Note- There were not any films scheduled to start production this week mainly due to the holiday season.
WRAPS
Genius 12/12/2014 Logline: A chronicle of Max Perkins's time as the book editor at Scribner, where he oversaw works by Thomas Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others. Production Companies: Michael Grandage Company, Desert Wolf Productions Director: Michael Grandage Executive Producer(s): Tim Bevan Producer(s): John Logan, Michael Grandage, James Bierman Cast: Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Guy Pearce, Dominic West Writer(s): John Logan Details: Based on the book "Max Perkins: Editor of Genius" written by A. Scott Berg and originally published in 1978. SSN Insight: Sean Penn was previously attached to the role of Max Perkins. Bill Pohlad was previously attached to direct and produce through River Road Entertainment.
Girl Flu 12/12/2014 Logline: When young Bird moves from the San Fernando Valley to Echo Park, over the course of one challenging week she gets her first period, finds herself abandoned by her immature stoner of a mom, and finds out that she'll never be able to return to the Valley. Production Company: Free Chicken Films Director: Dorie Barton Executive Producer(s): Paul Schiff, Richard Hull Producer(s): David K Wilson, Jay Lowi Cast: Katee Sackhoff, Jade Pettyjohn, Heather Matarazzo, Jeremy Sisto, Judy Reyes Writer(s): Dori Barton SSN Insight: The film will shoot in and around Los Angeles. The film marks Dori Barton’s feature directorial debut. She was previously cast in All About Steve and Meet the Fockers.
I Saw the Light 12/12/2014 Logline: The story of the brief, turbulent life of 1950s country music star Hank Williams, who wrestled with alcohol, chronic back pain, a tempestuous marriage, and his own monumental talents before his shocking, sudden death at age 29. Production Companies: Bron Studios, 821 Entertainment Group, RatPac Entertainment, Creative Wealth Media Finance Director: Marc Abraham Executive Producer(s): James Packer Producer(s): Marc Abraham, Aaron Gilbert, Brett Ratner, Eric A Geadelmann, G Marq Roswell Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Cherry Jones, Wrenn Schmidt, Maddie Hasson Writer(s): Marc Abraham Details: Based on the book "Hank Williams: The Biography" by Colin Escott; published by Back Bay Books (first published 1994). SSN Insight: Project was previously in development at Strike Entertainment with Eric Newman and Anastasia Brown producing.
Life at These Speeds 12/14/2014 Logline: A moving story about forgiveness and hope, it follows a teenager from the Heartland who loses his best friends in an accident and channels his grief into running, becoming a high school track star. Production Companies: Cinema Revival, Inc., Culmination Productions Director: Leif Tilden Executive Producer(s): Sam Rockwell Producer(s): Scott William Alvarez, Peter Holden, Frank Vitolo, Tom Butterfield Cast: Graham Rogers, Billy Crudup, Yul Vasquez, Melanie Lynskey, Liana Liberato Writer(s): Marc Novak Details: Based on the novel "Life at These Speeds" written by Jeremy Jackson and published by Thomas Dunne Books on July 5, 2002. SSN Insight: Justin Long previously attached to star. Sam Rockwell previously attached to star.
Room 12/15/2014 Logline: In a tale of resilience and love, a mother musters courage and resources to make sure that her little boy enjoys his childhood, despite their having being held captive in a small, single room since before the boy was born. Production Companies: Film4, Irish Film Board, Element Pictures, No Trace Camping Director: Lenny Abrahamson Executive Producer(s): Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross, Sue Bruce-Smith, Rose Garnett, Jeff Arkuss Producer(s): Ed Guiney, David Gross Cast: Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen, William H. Macy Writer(s): Emma Donoghue Details: Based on the novel "Room" written by Emma Donoghue and published by Little, Brown and Co. in 2010.
Skiptrace 12/15/2014 Logline: A Hong Kong detective is given the job of tracking down an American gambler who is on the run, and the two men form an unlikely partnership to catch a notorious criminal. Production Company: Talent International Film Company Director: Renny Harlin Executive Producer(s): Yang Zhenhua, Liu Xiaolin Producer(s): Jackie Chan, David Gerson, Charlie Coker, Esmond Ren, Damien Saccani Cast: Jackie Chan, Fan Bingbing, Johnny Knoxville Writer(s): Rodney Rothman, Derek Elliott, Jack Donaldson, Geoff Moore, David Posamentier SSN Insight: Sam Fell was previously attached to direct. Seann William Scott was previously attached to co-star in the role played by Johnny Knoxville. Previously in development with Exclusive Media.
