The distributor has acquired Us distribution rights to the Jackie Chan action comedy directed by Renny Harlin and plans a third quarter theatrical release.
Bloom handles international sales on Skiptrace, which tells of a Hong Kong detective who teams up with an American gambler to rescue his kidnapped goddaughter from a crime lord.
Johnny Knoxville plays the American and the action spans the dramatic Chinese locales of the Gobi Desert and the mountains of Guilin. Bingbing Fan also stars.
Jay Longino and Ben David Grabinski wrote the screenplay. Talent International Films and Dasym Media produced with Chan, Esmond Ren, Charlie Coker, Damien Saccani and David Gerson.
Shanghai New Culture Media Group, Talent International and Dasym Media co-financed and co-present Skiptrace.
Saban brokered the deal with Wme Global on behalf of the filmmakers.
Bloom handles international sales on Skiptrace, which tells of a Hong Kong detective who teams up with an American gambler to rescue his kidnapped goddaughter from a crime lord.
Johnny Knoxville plays the American and the action spans the dramatic Chinese locales of the Gobi Desert and the mountains of Guilin. Bingbing Fan also stars.
Jay Longino and Ben David Grabinski wrote the screenplay. Talent International Films and Dasym Media produced with Chan, Esmond Ren, Charlie Coker, Damien Saccani and David Gerson.
Shanghai New Culture Media Group, Talent International and Dasym Media co-financed and co-present Skiptrace.
Saban brokered the deal with Wme Global on behalf of the filmmakers.
- 2/12/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Channing Tatum’s interest in revving up a film about late, great stuntman Robert “Evel” Knievel dates back as far as 2012, but a new report by Deadline suggests that the long-gestating biopic could be beginning to gain some traction. According to the outlet, the latest name to be attached to Sony’s project is Black Swan and Noah director Darren Aronofsky, with early talks underway between both parties for the Evel Knievel movie.
Charting the life and times of the American daredevil, we assume that Sony is massaging the nascent project to become something akin to Aronofsky’s The Wrestler: an astute and powerful dissection of an adrenaline junkie who lived on the edge. Indeed, Knievel still holds his own place in history thanks to the Guinness Book of World Records, earning the “most bones broken in a lifetime” accolade with an eye-watering 433. Well, we did say he lived life on the edge.
Charting the life and times of the American daredevil, we assume that Sony is massaging the nascent project to become something akin to Aronofsky’s The Wrestler: an astute and powerful dissection of an adrenaline junkie who lived on the edge. Indeed, Knievel still holds his own place in history thanks to the Guinness Book of World Records, earning the “most bones broken in a lifetime” accolade with an eye-watering 433. Well, we did say he lived life on the edge.
- 9/15/2015
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
A cameraman working on the latest Jackie Chan pic Skiptrace has drowned while filming, according to local reports. Fifty-one-year-old Chan Kwok-hung died after a vessel carrying his film crew capsized off Lantau Island this morning, writes the South China Morning Post.
Chan Kwok-hung and Jackie Chan had previously worked together on Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s 1996 comedy God of Cookery. Chan Kwok-hung had also previously worked as an assistant cinematographer for directors Jingle Ma Chor-sing and Chan Chi-ying.
The Renny Harlin-directed Skiptrace also stars Johnny Knoxville and and X-Men: Days Of Future Past‘s Fan Binbing in the tale of a Hong Kong detective (Chan) who teams up with a mouthy American gambler (Knoxville) to save his niece and take down the city’s most notorious criminal.
There are conflicting reports about whether Jackie Chan was on-board the vessel, although there is no indication of any other casualties.
Chan is producing with Brian Gatewood,...
Chan Kwok-hung and Jackie Chan had previously worked together on Stephen Chow Sing-chi’s 1996 comedy God of Cookery. Chan Kwok-hung had also previously worked as an assistant cinematographer for directors Jingle Ma Chor-sing and Chan Chi-ying.
The Renny Harlin-directed Skiptrace also stars Johnny Knoxville and and X-Men: Days Of Future Past‘s Fan Binbing in the tale of a Hong Kong detective (Chan) who teams up with a mouthy American gambler (Knoxville) to save his niece and take down the city’s most notorious criminal.
There are conflicting reports about whether Jackie Chan was on-board the vessel, although there is no indication of any other casualties.
Chan is producing with Brian Gatewood,...
- 12/17/2014
- by Ali Jaafar
- Deadline
Animated feature Animal Crackers has added some heavyweights to its voice cast. Sir Ian McKellen, Danny DeVito, and Sylvester Stallone will lend their voices to the Blue Dream Studios film about a family whose life is turned upside down when they inherit a rundown circus and a mysterious box of Animal Crackers that turn the person who eats them into the animal they’ve just snacked on. Patrick Warburton, Gilbert Gottfried, Raven-Symoné, Harvey Fierstein, James Arnold Taylor, Tara Strong, and newcomer Lydia Taylor round out the line-up for co-directors Scott Christian Sava and Tony Bancroft. Sava and Dean Lorey are co-writers; Sava is also producing with George Lee and Marcus Englefield from Storyoscopic Films, Jamie Thomason, and Leiming Guan. Odins Eye Entertainment is repping international sales.
Chile-set actioner Redeemer has been picked up for North America by Mpi Media Group, which has set a summer theatrical bow through genre arm Dark Sky Films.
