Mattel is developing the live-action family drama Christmas Balloon, which will be written by Gabriela Revilla Lugo (A Million Little Things) based off a true story.
The film follows a young girl, Dáyami, living in a Mexican border town who tries to send her Christmas list to Santa tied to a balloon. The balloon is found by Randy and Marcella Heiss, a couple in Arizona grieving the loss of their own child, who make it their mission to fulfill the girl’s touching Christmas wishes. Mattel worked with the couple and donated toys to fulfill Dáyami’s wish towards a brighter future.
“Much like Dáyami’s balloon itself, the journey of this touching story and Mattel’s direct role in fulfilling her real-life wishes made it a must-do for us,” said Kevin McKeon, VP of Mattel Films. “We were immediately struck by this little girl’s spirit and the story’s positive message.
The film follows a young girl, Dáyami, living in a Mexican border town who tries to send her Christmas list to Santa tied to a balloon. The balloon is found by Randy and Marcella Heiss, a couple in Arizona grieving the loss of their own child, who make it their mission to fulfill the girl’s touching Christmas wishes. Mattel worked with the couple and donated toys to fulfill Dáyami’s wish towards a brighter future.
“Much like Dáyami’s balloon itself, the journey of this touching story and Mattel’s direct role in fulfilling her real-life wishes made it a must-do for us,” said Kevin McKeon, VP of Mattel Films. “We were immediately struck by this little girl’s spirit and the story’s positive message.
- 12/16/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Vital Pictures, an upstart independent production company from Chris Lemos and Luis Guerrero, will produce and distribute the World War I drama “The War Below” from director J.P. Watts, TheWrap can share exclusively.
“The War Below” stars “Peaky Blinders” and “The Innocents” actor Sam Hazeldine alongside Tom Goodman-Hill, Kris Hitchen, Douglas Reith and Sam Clemmett.
The film will be produced and distributed by Vital Pictures in the U.S., a source told TheWrap, making it the company’s third project after the horror-thrillers “Beneath Us” and “You’re Not Alone.”
“The War Below” is based on true events and centers on a group of British miners recruited during WWI to tunnel underneath no man’s land and set bombs from below the German front, all in the hopes of breaking the deadly stalemate of the Battle of Messines.
Watts, known for the short film “The Lost Emperor,” is making his feature-length directorial debut on the film.
“The War Below” stars “Peaky Blinders” and “The Innocents” actor Sam Hazeldine alongside Tom Goodman-Hill, Kris Hitchen, Douglas Reith and Sam Clemmett.
The film will be produced and distributed by Vital Pictures in the U.S., a source told TheWrap, making it the company’s third project after the horror-thrillers “Beneath Us” and “You’re Not Alone.”
“The War Below” is based on true events and centers on a group of British miners recruited during WWI to tunnel underneath no man’s land and set bombs from below the German front, all in the hopes of breaking the deadly stalemate of the Battle of Messines.
Watts, known for the short film “The Lost Emperor,” is making his feature-length directorial debut on the film.
- 1/6/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Vital Pictures/NME will distribute its first film with Beneath Us,a “suspenseful and socially-relevant original horror story” from Max Pachman, who makes his feature directorial debut with the project. Beneath Us (opening in select theaters on March 6) features both English and Spanish dialogue and will be distributed in major Latino markets throughout the U.S.
Vital Pictures/NME is a partnership between industry veterans Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos and the endeavor’s first film has strong LatinX representation both behind the camera and in front of it. The cast is led by James Tupper (Big Little Lies), Lynn Collins (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Rigo Sanchez (Animal Kingdom), Roberto ‘Sanz’ Sanchez (2 Fast 2 Furious), Thomas Chavira (Shameless), and Josue Aguirre (Veronica Mars).
The indie project’s synopsis: “The American Dream becomes a nightmare for a group of undocumented day laborers hired by a wealthy couple (played by Lynn Collins...
Vital Pictures/NME is a partnership between industry veterans Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos and the endeavor’s first film has strong LatinX representation both behind the camera and in front of it. The cast is led by James Tupper (Big Little Lies), Lynn Collins (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Rigo Sanchez (Animal Kingdom), Roberto ‘Sanz’ Sanchez (2 Fast 2 Furious), Thomas Chavira (Shameless), and Josue Aguirre (Veronica Mars).
The indie project’s synopsis: “The American Dream becomes a nightmare for a group of undocumented day laborers hired by a wealthy couple (played by Lynn Collins...
