces on a harrowing journey from New Mexico to Montana.
Production Company(s): Le Grisbi Productions, Waypoint Entertainment
Producer(s): John Lesher, Scott Cooper, Kenneth Kao
Writer(s): Donald E Stewart
Director(s): Scott Cooper
Cast: Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike
SSN Insight: Production is scheduled to begin in July.
Hush
Logline: A reclusive deaf writer is stalked by a psychotic killer in her secluded home.
Studio/Distributor(s): Netflix
Production Company(s): Blumhouse Productions, Intrepid Pictures
Producer(s): Trevor Macy, Jason Blum
Writer(s): Mike Flanagan, Kate Siegel
Director(s): Mike Flanagan
Cast: Kate Siegel, John Gallagher Jr., Michael Trucco, Samantha Sloyan
SSN Insight: Netflix acquired worldwide SVOD rights prior to the film’s premiere at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival.
Justice League Part 1
Logline: Storyline under wraps.
Studio/Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures Distribution
Production Company(s): DC Entertainment, Atlas Entertainment
Producer(s): George Miller, Barrie M. Osborne, Doug Mitchell, Charles Roven
Writer(s): Chris Terrio, Will Beall, Kieran Mulroney, Michele Mulroney
Director(s): Zack Snyder
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Ezra Miller, Gal Gadot, J.K. Simmons
Details: Based on the comic book series “Justice League of America” published by DC Comics.
SSN Insight: Jessica Biel and Megan Gale were previously attached to the role of Wonder Woman. Adam Brody was previously attached to the role of The Flash. Common was previously attached to the role of Green Lantern. Armie Hammer was previously attached to the role of Batman. George Miller was previously attached to direct.
La La Land
Logline: Lonely aspiring actress Mia and cocky jazz pianist Sebastian balance their art and love in Los Angeles, the land of the dreamers.
Studio/Distributor(s): Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment, LLC
Production Company(s): Marc Platt Productions, Gilbert Films, Impostor Pictures, Black Label Media
Producer(s): Jordan Horowitz, Fred Berger, Gary Gilbert, Marc Platt
Writer(s): Damien Chazelle
Director(s): Damien Chazelle
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, J.K. Simmons, John Legend, Finn Wittrock
SSN Insight: Emma Watson was previously attached to star. Miles Teller was previously attached to star. Lionsgate will work with Black Label Media as a co-financier on the film.
Meg
Logline: Carcharodon Megalodon, the 70 foot, 40 ton prehistoric cousin of the great white shark, rises from the abyss and threatens the California coastline.
Studio/Distributor(s): Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Company(s): Di Bonaventura Pictures, Gravity Pictures, Maeday Productions, Apelles Entertainment
Producer(s): Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, Colin Wilson, Belle Avery
Writer(s): Dean Georgaris
Director(s): Jon Turteltaub (in talks)
Details: Based on the novel “Meg” written by Steve Alten published by Doubleday June 2, 1997.
SSN Insight: Jan de Bont previously attached to direct. Thomas Wheeler and Jeffrey Boam previously wrote drafts when the project was set up at Disney. Bantam-Doubleday-Dell has reportedly paid $2.1 million for the publishing rights to this book and its sequel “Phobos.”
Nine Eleven
Logline: Five individuals are trapped in an elevator in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. This is their struggle to survive.
Studio/Distributor(s): ,
Production Company(s): Sunset Pictures, Vitamin A Films, Thunder Studios, Sprockefeller Pictures
Producer(s): Martin Sprock, Dahlia Waingort, Warren Ostergard
Writer(s): Martin Guigui, Steven Golebiowski
Director(s): Martin Guigui
Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Charlie Sheen, Luis Guzman, Wood Harris, Olga Fonda
SSN Insight: The film is currently shooting in Long Beach, CA and has been scheduled to shoot for four weeks.
Patriots Day
Logline: An account of Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis’s actions in the events leading up to the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing and the aftermath, which includes the city-wide manhunt to find the terrorists behind it.
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, Jimmy O. Yang
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: Yang can currently be seen on HBO’s Silicon Valley.
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, Laura Dern, Brian d’Arcy James, Hope Davis, Zoey Deutch
Details: Based on the biography “JD Salinger: A Life” written by Kenneth Slawenski and published by Random House in 2010.
SSN Insight: Zoey Deutch will play Oona O’Neill, the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill and a fixture in gossip columns and the New York social scene.
Spider-Man (Reboot)
Logline: Storyline is under wraps, but involves a teenage Peter Parker.
Studio/Distributor(s): Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Releasing
Production Company(s): Marvel Entertainment, Pascal Pictures
Producer(s): Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal
Writer(s): John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Director(s): Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Marisa Tomei, Zendaya
Details: Based on the legendary Marvel comic book, Spider-Man created by writer/editor Stan Lee and writer/artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 cover-dated August 1962.
SSN Insight: Actors in contention for the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man included Nat Wolff, Asa Butterfield, Tom Holland, Timothee Chalamet, Judah Lewis, Matthew Lintz, Charlie Plummer, Charlie Plummer and Liam Jame. They did screen tests in Atlanta and ultimately, Tom Holland got the role. Drew Goddard was previously in talks to write and direct.