Chile-set actioner Redeemer has been picked up for North America by Mpi Media Group, which has set a summer theatrical bow through genre arm Dark Sky Films.
- 11/6/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Exclusive: Shanghai New Culture Media Group Company Limited (Snc) has come on to co-finance Jackie Chan action-comedy Skiptrace, which Bloom sells internationally.
Snc joins China’s Talent International and Dasym Media on the financier roster and is in talks to find a North American home for the film.
Renny Harlin commenced production on Skiptrace in September in China. Johnny Knoxville and Fan Bingbing also star in the China-us co-production about a Hong Kong cop who teams up with an American gambler to rescue his niece from the Mob.
Jay Longino wrote the screenplay with revisions by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, Geoff Moore and David Posmentier, Ben David Grabinski, Jack Donaldson and Derek Elliott, Rodney Rothman and Jordan Rubin.
Snc’s ZhenhuaYang and Xiaolin Liu will serve as executive producers, while Qun Gao of Snc and Lifeng Wang of Xing Xing assume the roles of co-executive producers.
Talent International, Dasym Media, Chan, [link...
Snc joins China’s Talent International and Dasym Media on the financier roster and is in talks to find a North American home for the film.
Renny Harlin commenced production on Skiptrace in September in China. Johnny Knoxville and Fan Bingbing also star in the China-us co-production about a Hong Kong cop who teams up with an American gambler to rescue his niece from the Mob.
Jay Longino wrote the screenplay with revisions by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, Geoff Moore and David Posmentier, Ben David Grabinski, Jack Donaldson and Derek Elliott, Rodney Rothman and Jordan Rubin.
Snc’s ZhenhuaYang and Xiaolin Liu will serve as executive producers, while Qun Gao of Snc and Lifeng Wang of Xing Xing assume the roles of co-executive producers.
Talent International, Dasym Media, Chan, [link...
- 11/6/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
• Jessica Chastain is in early discussions for The Martian. She would play the female lead opposite Matt Damon in Fox’s sci-fi film, which Ridley Scott is directing. Based on the e-book by Andy Weir, the film follows an astronaut who gets stranded on Mars and must fight to survive and make his way home. Simon Kinberg originally brought the book to Scott, and will produce alongside Aditya Sood through Kinberg’s Genre Films Banner. Fox’s Steve Asbell will oversee the film for the studio. [Variety]
[Note: Deadline and THR reported that Kristen Wiig is also in early talks for a lead female role in the film.]
• Johnny Knoxville will star alongside Jackie Chan and Fan Bingbing in Skiptrace, which Renny Harlin is directing.
[Note: Deadline and THR reported that Kristen Wiig is also in early talks for a lead female role in the film.]
• Johnny Knoxville will star alongside Jackie Chan and Fan Bingbing in Skiptrace, which Renny Harlin is directing.
- 9/4/2014
- by C. Molly Smith
- EW - Inside Movies
Exclusive: Johnny Knoxville has been set to star alongside Jackie Chan in Skiptrace, the Renny Harlin-directed film that has just begun shooting in China. Last I wrote about this, Chan was going to star opposite Seann William Scott and X-Men: Days Of Future Past‘s Fan Bingbing in the tale of a Hong Kong detective (Chan) who teams up with a mouthy American gambler (Scott) to save his niece and take down the city’s most notorious criminal. Bingbing is in, but Scott exited and Knoxville has stepped up to play that role. The tone of the movie is Midnight Run.
Related: Renny Harlin Takes Helm Of Jackie Chan Action Comedy ‘Skiptrace’
Chan, who hatched the idea, is producing with Brian Gatewood, Esmond Ren, Damien Saccani and Charlie Coker. Jay Longino, Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka, Geoff Moore & David Posamentier, and BenDavid Grabinski all had a hand in the script and Rodney Rothman is polishing.
Related: Renny Harlin Takes Helm Of Jackie Chan Action Comedy ‘Skiptrace’
Chan, who hatched the idea, is producing with Brian Gatewood, Esmond Ren, Damien Saccani and Charlie Coker. Jay Longino, Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka, Geoff Moore & David Posamentier, and BenDavid Grabinski all had a hand in the script and Rodney Rothman is polishing.
- 9/3/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Bloom announced Renny Harlin (The Legend of Hercules, Die Hard 2) will direct action buddy comedy Skiptrace which will commence production on August 11, 2014.
Starring Jackie Chan (Rush Hour, The Karate Kid), Seann William Scott (American Pie, Role Models) and Fan Bingbing (Iron Man 3), Skiptrace is written by Jay Longino with revisions by Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka and Geoff Moore & David Posmentier and BenDavid Grabinski.
Skiptrace follows a Hong Kong detective Bennie Black (Chan), who has been tracking a dangerous crime boss, Victor Wong, for over a decade. When Bennie’s beautiful young niece Bai (Fan Bingbing) gets into trouble with Wong’s crime syndicate, he comes to the rescue and must track down the only man who can help her – a fast-talking American gambler named Connor Watts (Scott) who is also on the run from the mob. The unlikely pair embarks on a hilarious adventure from the wind swept...
