May 2017 Agency Moves, From Justin Long and Jean Reno to the Underused Jason Patric
0The Highlight Reel
- Paradigm may only have one signing on this list but it’s a pretty good one, for Jean Reno is an international treasure. He may not be Jackie Chan or Arnold Schwarzenegger, but he’s still Action Movie Royalty. The man starred in The Professional for cryin’ out loud, not to mention Mission: Impossible and La Femme Nikita. Show a little respect, Hollywood! Reno’s last blockbuster was The Da Vinci Code in 2006, but he’s still got plenty of gas left in the tank. Can Paradigm get him the lead in a hot crime show like The Missing (his detective series Jo was canceled after only one season), or maybe a supporting role in one of Marvel’s Netflix series? One can only hope.
- Speaking of underused actors, ICM made out like a bandit in signing Jason Patric, who is super talented and doesn’t work nearly enough. He brings it in everything I’ve seen him in, from The Lost Boys and Rush to Narc and In the Valley of Elah. Patric is coming off the second season of Wayward Pines and he’ll soon be seen alongside Jennifer Aniston in The Yellow Birds. Hopefully he’s able to capitalize on any heat stemming from that Sundance project. He’s always been an interesting performer, and I hope ICM finds him the right vehicle.
- Is there anyone who doesn’t like Justin Long? I mean, he’s adorable! I thought he was genuinely great in Kevin Smith’s demented Tusk, and he seems well-suited for his own sitcom. Maybe something a bit darker, like Bill Hader’s upcoming HBO series Barry, in which the SNL vet plays a hitman. That’d be a good, off-brand kind of role for Long. Or perhaps he just needs a blockbuster — the kinds of roles won by Jake Johnson in Jurassic World and The Mummy, or Charlie Day in Pacific Rim. Those have to be in his wheelhouse, right? Hollywood can’t hold Die Hard 4 against him forever!
- Keep an eye on Rhianne Barreto, the star of A24’s feature adaptation of Pippa Bianco’s award-winning short Share. She’ll play a girl who returns to school after an explicit video of her is uploaded and shared on the internet without her consent. The Tracking Board broke the news that Barreto would be taking over the lead role from Taissa Farmiga, who starred in the short. I reckon she’s an up-and-comer worth watching. And yes, I’ve always wanted to use the phrase “I reckon” in an article.
- Meanwhile, Keke Palmer seems like a good bet for UTA. She’s been acting as a kid in movies (Akeelah and the Bee) and TV shows (True Jackson, VP), but Palmer proved she’s all grown up now with her turn on Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens. Hollywood is making a big push for inclusion and diversity, which hopefully means more projects featuring actors of color. It only takes one film audition to get her feature career back on track, and we think Palmer could have a bright future ahead of her in UTA’s hands.
- And finally, congrats to film finance and sales agent Tristen Tuckfield, who is leaving CAA to join Micah Green at Dan Friedkin’s new venture. Tuckfield has good taste and is passionate about the projects she works on, so consider this another solid hire for Friedkin’s new company. They certainly aren’t wasting any time staffing up, having also added Black Bear’s Dan Steinman in recent weeks. Tuckfield’s CAA colleagues Adam Paulsen and Katie Anderson will also be following her and Green to the new venture.
To submit announcements for consideration, contact jeff@tracking-board.com
NAME | FROM | TO |
---|---|---|
Justin Long | Gersh | UTA |
Keke Palmer | WME | UTA |
Jacob Collins-Levy | N/A | UTA |
Danielle Moné Truitt | N/A | UTA |
Santiago Mitre (The Summit director) | N/A | UTA |
Fellipe Barbosa (Gabriel and the Mountain director) | N/A | UTA |
Bipolar ID (End-to-end VR production and post studio) | N/A | UTA |
Nitro Circus | N/A | UTA |
Rhianne Barreto | N/A | WME |
Denée Benton (Natasha, Pierre and Great Comet star) | N/A | WME |
Pitbull | CAA | WME |
Tony Robbins | N/A | WME |
Dale Earnhardt Jr. (NASCAR driver) | N/A | WME |
Tamron Hall (Former Today anchor) | N/A | WME |
Matt Haag (Professional eSports gamer) | N/A | WME |
Leo Matsuda (Inner Workings writer-director) | N/A | WME |
Ebony Media | N/A | WME |
Refinery 29 | N/A | WME |
Jason Patric | N/A | ICM |
Ed Werder (NFL reporter-broadcaster) | N/A | ICM |
Ian Moffitt (International TV Agent) | Yahoo! | ICM-London |
Jean Reno | CAA | Paradigm |
Michelle Branch | WME | APA |
Lang Lang (Grammy-nominated pianist) | N/A | CAA |
Brian Boone (MP Comedy Talent) | N/A | CAA |
Darian Lanzetta (MP Lit) | N/A | CAA |
Akshay Mehta (Film Finance/Sales Agent) | Good Universe | CAA |
Sarah Schweitzman (Film Finance/Sales Agent) | Secret Hideout | CAA |
Tristen Tuckfield, Adam Paulsen & Katie Anderson | CAA | Dan Friedkin Co. |
Lisa Filipelli (Digital talent manager) | Big Frame | Flip Management |
Jeff Sneider | Editor in Chief