The Discovery
Logline: Soon after the existence of the afterlife has been scientifically proven, the son of the man who made the discovery falls in love with a woman with a tragic past.
Production Company(s): Endgame Entertainment, Verisimilitude
Producer(s): Alex Orlovsky, James D. Stern, Hunter Gray
Writer(s): Charlie McDowell, Justin Lader
Director(s): Charlie McDowell
Cast: Rooney Mara, Jason Segel, Robert Redford, Jesse Plemons, Riley Keough
SSN Insight: Segel is replacing the originally cast Nicholas Hoult, who left due to scheduling conflicts.
The Steps
Logline: Uptight New Yorker and his party-girl sister visit their dad’s lake house to meet his new wife and her rough-around-the-edges kids, prompting a clash of cultures quickly descending into chaos. When the parents announce they are also adopting a child to bring this “family” together, lingering bitterness and disappointments wreak havoc as they group figures out how to become a family.
Studio/Distributor(s): Monterey Media
Production Company(s): Quadrant Motion Pictures
Producer(s): Mary Anne Waterhouse, Daniel Iron, Andrew Currie, Jason James
Writer(s): Robyn Harding
Director(s): Andrew Currie
Cast: Jason Ritter, Emmanuelle Chriqui, James Brolin, Christine Lahti, Vinay Virmani
SSN Insight: Monterey Media has acquired U.S. rights to the film that premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and is scheduled for a release in June.
The Travelers
Logline: A journalist who unknowingly works for a spy agency is drawn into a tangled web.
Studio/Distributor(s): Amblin Partners,
Production Company(s): The Picture Company
Producer(s): Andrew Rona, Alex Heineman
Writer(s): Jonathan Herman
Details: Based on the novel “The Travelers” written by Chris Pavone; to be published March 2016.
SSN Insight: Herman was nominated with Andrea Berloff for Best Original Screenplay for Straight Outta Compton at this year’s Oscars.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Logline: After a 50-year-old woman’s daughter is murdered, she confronts the police in her town who she believes are more interested in persecuting African-Americans than getting justice.
Production Company(s): Blue Print Pictures
Producer(s): Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, Martin McDonagh, Diarmuid McKeown
Writer(s): Martin McDonagh
Director(s): Martin McDonagh
Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell
SSN Insight: Film4 and Fox Searchlight will equally co-finance the film. Fox will take worldwide distribution rights and Film4 will handle UK TV rights.
Vengeance: A Love Story
Logline: About a Niagra Falls Police detective who becomes impassioned with a case concerning the brutal rape of a young mother of a 12 year-old girl. When the meth-head rapists are caught, their parents hire a slick criminal defense attorney who then puts the victim on trial.
Production Company(s): Patriot Pictures LLC
Producer(s): Michael Mendelsohn, Richard Rionda Del Castro, Johnny Martin
Writer(s): John Mankiewicz
Director(s): Nicolas Cage
Cast: Nicolas Cage
Details: Based on the novella “Rape: A Love Story” written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Da Capo Press on December 14, 2003.
SSN Insight: Cage stepped into direct after Harold Becker left during pre-production. Uma Thurman was previously attached to star.
Where’s Waldo?
Logline: Waldo is a boy who goes on an adventure and is hard to find.
Studio/Distributor(s): Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios
Production Company(s): Classic Media, PIN HIGH, Point Grey Pictures
Producer(s): Seth Rogen (in talks), Evan Goldberg (in talks), James Weaver, Roger Birnbaum
Writer(s): Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, Todd Berger, Bill Collage, Adam Cooper
Details: Based on children’s book series “Where’s Wally?” written and illustrated by Martin Handford and originally published in the United Kingdom by Little Brown & Co in September 1987. The American version of the series is titled “Where’s Waldo?”
SSN Insight: Project was previously set up at Paramount Pictures with Alan Riche and Tony Ludwig attached to produce. John Schultz was attached to direct. Adam Rifkin, Adam Cooper and Bill Collage worked on previous drafts of the script. Project was previously set up at Universal.
New Projects
Bravado
Logline: A former soldier who believes the world is a good place and worth fighting for has his optimism tested in a dramatic way when he returns home from the war and starts work as a police officer.
Studio/Distributor(s): Paramount Pictures
Producer(s): Andrew Lazar
Writer(s): BenDavid Grabinski
SSN Insight: Grabinski previously wrote on Adventure Time for Warner Bros and penned the Black List script The How To Guide To Saving The World. which sold to MGM.
Haunted
Logline: Storyline in under wraps, but is based on the suspenseful gothic ghost story about a governess and her two charges.
Studio/Distributor(s): Amblin Entertainment
Production Company(s): Vertigo Entertainment, SMB Films
Producer(s): Roy Lee, John Middleton, Scott Bernstein
Writer(s): Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes
Director(s): Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Details: Based on the story “Turn of the Screw” written by Henry James and published by William Heinemann on October 13, 1898.