- 1/23/2020
- by Geoff Boucher
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Goodman Hill, Anna Maguire, Sonny Ashbourne Serkis also among cast.
Peaky Blinders actor Sam Hazeldine will lead the cast of 100 Feet Below Hell, Jp Watts’s First World War drama which starts shooting in the UK this week.
The film will tell the true story of ‘Hellfire’ Jack Norton Griffiths who conceived of a plan to dig a tunnel under no man’s land and plant a bomb to break the deadly stalemate of the Battle of Messines. With tens of thousands already dead from the battle, the mission falls to a group of civilian miners with no military training.
Peaky Blinders actor Sam Hazeldine will lead the cast of 100 Feet Below Hell, Jp Watts’s First World War drama which starts shooting in the UK this week.
The film will tell the true story of ‘Hellfire’ Jack Norton Griffiths who conceived of a plan to dig a tunnel under no man’s land and plant a bomb to break the deadly stalemate of the Battle of Messines. With tens of thousands already dead from the battle, the mission falls to a group of civilian miners with no military training.
- 5/15/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Feature debut from writer/director Cameron Norrie about a child who brings hope with his guitar.
La-based Premiere Entertainment Group is touting worldwide rights at the Efm to Jk Simmons family comedy A Boy Called Sailboat and horror thriller You’re Not Alone.
Jake Busey and newcomer Julian Atocani Sanchez star alongside Simmons in A Boy Called Sailboat, about a child who brings hope with his guitar playing to his small town filled with charming and offbeat characters.
Cameron Nugent makes his feature directorial debut from his original screenplay and produces alongside Richard Gray, Andrew Curry and Nelson Khoury.
You’re Not Alone is currently in post and stars Katia Winter as a mother who regains custody of her young daughter when a mysterious entity begins to torment her new home.
La-based Premiere Entertainment Group is touting worldwide rights at the Efm to Jk Simmons family comedy A Boy Called Sailboat and horror thriller You’re Not Alone.
Jake Busey and newcomer Julian Atocani Sanchez star alongside Simmons in A Boy Called Sailboat, about a child who brings hope with his guitar playing to his small town filled with charming and offbeat characters.
Cameron Nugent makes his feature directorial debut from his original screenplay and produces alongside Richard Gray, Andrew Curry and Nelson Khoury.
You’re Not Alone is currently in post and stars Katia Winter as a mother who regains custody of her young daughter when a mysterious entity begins to torment her new home.
- 2/17/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Sad that the Halloween season is over already? Have no fear, it has been extended! Check out the new Halloween shirts revealed by Terror Threads that get this edition of Horror Highlights rolling. Also: Kaleidoscope release details and trailer, Ghost Box short story collection edited by Patton Oswalt, a clip and trailer for My Little Sister, TV4 Entertainment and The Asylum's new Apocalypse streaming service, Beneath Us acquisition details, info on the new comic Rusty Revolver, and info on Christopher Michael Carter's new horror novels.
New Halloween Shirts from Terror Threads: Press Release: "Death has come to your little town! Terror Threads celebrates the night he came home with a collection of John Carpenter's Halloween apparel.
A whopping 16 exclusive, officially-licensed Halloween shirts are for sale, ranging from newly commissioned artwork to vintage production stills turned into unique shirt designs.
Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, Dr. Loomis, the Myers house, and more...
New Halloween Shirts from Terror Threads: Press Release: "Death has come to your little town! Terror Threads celebrates the night he came home with a collection of John Carpenter's Halloween apparel.
A whopping 16 exclusive, officially-licensed Halloween shirts are for sale, ranging from newly commissioned artwork to vintage production stills turned into unique shirt designs.
Michael Myers, Laurie Strode, Dr. Loomis, the Myers house, and more...
- 11/9/2017
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
Los Angeles-based sales, production and financing company Premiere Entertainment Group, have acquired the worldwide rights to horror thriller Beneath Us which stars Lynn Collins (John Carter, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) and James Tupper (HBO’s Pretty Little Lies).
Beneath Us follows a group of undocumented workers who are hired by an affluent woman (Collins) and her husband (Tupper) to work on their house, but the workers immediately sense something isn’t right with their employers and become trapped inside the home.