Starring Jackie Chan (Rush Hour, The Karate Kid), Seann William Scott (American Pie, Role Models) and Fan Bingbing (Iron Man 3), Skiptrace is written by Jay Longino with revisions by Brian Gatewood & Alessandro Tanaka and Geoff Moore & David Posmentier and BenDavid Grabinski.
Skiptrace follows a Hong Kong detective Bennie Black (Chan), who has been tracking a dangerous crime boss, Victor Wong, for over a decade. When Bennie’s beautiful young niece Bai (Fan Bingbing) gets into trouble with Wong’s crime syndicate, he comes to the rescue and must track down the only man who can help her – a fast-talking American gambler named Connor Watts (Scott) who is also on the run from the mob. The unlikely pair embarks on a hilarious adventure from the wind swept...
- 5/21/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: Director Renny Harlin has boarded the buddy action comedy to star Jackie Chan, Seann William Scott and Fan Bingbing, which Alex Walton’s new Bloom is selling in Cannes.
Production is set to commence on August 11 on the story of a Hong Kong detective whose niece gets into trouble with a crime lord.
The detective must team up with a fast-talking American on the run from the Mob who is the only person that can help his niece.
The action will sweep from the Gobi Desert to the Huangshan Mountains.
Jay Longino wrote the screenplay with revisions by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka and Geoff Moore and David Posmentier and BenDavid Grabinski.
Talent International and co-financier Dasym Entertainment will produce alongside Chan, Esmond Ren, Charlie Coker, Damien Saccani and David Gerson.
“Jackie Chan’s international presence is unparalleled, and we’re thrilled that Renny Harlin has come on board to direct this exhilarating and hilarious project...
Production is set to commence on August 11 on the story of a Hong Kong detective whose niece gets into trouble with a crime lord.
The detective must team up with a fast-talking American on the run from the Mob who is the only person that can help his niece.
The action will sweep from the Gobi Desert to the Huangshan Mountains.
Jay Longino wrote the screenplay with revisions by Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka and Geoff Moore and David Posmentier and BenDavid Grabinski.
Talent International and co-financier Dasym Entertainment will produce alongside Chan, Esmond Ren, Charlie Coker, Damien Saccani and David Gerson.
“Jackie Chan’s international presence is unparalleled, and we’re thrilled that Renny Harlin has come on board to direct this exhilarating and hilarious project...
- 5/19/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Following an announcement of the project last summer , The Hollywood Reporter today brings word that We're the Millers helmer Rawson Marshall Thurber is set to direct Choose Your Own Adventure for 20th Century Fox. What's more, the children's book series adaptation has also attracted the screenwriting pair of Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon ( Night at the Museum ). Choose Your Own Adventure , which began in 1979, was the brainchild of Edward Packard. The classic series offered nearly 200 different adventures, all of which allowed you, the reader, to determine what happened next by following instructions at the bottom of each page. John Davis and John Fox will produce with Damien Saccani and Daniela Taplin set to executive produce.
- 1/28/2014
- Comingsoon.net
Seann William Scott (American Reunion, Role Models) has joined Jackie Chan (Rush Hour, The Karate Kid) and Fan Bingbing (X-men: Days Of Future Past) in Academy Award nominated director Sam Fell’s action comedy Skiptrace, it was announced today by Exclusive Media’s Co-Chairmen Nigel Sinclair and Guy East and Beijing based Talent International Film Co., Ltd.’s President Esmond Ren.
Set to start production on January 13, 2014, Skiptrace will be produced as a Sino-Foreign co-production by Exclusive Media and Talent International (北京唐德国际电影文化有限公司) (Chinese Zodiac 12), who will also co-finance the film. In addition to starring, Chan is a producer on Skiptrace.
Based on Chan’s original idea, Skiptrace is written by Jay Longino and co-written by The Sitter scribes Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, and David Posamentier and Geoff Moore (Better Living Through Chemistry).
The film follows Bennie Black (Jackie Chan), a Hong Kong detective who has been tracking notorious crime...
Set to start production on January 13, 2014, Skiptrace will be produced as a Sino-Foreign co-production by Exclusive Media and Talent International (北京唐德国际电影文化有限公司) (Chinese Zodiac 12), who will also co-finance the film. In addition to starring, Chan is a producer on Skiptrace.
Based on Chan’s original idea, Skiptrace is written by Jay Longino and co-written by The Sitter scribes Brian Gatewood and Alessandro Tanaka, and David Posamentier and Geoff Moore (Better Living Through Chemistry).
The film follows Bennie Black (Jackie Chan), a Hong Kong detective who has been tracking notorious crime...
- 10/22/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive Media has come on board to produce and co-finance Academy Award nominated Sam Fell’s (Paranorman) action comedy Skiptrace, starring action superstar Jackie Chan (Rush Hour, The Karate Kid) and international rising star Bingbing Fan (X-men: Days Of Future Past), it was announced today by Exclusive Media’s Co-Chairmen Nigel Sinclair and Guy East and Beijing based Talent International Film Co., Ltd.’s President Esmond Ren.
Skiptrace will be produced as a Sino-Foreign co-production by Exclusive Media and Talent International (北京唐德国际电影文化有限公司) (Chinese Zodiac 12), who will also co-finance the film. In addition to starring, Chan is a producer on Skiptrace. David Gerson is also attached to produce. The project was brought to Exclusive Media by Cyrte Investments’ Charlie Coker, who will act as executive producer on the film along with Cyrte.
