A place to track all film deals and the ever-evolving facts on pacts details.
2 - FILM NEWS
Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong’o to Play Mother and Daughter in African Military Movie “The Woman King”
Based on true events and an original story by Maria Bello, the film tells the story of Nanisca (Davis), General of the all-female military unit known as the Amazons, and her daughter Nawi (Nyong’o), who together fought the French and neighboring tribes who violated their honor, enslaved their people, and threatened to destroy everything they’ve lived for.
Reed Morano (The Handmaid’s Tale) directed the thought-provoking indie movie, which won a Special Jury Prize last month at Sundance, where it premiered in competition.
The story follows a criminal who decides to enroll in a futuristic program that erases his memories rather than go to jail, forcing him to reconcile his past actions and relationships.
The twist-filled story follows a woman named Angela who learns that her celebrity husband may be a sexual predator after his intern accuses him of sexual harassment. When a second alleged victim comes forward, Angela is forced to confront a deep-seated trauma from her past, and eventually, someone winds up murdered.
The movie is a remake of the acclaimed Israeli film of the same name which was written and directed by Nadav Lapid.
The animated take on Jack London’s classic tale of fiction and the psychological thriller starring Andrea Riseborough are both expected to be released this year.
Written by Taylor Materne, the story follows a washed-up basketball scout who discovers a Chinese streetball phenom and talks him into coming to Los Angeles to train for the NBA draft. The young phenom is overwhelmed by the transition and struggles with being away from his family, while the scout deals with his own family problems.
Statham will play a veteran assassin who takes out a hit on himself after being diagnosed with a painful terminal illness. The catch? It turns out he was misdiagnosed, and now he must fend off the onslaught of fellow assassins out to cash in on the contract.
Parsons will play the role of Miss Tracy Mills, a veteran drag queen who coaches the protagonist in the art of performing, transforming him from a washed-up Elvis impersonator to a show-stopping Florida drag queen.
Dano’s directorial debut, an adaptation of Richard Ford’s novel, received mixed reactions at Sundance.
The third collaboration between Johnson with Rawson Marshall Thurber (Central Intelligence, Skyscraper) is an action-comedy with no details on the plot, although it must be good since it began a bidding war between multiple studios.
This project continues Spielberg’s ongoing interest in telling stories about World War II, as he directed Saving Private Ryan and Schindler’s List.
Directed by Ben Young (Hounds of Love), the movie was pulled from Universal’s release schedule a few months back, and it’s now going the way of Paramount’s The Cloverfield Paradox.
The novel focuses on an Alabama high school student armed with a gun who takes his schoolmate’s hostage in a locked gymnasium.
The Nightingale sold 2 million copies worldwide and is being adapted into a film directed by Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad director Michelle MacLaren.
Based on the bestselling novel by Nick Hornby, Juliet, Naked is a comic account of life’s second chances. Jesse Peretz directed from a script by Tamara Jenkins, Jim Taylor and Evgenia Peretz.
More than a dozen high-profile Sundance titles were picked up for distribution during the festival, but there are many other titles still trying to find a home… and an audience.
Marielle Heller will direct You Are My Friend, which is inspired by the real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and award-winning journalist Tom Junod.
Foster stars as the father of a 13-year-old girl (breakout star Thomasin McKenzie), the two of them living in the wild in the forests of Portland. Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions picked up the international rights earlier in the week.
Boots Riley’s directorial debut stars Get Out‘s Stanfield as an Oakland-based telemarketer who discovers a magical key to professional success, which propels him into a macabre universe.
Craig William Macneill directed from a script by Bryce Kass, and Sevigny produced the film with Naomi Despres and Liz Destro.
Directed by Marc Turtletaub, the Oscar-nominated producer of Little Miss Sunshine, the drama stars Kelly Macdonald as a bored housewife who takes up jigsaw puzzle -solving, teaming up with a charming puzzle champ played by Irrfan Khan.
Two of the more high-profile Sundance premieres were screened early in the fest with the Daveed Diggs starrer Blindspotting being one of the Day One premieres and Bart Layton’s American Animals screening shortly afterwards. The latter is the first acquisition by MoviePass Ventures.
They are currently assembling a team of directors, writers, and producers for upcoming Dr. Seuss projects.
A spring 2018 theatrical release is planned for Terminal, which also stars Simon Pegg, Mike Myers, Max Irons, and Dexter Fletcher.
Julius Onah directed Bad Robot’s sci-fi movie, which boasts a strong international cast including David Oyelowo, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O’Dowd, Daniel Bruhl, Elizabeth Debicki and Zhang Ziyi.
The first acquisition (but probably not the last) from the Midnight section of Sundance is a topical horror-thriller starring Bella Thorne, Odessa Young, Hari Nef and Maude Apatow.
Directed by Gustav Möller, based on a screenplay co-written by Emil Nygaard Albertsen, the thriller involves an emergency call dispatcher who gets caught up in a far larger web of intrigue while trying to save a kidnapped woman.
Reynold’s will develop Clue as a possible starring vehicle for the actor. The Deadpool writing team of Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese will pen the script.