Written and directed by Max Pachman. Mark Mavrothalasitis shares writing credit. Producing are Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos for Vital Pictures (Armored). Jay Hernandez (Suicide Squad) serves as executive producer, and William Knochel as co-executive producer. The film is headed to Afm next month.
Beneath Us follows a group of undocumented workers who are hired by an affluent woman (Collins) and her husband (Tupper) to work on their house, but the workers immediately sense something isn’t right with their employers and become trapped inside the home.
Written and directed by Max Pachman. Mark Mavrothalasitis shares writing credit. Producing are Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos for Vital Pictures (Armored). Jay Hernandez (Suicide Squad) serves as executive producer, and William Knochel as co-executive producer. The film is headed to Afm next month.
- 10/26/2017
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
A mother and daughter discover that getting along with each other is the least of their worries when a frightening force haunts their home in Unwanted, a new horror film that will be directed by Eduardo Rodriguez (2013's Fright Night 2).
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA (December 19, 2016) – Katia Winter (Fox’s Sleepy Hollow) and newcomer Ashley Jones will star in the horror-thriller Unwanted. Zach Avery (Fury) will co-star.
After the premature death of her estranged husband, Emma (Winter) regains custody of their young daughter Isla (Jones) and hopes to rebuild their relationship after many years apart. But when an evil entity begins to torment them, mother and daughter are forced to face the inexplicable presence that inhabits the walls of their new home.
Unwanted is directed by Eduardo Rodriguez (El Gringo, Fright Night 2) from a screenplay by Andrew Wong. Unwanted marks the first original horror film for Eduardo Rodriguez since Curandero,...
Press Release: Los Angeles, CA (December 19, 2016) – Katia Winter (Fox’s Sleepy Hollow) and newcomer Ashley Jones will star in the horror-thriller Unwanted. Zach Avery (Fury) will co-star.
After the premature death of her estranged husband, Emma (Winter) regains custody of their young daughter Isla (Jones) and hopes to rebuild their relationship after many years apart. But when an evil entity begins to torment them, mother and daughter are forced to face the inexplicable presence that inhabits the walls of their new home.
Unwanted is directed by Eduardo Rodriguez (El Gringo, Fright Night 2) from a screenplay by Andrew Wong. Unwanted marks the first original horror film for Eduardo Rodriguez since Curandero,...
- 12/20/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The 28th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will present Mahershala Ali with the Breakthrough Performance Award on January 2 for his role in Moonlight at its annual Film Awards Gala.
Ali earned Golden Globe and SAG nominations last week for the role and is the awards season frontrunner.
The actor, who also appears in Hidden Figures, was voted best supporting actor recently by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle and Broadcast Film Critics Association.
Broad Green Pictures will release the sorority comedy Step Sisters from Drumline director Charles Stone III on March 31. Megalyn Echikunwoke, Eden Sher, Lyndon Smith, with Matt McGorry and Naturi Naughton star.Katia Winter and newcomer Ashley Jones will star in the horror-thriller Unwanted for Screen Gems. Eduardo Rodriguez directs from a screenplay by Andrew Wong. Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos of Vital Pictures produce with Kacie Lehner. ...
Ali earned Golden Globe and SAG nominations last week for the role and is the awards season frontrunner.
The actor, who also appears in Hidden Figures, was voted best supporting actor recently by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, New York Film Critics Circle and Broadcast Film Critics Association.
Broad Green Pictures will release the sorority comedy Step Sisters from Drumline director Charles Stone III on March 31. Megalyn Echikunwoke, Eden Sher, Lyndon Smith, with Matt McGorry and Naturi Naughton star.Katia Winter and newcomer Ashley Jones will star in the horror-thriller Unwanted for Screen Gems. Eduardo Rodriguez directs from a screenplay by Andrew Wong. Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos of Vital Pictures produce with Kacie Lehner. ...
- 12/16/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Fantastic Fest 2015 will include the second edition of the international co-production market Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico, and this year 15 projects have been selected. Read on for the full list!
The Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico runs September 18-20 in Austin, Texas. Fantastic Fest lead programmer Rodney Perkins and festival director Kristen Bell are heading up the effort. For more info on all of the below projects, visit FantasticFest.com/Projects.
Canana - the Mexican production outlet helmed by Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz - is co-producing the market alongside filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network. Cristina Garza, Vice President of Mundial, Canana's sales joint venture with Im Global, is sourcing projects from the region.