Exclusive Media is handling international rights to the film and President of International Sales and Distribution, Alex Walton will...
Skiptrace will be produced as a Sino-Foreign co-production by Exclusive Media and Talent International (北京唐德国际电影文化有限公司) (Chinese Zodiac 12), who will also co-finance the film. In addition to starring, Chan is a producer on Skiptrace. David Gerson is also attached to produce. The project was brought to Exclusive Media by Cyrte Investments’ Charlie Coker, who will act as executive producer on the film along with Cyrte.
Exclusive Media is handling international rights to the film and President of International Sales and Distribution, Alex Walton will...
- 5/6/2013
- by Philip Sticco
- LRMonline.com
Nina Jacobson has set up her first post-Disney project at DreamWorks. The former Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group topper will produce the sci-fi thriller "Dominion" through her studio-based Color Force shingle.
Ben Ripley is penning the screenplay, which centers on a human who is chosen to command an army's first-ever platoon of robotic soldiers.
In December, Jacobson inked a three-year, first-look deal at DreamWorks (HR 12/6).
The longtime studio executive said she sparked to the idea of "Dominion" because of the scope of the story. "It's a film that will require a real visionary director, and it's a project that has a lot of big-movie elements," Jacobson said.
Color Force's Damien Saccani brought the material into the shingle.
"Damien found an idea that captured his imagination, and he was able to get Ben Ripley excited about that idea," she said. "We turned a little seedling of an idea into something that is completely original and exciting. It has been a great collaborative process.
Ben Ripley is penning the screenplay, which centers on a human who is chosen to command an army's first-ever platoon of robotic soldiers.
In December, Jacobson inked a three-year, first-look deal at DreamWorks (HR 12/6).
The longtime studio executive said she sparked to the idea of "Dominion" because of the scope of the story. "It's a film that will require a real visionary director, and it's a project that has a lot of big-movie elements," Jacobson said.
Color Force's Damien Saccani brought the material into the shingle.
"Damien found an idea that captured his imagination, and he was able to get Ben Ripley excited about that idea," she said. "We turned a little seedling of an idea into something that is completely original and exciting. It has been a great collaborative process.
- 6/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Touchstone Pictures has purchased the spec script Dead in the Water, to be produced by Damien Saccani's Cider Mill House Pictures. The horror script, penned by twin brothers Noah and Alexi Hawley, follows a grieving couple as they go on a cruise in an attempt to reignite their marriage. When the ship rescues a man at sea, the couple becomes embroiled in a horrific nightmare. Casey Wolfe will oversee it for the Walt Disney Co. Cider Mill's Bridget Humphrey brought the project into the shingle.
- 5/15/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Writer Dave Collard is reuniting with producer Damien Saccani on an untitled family comedy for Walt Disney Pictures. The deal marks the first project Saccani has set up to produce at Disney under his banner Cider Mill Pictures since signing his nonexclusive two-year deal with the studio (HR 4/4).
- 4/28/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Producer Damien Saccani has set up Cider Mill Prods., his own shingle at Walt Disney Pictures, signing a nonexclusive two-year deal with the studio. Saccani's first hire is Bridget Humphrey, who was a creative executive at Josephson Entertainment. Humphrey will be vp development and will oversee development of Cider Mill's slate. Cider Mill, named after a road in Vermont near where Saccani was raised, will be housed on the Disney lot and will concentrate on making movies for Disney's planned genre division as well as "make the kind of universally appealing and imaginative stories the studio built its name on," Saccani said. "I interned at Disney during college, so to return under these circumstances is a dream come true."...
NEW YORK -- Packing in enough cliches for a dozen movies, this drama about a sensitive young man trying to achieve his dreams via the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis will best be enjoyed by the generation unfamiliar with "An Officer and a Gentlemen", "Top Gun" and any preceding boxing movies. James Franco -- playing the sort of role that James Dean, whom he once played in a television film, would have excelled in -- should find slightly better boxoffice results with this effort than he did with his other January starrer, "Tristan & Isolde," but only by default.
The impressively beefed-up young actor plays Jake Huard, who is struggling to escape his family destiny working in the Annapolis shipyard. By sheer determination, he wangles his way into the academy, a feat that doesn't seem to impress his emotionally distant (naturally) father (Brian Goodman).
There, he faces the inevitable grueling boot camp life, along with a group of bunkmates whose racial diversity is perfectly in keeping with war movie tradition. There's the black kid, Twins (Vicellous Shannon), whose overwhelming fondness for Twinkies threatens to scuttle his chances; the rigorously disciplined Asian, Loo (Roger Fan, who excelled in director Justin Lin's indie debut effort, "Better Luck Tomorrow"); and the hot-tempered Hispanic, Estrada (Wilmer Calderon).
Needless to say, Huard soon runs up against up against his hard-edged superiors, most notably the steely company commander Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson). The young plebe decides to exact revenge by beating Cole in the Navy boxing competition, a process that fortunately requires training by Ali (Jordana Brewster), an impossibly gorgeous female midshipman.
Dave Collard's derivative script doesn't miss a beat in mining the stock situations for the requisite drama -- yes, one of the plebes makes a suicide attempt -- and laughs. Although crudely effective in a strictly formulaic way, the film manages to strike nary an unfamiliar note. And such lines of dialogue as "You look like a girl" don't exactly resonate with originality, either.