SSN Insight: Fresnadillo was Oscar nominated for his short film Linked. He followed that with his Spanish-language directing debut Intacto, but his breakout pic was 28 Weeks Later.
Rock Star Mommy
Logline: A soccer mom forms a rock band with the neighborhood moms.
Production Company(s): Alcon Entertainment
Producer(s): Mark Clayman, Andrew Kosove, Broderick Johnson
Writer(s): Karen McCullah
Details: Based on the book “Rock Star Mommy: My Life as a Rocker Mom” written by Judy Davids and published by Citadel Press on March 25, 2008.
SSN Insight: McCullah is currently penning the Expendabelles, a female take on the Expendables franchise for VVS Films.
Running A Thousand Miles For Freedom
Logline: A couple plots a daring escape from slavery which involves the wife posing as a white man and her husband posing as his servant.
Production Company(s): Alloy Entertainment
Producer(s): Leslie Morgenstein
Writer(s): Suzanne Allain
Details: Based on the book “Running A Thousand Miles For Freedom” by William and Ellen Craft, which was first published in 1860.
SSN Insight: Allain’s script Mr. Malcolm’s List won the contest for a Blind Script deal at Warner Bros and was spotlighted as one of the 2015 Black List table reads.
Shock and Awe
Logline: In 2003, as the Bush administration prepares to go into Iraq, a group of journalists is asking tough questions about the threat used to justify the war, Saddam Hussein’s alleged WMD’s.
Production Company(s): Castle Rock Entertainment, Jorva Entertainment Productions
Writer(s): Joey Hartstone
Director(s): Rob Reiner
SSN Insight: Jorva Entertainment Productions launched a new film/television finance and production fund that will be involved in various levels of financing across many features.
Significant Other
Logline: Before a type-A businesswoman can snag a major CEO position, the company wants to meet and evaluate her spouse, who is an unsophisticated stay-at-home husband.
Studio/Distributor(s): STX Entertainment
Production Company(s): Echo Films, Aggregate Films
Producer(s): Jason Bateman
Writer(s): Andrea Seigel
Director(s): Jason Bateman
Cast: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston
SSN Insight: Bateman and Aniston both starred in 2010’s The Switch and will also star alongside each other on Office Christmas Party.
The Man Who Would Be Polka King
Logline: Follows the rise and fall of Jan Lewan, a Pennsylvania polka sensation who unwittingly brought a town to its knees in a Ponzi scheme.
Production Company(s): Permut Presenations, Red Hour Films, Shivhans Pictures, Electric Dynamite, Priyanka Mattoo
Producer(s): Jack Black, David Permut, Stuart Cornfeld, Shivani Rawat, Monica Levinson
Writer(s): Maya Forbes and Wally Wolodarski
Cast: Jack Black
Details: Based on Joshua Brown and John Mikulak’s documentary of the same name.
SSN Insight: ShivHans Pictures will also finance. Pre-production has begun ahead of a July shoot start date.
The Nutcracker and the Four Realms
Logline: A young girl named Clara gets a nutcracker doll on Christmas Eve. When Clara goes to check on it later that night, the clock strikes twelve and she finds herself thrown into a fantastical world where the Nutcracker has come to life and there’s an evil Mou
Studio/Distributor(s): The Walt Disney Studios
Producer(s): Mark Gordon
Director(s): Lasse Hallström
SSN Insight: Hallstrom most recently wrapped A Dog’s Purpose.
The Year of the Great Storm
Logline: After American student Amy Biehl was murdered South Africa during the violent struggle against Apartheid, her parents attended the trial of her killers, eventually supporting their application for political amnesty.
Production Company(s): 34th Street Films, Air Extreme
Producer(s): Tyler Perry, Ozzie Areu, Matt Moore, Russ Stratton, Johanna Baldwin
Writer(s): Johanna Baldwin
Director(s): Karzan Kader
SSN Insight: Karzan Kader’s short film Bekas won a Student Academy Award before he directed the feature version.
Untitled Stephen Flatow Biopic
Logline: The real-life story of Stephen Flatow, the New Jersey-based lawyer whose daughter Alisa was killed by terrorists in a 1995 suicide bombing. He won a historic judgement against his daughter’s killer, and soon after uncovered an international conspiracy ex
Production Company(s): AG Capital
Producer(s): Scott Lastaiti, Alex Garcia, Laura Walker
Details: Based on the real-life story of Stephen Flatow.
SSN Insight: In addition to Flatow’s life rights, LaStaiti has also acquired the rights to Flatow’s manuscript, which is receiving strong interest from NY publishing houses.
Untitled Universal/Dance Comedy Project
Logline: Storyline is under wraps.
Studio/Distributor(s): Universal Pictures
Production Company(s): Brownstone Productions
Producer(s): Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman
Writer(s): Amy Talkington
SSN Insight: Talkington’s recent scripts include Sabrina The Teenage Witch for Sony, Hot Fuss for Disney, and Ever After High for Mattel and Valley Girl: The Musical for MGM.