"The public response to this year's call for submissions was astounding," says market director Perkins. "The 15 selected projects represent a diverse mix of talent from the United States and abroad. We are extremely...
The Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico runs September 18-20 in Austin, Texas. Fantastic Fest lead programmer Rodney Perkins and festival director Kristen Bell are heading up the effort. For more info on all of the below projects, visit FantasticFest.com/Projects.
Canana - the Mexican production outlet helmed by Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz - is co-producing the market alongside filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network. Cristina Garza, Vice President of Mundial, Canana's sales joint venture with Im Global, is sourcing projects from the region.
"The public response to this year's call for submissions was astounding," says market director Perkins. "The 15 selected projects represent a diverse mix of talent from the United States and abroad. We are extremely...
- 8/9/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Exclusive "TheTwilight Saga's" Mia Maestro will star in Maya Entertainment's psychological thriller "The Darkness of the Road." Maestro, who played Carmen in Summit Entertainment's franchise, will play a young mother whose daughter disappears after picking up a mysterious hitchhiker. Eduardo Rodriguez ("Fear Itself," "Curandero") wrote the screenplay and will direct. Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos of Vital Pictures will produce with Sandra Avila and Moctesuma Esparza of Maya Entertainment. Maya will distribute the movie domestically. The Los Angeles-based company makes movies that appeal to what it calls "the new mainstream" of American Latino and multicultural audiences. Maestro is...
- 5/19/2011
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
New York -- Maya Entertainment is planning intense "Preparation for a Murder."
The Los Angeles-based outfit will produce and distribute Jonathan and R.M. Robinson's urban thriller. Their feature writing and directing debut chronicles the events that unfold as two young men embark on a hit without realizing the repercussions that come with it.
Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos of Vital Pictures (Screen Gems' "Armored") will produce with Maya's Sandra Avila, who will oversee production on behalf of her studio. Casting is now under way, and principal photography is slated for April.
Maya debuted this year with a mission to produce and distribute features for the growing U.S. Latino marketplace. The company recently announced production on the drama "American Tragic," starring producer America Ferrera and Melissa Leo.
The Los Angeles-based outfit will produce and distribute Jonathan and R.M. Robinson's urban thriller. Their feature writing and directing debut chronicles the events that unfold as two young men embark on a hit without realizing the repercussions that come with it.
Luis Guerrero and Chris Lemos of Vital Pictures (Screen Gems' "Armored") will produce with Maya's Sandra Avila, who will oversee production on behalf of her studio. Casting is now under way, and principal photography is slated for April.
Maya debuted this year with a mission to produce and distribute features for the growing U.S. Latino marketplace. The company recently announced production on the drama "American Tragic," starring producer America Ferrera and Melissa Leo.
- 11/17/2008
- by By Gregg Goldstein
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Skeet Ulrich is returning to the big screen in Sony's Screen Gems drama Armored.
Ulrich (Jericho) will play Dobbs, a scruffy member of an armored truck company team who plans to empty a truck of its $10 million. Matt Dillon and Columbus Short star. Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno and Fred Ward co-star.
Nimrod Antal (Vacancy) is directing from a screenplay by James V. Simpson. Sam Raimi, Josh Donen and Dan Farah are producing, with Chris Lemos and Luis Guerrero co-executive producing. Filming began this week in Los Angeles.
Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper and senior vp production Eric Paquette will oversee for the studio.
Ulrich has worked mostly on TV for the past few years, starring on CBS' Jericho. After being resurrected from cancellation following a fan campaign at the network, the series returns Feb. 12.
His film credits include As Good as It Gets, Ride With the Devil and Scream. He's repped by the Gersh Agency and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Ulrich (Jericho) will play Dobbs, a scruffy member of an armored truck company team who plans to empty a truck of its $10 million. Matt Dillon and Columbus Short star. Laurence Fishburne, Jean Reno and Fred Ward co-star.
Nimrod Antal (Vacancy) is directing from a screenplay by James V. Simpson. Sam Raimi, Josh Donen and Dan Farah are producing, with Chris Lemos and Luis Guerrero co-executive producing. Filming began this week in Los Angeles.
Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper and senior vp production Eric Paquette will oversee for the studio.
Ulrich has worked mostly on TV for the past few years, starring on CBS' Jericho. After being resurrected from cancellation following a fan campaign at the network, the series returns Feb. 12.
His film credits include As Good as It Gets, Ride With the Devil and Scream. He's repped by the Gersh Agency and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
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