Perhaps the biggest problem is the casting of Brewster, who, unlike Kelly McGillis in "Top Gun", doesn't begin to convey an ounce of authoritative bearing, let alone any credibility as a boxing instructor. Her presence should, however, guarantee an immediate spike in Naval Academy applications.
Annapolis
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Credits:
Director: Justin Lin
Screenplay: Dave Collard
Producers: Damien Saccani, Mark Vahradian
Executive producer: Steve Nicolaides
Director of photography: Phil Abraham
Production designer: Patti Podesta
Film editor: Fred Raskin
Costume designer: Gloria Gresham
Music: Brian Tyler
Cast:
Jake Huard: James Franco
Cole: Tyrese Gibson
Ali: Jordana Brewster
Lt. Cmdr. Burton: Donnie Wahlberg
Twins: Vicellous Shannon
Loo: Roger Fan
Whitaker: McCaleb Burnett
Estrada: Wilmer Calderon
McNally: Chi McBride
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 105 minutes...
The impressively beefed-up young actor plays Jake Huard, who is struggling to escape his family destiny working in the Annapolis shipyard. By sheer determination, he wangles his way into the academy, a feat that doesn't seem to impress his emotionally distant (naturally) father (Brian Goodman).
There, he faces the inevitable grueling boot camp life, along with a group of bunkmates whose racial diversity is perfectly in keeping with war movie tradition. There's the black kid, Twins (Vicellous Shannon), whose overwhelming fondness for Twinkies threatens to scuttle his chances; the rigorously disciplined Asian, Loo (Roger Fan, who excelled in director Justin Lin's indie debut effort, "Better Luck Tomorrow"); and the hot-tempered Hispanic, Estrada (Wilmer Calderon).
Needless to say, Huard soon runs up against up against his hard-edged superiors, most notably the steely company commander Lt. Cole (Tyrese Gibson). The young plebe decides to exact revenge by beating Cole in the Navy boxing competition, a process that fortunately requires training by Ali (Jordana Brewster), an impossibly gorgeous female midshipman.
Dave Collard's derivative script doesn't miss a beat in mining the stock situations for the requisite drama -- yes, one of the plebes makes a suicide attempt -- and laughs. Although crudely effective in a strictly formulaic way, the film manages to strike nary an unfamiliar note. And such lines of dialogue as "You look like a girl" don't exactly resonate with originality, either.
Perhaps the biggest problem is the casting of Brewster, who, unlike Kelly McGillis in "Top Gun", doesn't begin to convey an ounce of authoritative bearing, let alone any credibility as a boxing instructor. Her presence should, however, guarantee an immediate spike in Naval Academy applications.
Annapolis
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Credits:
Director: Justin Lin
Screenplay: Dave Collard
Producers: Damien Saccani, Mark Vahradian
Executive producer: Steve Nicolaides
Director of photography: Phil Abraham
Production designer: Patti Podesta
Film editor: Fred Raskin
Costume designer: Gloria Gresham
Music: Brian Tyler
Cast:
Jake Huard: James Franco
Cole: Tyrese Gibson
Ali: Jordana Brewster
Lt. Cmdr. Burton: Donnie Wahlberg
Twins: Vicellous Shannon
Loo: Roger Fan
Whitaker: McCaleb Burnett
Estrada: Wilmer Calderon
McNally: Chi McBride
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 105 minutes...
Thomas Dean Donnelly and Josh Oppenheimer are buckling up to adapt Airborn, which is being produced by Steve Sommers and Bob Ducsay of the Sommers Co. for Universal Pictures. Ruddy Morgan principals Albert Ruddy and Andre Morgan are executive producing. Based on a children's book by Kenneth Oppel, Airborn tells the tale of a 15-year-old boy who works on a luxury airship that is part dirigible, part passenger cruise ship. When pirates attack the airship, the boy, along with a female partner, embark on an adventure that includes strange flying creatures, secret lairs, nasty villains and uncharted volcanic islands. Universal vice chairman of worldwide production Mary Parent, vp production Damien Saccani and creative executive Drew Crevello are overseeing for the studio.
Jordana Brewster will star opposite James Franco in the Walt Disney Studios drama Annapolis. Justin Lin is helming the feature about a boy from the wrong side of the tracks whose dream of attending the U.S. Naval Academy becomes a reality. Brewster would play an upper classman who helps Franco's character train in the ring as the two fall for each other, even though it is a violation of academic policy. Mark Vahradian and Damien Saccani are producing. Brigham Taylor and Josh Simon are overseeing for the studio. Brewster's forthcoming features include Chasing Fate, in which she will star with Kip Pardue; Nearing Grace; and the action-comedy D.E.B.S. Brewster, who is repped by CAA, has appeared in The Fast and the Furious and The Faculty.
- 7/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoofmeisters Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft have set up Balls of Courage at Universal Pictures. The two will write the screenplay, which Abrahams will direct. Exact details are being kept under wraps, but the comedy will tackle various genres of film, particularly those of the high-testosterone action genre. Abrahams, Proft, Mike Macari and Neal Edelstein are producing Balls. Overseeing for the studio are vice chairman of worldwide production Scott Stuber and vp production Damien Saccani.