The Black Prince 12/15/2014 Logline: The last Sikh prince of Punjab is placed on the throne at five, but when India is annexed to the British, he is sent to England and never allowed to return to his home. Production Company: Brillstein Entertainment Partners Director: Kavi Raz Producer(s): Jai Khanna Cast: Satinder Sartaaj, Shabana Azmi, David Essex, Jason Flemyng, Rupert Everett Writer(s): Kavi Raz SSN Insight: Project is bilingual, in English and Hindi. The film’s estimated budget is $5 million. Brillstein will help coordinate the international cast, provide crew and production logistics, as well as assist in securing international sales. The project was originally scheduled to wrap on November 22, 2014.
The Call Up 12/13/2014 Logline: A group of gamers invited to test out a virtual reality game find themselves fighting for their lives. Production Companies: Stigma Films, Red and Black Films Director: Charles Barker Executive Producer(s): Alan Martin, Richard Holmes Producer(s): Matt Wilkinson, John Giwa-Amu Cast: Max Deacon, Morfydd Clark, Ali Cook, Parker Sawyers, Tom Benedict Knight Writer(s): Charles Barker SSN Insight: Script by Charles Barker was featured on the 2011 Brit List (the U.K. equivalent of the Black List).
The Cellar (also titled Valencia) 12/15/2014 Logline: A young woman wakes up after a terrible accident to find that she's locked in a cellar with a doomsday prepper, who insists that he saved her life and that the world outside is uninhabitable following an apocalyptic catastrophe. Uncertain what to believe, the woman soon determines that she must escape at any cost. Studio: Paramount Pictures Production Company: Bad Robot Director: Dan Trachtenberg Producer(s): J.J. Abrams, Bryan Burk Cast: John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Gallagher Jr. Writer(s): Daniel Casey, Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken SSN Insight: The screenplay was originally titled The Cellar and has been codenamed Valencia by Bad Robot, but still lacks an official title (per Slashfilm). In accordance with other Insurge projects, the film has an estimated budget of $5 million to meet the company’s goal of producing high concept, small budget films.
The Confirmation 12/11/2014 Logline: Everything goes wrong when 8-year-old Anthony and his estranged father wind up spending two days together, but it leads to them forging a relationship. Production Companies: Lighthouse Pictures , Bungalow Media + Entertainment, Great Point Media Director: Bob Nelson Executive Producer(s): Robert Halmi Jr., Jim Reeve, Robert Friedman Producer(s): Bob Nelson, Todd Hoffman Cast: Clive Owen, Jaeden Lieberher, Maria Bello, Patton Oswalt, Tim Blake Nelson Writer(s): Bob Nelson SSN Insight: The project marks Nebraska scribe, Bob Nelson’s directorial debut. Bungalow Media + Entertainment, a new company focused on development, production, and distribution has partnered with him. Bungalow also manages writers and directors under its Storied Media Group banner. Lighthouse Pictures will oversee production in Canada.
The Dressmaker 12/13/2014 Logline: A glamorous woman returns to her small town in rural Australia. With her sewing machine and haute couture style, she transforms the women and exacts sweet revenge on those who did her wrong. Production Companies: Mirabella Productions, Screen NSW, Film Art Media Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse Executive Producer(s): Hugo Grumbar, Tim Haslam, Gavin Poolman, Michael Shyjka Producer(s): Sue Maslin Cast: Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving, Caroline Goodall Writer(s): Jocelyn Moorhouse Details: Based on the novel "The Dressmaker" written by Rosalie Ham and published in 2000 by Duffy and Snellgrove. SSN Insight: Isla Fisher and Elizabeth Debicki were previously attached to the cast, but had to exit the project for scheduling reasons. Embankment Films, in charge of distribution sales, presented footage from the film at this year’s AFM.
Three Generations 12/15/2014 Logline: A teen transitioning from male to female, her single mother and her lesbian grandmother live under one roof in New York City. Production Companies: InFilm Productions, Big Beach Director: Gaby Dellal Executive Producer(s): Naomi Watts, Leah Holzer, Daniele Melia, Peter Pastorelli Producer(s): Peter Saraf, Marc Turtletaub, Dorothy Berwin Cast: Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts, Susan Sarandon Writer(s): Nikole Beckwith SSN Insight: IM Global launched international sales at AFM with ICM Partners handling the domestic end. Big Beach has previously produced and financed The Kings of Summer, Safety Not Guaranteed and Little Miss Sunshine under founders Peter Saraf and Marc Turtletaub’s leadership.