- 6/29/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spoofmeisters Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft have set up Balls of Courage at Universal Pictures. The two will write the screenplay, which Abrahams will direct. Exact details are being kept under wraps, but the comedy will tackle various genres of film, particularly those of the high-testosterone action genre. Abrahams, Proft, Mike Macari and Neal Edelstein are producing Balls. Overseeing for the studio are vice chairman of worldwide production Scott Stuber and vp production Damien Saccani.
- 6/29/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chiwetel Ejiofor, who starred in the indie feature "Dirty Pretty Things", is set to appear in the Universal Pictures project "Serenity", Joss Whedon's feature film version of his canceled television series "Firefly". The concept revolves around an ensemble of characters who are galactic outcasts 500 years in the future. The film centers on a captain and the crew on his transport-for-hire spaceship, Serenity. When they pick up two passengers, they find themselves caught between a military force and cannibalistic savages. Ejiofor is the first actor to sign on to the "Firefly" feature who did not appear in the TV series, which had a brief run on Fox in fall 2002. He will play a character known as the Operative, an assassin and tracker who speaks with eloquent sophistication. Whedon is writing and directing. Barry Mendel, Chris Buchanan and Alisa Tager are producing. Mary Parent and Damien Saccani are overseeing the project for the studio. ICM-repped Ejiofor's other credits include "Amistad" and "Love Actually".
Opens
Friday, Feb. 6
With its athletic 12-year-old female lead, Catch That Kid is an action romp with heart. If that heart is somewhat misguided, it's hard to deny the family-friendly thrills and spills along the way.
A low-wattage cast helps conjure resemblance to a video game masquerading as a theatrical release (the character names of the three young leads even flash onscreen when each is introduced). The film, from prolific producer Andrew Lazar (Space Cowboys, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), looks to have more of a future as a home rental than catch fire at the boxoffice.
The movie is a remake of the 2002 popular Danish film Klatretosen. In view of the success of the Spy Kids franchise, American youngsters may enjoy this heist story in which the three preteen leads are rarely offscreen. Most intriguing of all is fact that the director of this broadly comedic CGI caper is indie filmmaker Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints, World Traveler).
Maddy (Kristen Stewart) and her 2-year-old brother, Max, have a busy security-consultant mom (Jennifer Beals) and a loving dad (Sam Robards), the owner of a popular go-kart track. Dad once climbed Mount Everest, but he discourages his own daughter's dangerous zeal for rock climbing. When he suffers a medical trauma that necessitates coming up with $250,000 for an operation in Copenhagen, Maddy opts to rob the high-security vault in the monolithic Harderbach Bank headquarters -- her mother's current client. Maddy and her two best friends -- and prepubescent romantic rivals -- Austin (Corbin Bleu) and Gus (Max Thieriot) do their homework and case the joint.
Thanks to Maddy's agility, reaching the 100-foot-high (!) state-of-the-art tower vault is a no-brainer. Austin is a videographer and, apparently, a Silicon Valley-caliber computer genius, while Gus knows his way around mechanical engineering from the hours spent in the pit at the go-kart track. The combined high-tech skills of our young heroes and the bank's security measures provide some sharp visual effects during the elaborate heist.
The less said about the acting the better, though Stewart (Panic Room) is earnest in the lead. (Between the confined set of the Jodie Foster thriller and the vault here, Stewart must be Hollywood's go-to teen actress for scripts featuring "safe rooms.")
Also in support are an over-the-top Michael Des Barres (channeling Terence Stamp) as the dastardly bank president and John Carroll Lynch (channeling Robert De Niro), as a sympathetic executive whose lifelong dream is to be a method actor. Stark Sands is Chad, a bank security intern -- and Gus' obnoxious older brother -- who helps keep an eye on the video monitors and the attack dogs. Chad's boss is played by Freundlich regular James Le Gros, who seems to be giddily overacting in his own personal movie.
Catch That Kid may captivate very young audiences but more for its cartoonish storytelling than any high quality of production.
CATCH THAT KID
20th Century Fox
Fox 2000 Pictures
Mediastream III presents a Mad Chance/Nimbus Film production
Credits:
Director: Bart Freundlich
Screenwriters: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas
Based on the film Klatretosen written by: Nikolaj Arcel, Hans Fabian Wullenwebe, Erlend Loe
Producer: Andrew Lazar
Executive producers: Damien Saccani, James Dodson, Mikkel Bondesen
Director of photography: Julio Macat
Production designer: Tom Meyer
Costume Designer: Salvador Perez
Co-producers: Gym Hinderer, Jeff Graup
Music by: George S. Clinton
Editor: Stuart Levy
Cast:
Maddy: Kristen Stewart
Austin: Corbin Bleu
Gus: Max Thieriot
Molly: Jennifer Beals
Tom: Sam Robards
Mr. Hartmann: John Carroll Lynch
Ferrell: James Le Gros
Brisbane: Michael Des Barres
Chad: Stark Sands
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
Friday, Feb. 6
With its athletic 12-year-old female lead, Catch That Kid is an action romp with heart. If that heart is somewhat misguided, it's hard to deny the family-friendly thrills and spills along the way.
A low-wattage cast helps conjure resemblance to a video game masquerading as a theatrical release (the character names of the three young leads even flash onscreen when each is introduced). The film, from prolific producer Andrew Lazar (Space Cowboys, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), looks to have more of a future as a home rental than catch fire at the boxoffice.
The movie is a remake of the 2002 popular Danish film Klatretosen. In view of the success of the Spy Kids franchise, American youngsters may enjoy this heist story in which the three preteen leads are rarely offscreen. Most intriguing of all is fact that the director of this broadly comedic CGI caper is indie filmmaker Bart Freundlich (The Myth of Fingerprints, World Traveler).
Maddy (Kristen Stewart) and her 2-year-old brother, Max, have a busy security-consultant mom (Jennifer Beals) and a loving dad (Sam Robards), the owner of a popular go-kart track. Dad once climbed Mount Everest, but he discourages his own daughter's dangerous zeal for rock climbing. When he suffers a medical trauma that necessitates coming up with $250,000 for an operation in Copenhagen, Maddy opts to rob the high-security vault in the monolithic Harderbach Bank headquarters -- her mother's current client. Maddy and her two best friends -- and prepubescent romantic rivals -- Austin (Corbin Bleu) and Gus (Max Thieriot) do their homework and case the joint.
Thanks to Maddy's agility, reaching the 100-foot-high (!) state-of-the-art tower vault is a no-brainer. Austin is a videographer and, apparently, a Silicon Valley-caliber computer genius, while Gus knows his way around mechanical engineering from the hours spent in the pit at the go-kart track. The combined high-tech skills of our young heroes and the bank's security measures provide some sharp visual effects during the elaborate heist.
The less said about the acting the better, though Stewart (Panic Room) is earnest in the lead. (Between the confined set of the Jodie Foster thriller and the vault here, Stewart must be Hollywood's go-to teen actress for scripts featuring "safe rooms.")
Also in support are an over-the-top Michael Des Barres (channeling Terence Stamp) as the dastardly bank president and John Carroll Lynch (channeling Robert De Niro), as a sympathetic executive whose lifelong dream is to be a method actor. Stark Sands is Chad, a bank security intern -- and Gus' obnoxious older brother -- who helps keep an eye on the video monitors and the attack dogs. Chad's boss is played by Freundlich regular James Le Gros, who seems to be giddily overacting in his own personal movie.
Catch That Kid may captivate very young audiences but more for its cartoonish storytelling than any high quality of production.
CATCH THAT KID
20th Century Fox
Fox 2000 Pictures
Mediastream III presents a Mad Chance/Nimbus Film production
Credits:
Director: Bart Freundlich
Screenwriters: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas
Based on the film Klatretosen written by: Nikolaj Arcel, Hans Fabian Wullenwebe, Erlend Loe
Producer: Andrew Lazar
Executive producers: Damien Saccani, James Dodson, Mikkel Bondesen
Director of photography: Julio Macat
Production designer: Tom Meyer
Costume Designer: Salvador Perez
Co-producers: Gym Hinderer, Jeff Graup
Music by: George S. Clinton
Editor: Stuart Levy
Cast:
Maddy: Kristen Stewart
Austin: Corbin Bleu
Gus: Max Thieriot
Molly: Jennifer Beals
Tom: Sam Robards
Mr. Hartmann: John Carroll Lynch
Ferrell: James Le Gros
Brisbane: Michael Des Barres
Chad: Stark Sands
Running time -- 91 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 2/23/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screened
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- Cross "Body Heat" with "No Way Out" and you wind up with "Out of Time", a slick crime melodrama with more style than substance. Director Carl Franklin certainly knows all the right moves in this genre, so even a less-than-stellar performance by Denzel Washington probably won't hurt the film's chances of becoming a medium-range success for MGM.
The locale of Florida's Gulf Coast and the way a love-starved man's sexual indiscretions lead him into a frame-up for murder suggest "Body Heat". But "No Way Out" (itself a remake of "The Big Clock") contributes the film's two key elements: a rapidly ticking clock and a cop desperate to solve a double murder when he knows all the clues point to him. Working from a tight script by first-time screenwriter Dave Collard, Franklin moves the story at a brisk pace as his often-in-motion camera captures the sultry sensuality of a backwater coastal town.
A noirish tale sets up small-town police chief Matt Lee Whitlock (Washington) for the fall as smoothly as a well-blended summer drink. Estranged from wife Alex (the striking Eva Mendes), who happens to be a police detective, Matt fools around with Ann Merai (Sanaa Lathan), whose nasty ex-football player husband Chris Dean Cain) has gotten wind of the affair. Matt then gets hit with two blows: His wife files for divorce, and Ann Merai learns she has terminal cancer.
Ann Merai's only long-shot hope is alternative therapy in Europe, which costs a fortune. But wait! There is that $1 million life insurance policy her husband bought a year ago. Maybe she can leverage that policy for quick cash. When this scheme fails, she changes the beneficiary to Matt, and in exchange he gives her stacks of drug money, which his office is holding for a trial years away. Then Ann Merai's house burns down that night in an arson fire, killing both her and her husband.
Alex is on the case the next morning. Matt realizes the evidence will all too quickly point to him. Frantic, Matt struggles to stay one step ahead of his enterprising wife to solve the murder before he finds himself in jail. Of course, logic would dictate that Matt should take his wife into his confidence
after all, she is still on friendly terms with him. But what fun would that be for viewers?
The film contains a number of well-orchestrated sequences where that one step shortens to a half-step, especially at a Miami hotel where Matt races to get to a suspicious character (Alex Carter) before his wife does, only to wind up hanging from a hotel balcony with the suspect.
Washington never appears to have gotten a handle on his character, though. Matt is a sleazy guy who doesn't just make a mistake or two but a whole series of them, all predicated on his own self-interest. Yet Washington tries to play Matt as a sympathetic innocent, which doesn't wash. A little of that "Training Day" evil cunning might have worked better.
Mendes, in her best role yet, gives her cop plenty of energy and femininity. John Billingsley is wonderful as a slacker medical examiner who becomes Matt's sidekick in crime and serves as the film's comic relief. Lathan and Cain hit just the right notes of guile and ardor.
Adding to the film's rich atmosphere are terrific Florida locations, Theo Van de Sande's elegant cinematography -- emphasizing voluptuous earth tones -- and Graeme Revell's rousing Latin jazz score.
OUT OF TIME
MGM
An Original Film/Monarch Pictures production
Credits:
Director: Carl Franklin
Screenwriter: Dave Collard
Producers: Neal H. Moritz, Jesse B'Franklin
Executive producers: Kevin Reidy, Jon Berg, Damien Saccani, Alex Gartner
Director of photography: Theo Van de Sande
Production designer: Paul Peters
Music: Graeme Revell
Costume designer: Sharen Davis
Editor: Carole Kravetz Aykanian
Cast:
Matt Lee Whitlock: Denzel Washington
Detective Alexandra Whitlock: Eva Mendes
Ann Merai: Sanaa Lathan
Chris: Dean Cain
Chae: John Billingsley
Tony: Robert Baker
Cabot: Alex Carter
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Toronto International Film Festival
TORONTO -- Cross "Body Heat" with "No Way Out" and you wind up with "Out of Time", a slick crime melodrama with more style than substance. Director Carl Franklin certainly knows all the right moves in this genre, so even a less-than-stellar performance by Denzel Washington probably won't hurt the film's chances of becoming a medium-range success for MGM.
The locale of Florida's Gulf Coast and the way a love-starved man's sexual indiscretions lead him into a frame-up for murder suggest "Body Heat". But "No Way Out" (itself a remake of "The Big Clock") contributes the film's two key elements: a rapidly ticking clock and a cop desperate to solve a double murder when he knows all the clues point to him. Working from a tight script by first-time screenwriter Dave Collard, Franklin moves the story at a brisk pace as his often-in-motion camera captures the sultry sensuality of a backwater coastal town.
A noirish tale sets up small-town police chief Matt Lee Whitlock (Washington) for the fall as smoothly as a well-blended summer drink. Estranged from wife Alex (the striking Eva Mendes), who happens to be a police detective, Matt fools around with Ann Merai (Sanaa Lathan), whose nasty ex-football player husband Chris Dean Cain) has gotten wind of the affair. Matt then gets hit with two blows: His wife files for divorce, and Ann Merai learns she has terminal cancer.
Ann Merai's only long-shot hope is alternative therapy in Europe, which costs a fortune. But wait! There is that $1 million life insurance policy her husband bought a year ago. Maybe she can leverage that policy for quick cash. When this scheme fails, she changes the beneficiary to Matt, and in exchange he gives her stacks of drug money, which his office is holding for a trial years away. Then Ann Merai's house burns down that night in an arson fire, killing both her and her husband.
Alex is on the case the next morning. Matt realizes the evidence will all too quickly point to him. Frantic, Matt struggles to stay one step ahead of his enterprising wife to solve the murder before he finds himself in jail. Of course, logic would dictate that Matt should take his wife into his confidence
after all, she is still on friendly terms with him. But what fun would that be for viewers?
The film contains a number of well-orchestrated sequences where that one step shortens to a half-step, especially at a Miami hotel where Matt races to get to a suspicious character (Alex Carter) before his wife does, only to wind up hanging from a hotel balcony with the suspect.
Washington never appears to have gotten a handle on his character, though. Matt is a sleazy guy who doesn't just make a mistake or two but a whole series of them, all predicated on his own self-interest. Yet Washington tries to play Matt as a sympathetic innocent, which doesn't wash. A little of that "Training Day" evil cunning might have worked better.
Mendes, in her best role yet, gives her cop plenty of energy and femininity. John Billingsley is wonderful as a slacker medical examiner who becomes Matt's sidekick in crime and serves as the film's comic relief. Lathan and Cain hit just the right notes of guile and ardor.
Adding to the film's rich atmosphere are terrific Florida locations, Theo Van de Sande's elegant cinematography -- emphasizing voluptuous earth tones -- and Graeme Revell's rousing Latin jazz score.
OUT OF TIME
MGM
An Original Film/Monarch Pictures production
Credits:
Director: Carl Franklin
Screenwriter: Dave Collard
Producers: Neal H. Moritz, Jesse B'Franklin
Executive producers: Kevin Reidy, Jon Berg, Damien Saccani, Alex Gartner
Director of photography: Theo Van de Sande
Production designer: Paul Peters
Music: Graeme Revell
Costume designer: Sharen Davis
Editor: Carole Kravetz Aykanian
Cast:
Matt Lee Whitlock: Denzel Washington
Detective Alexandra Whitlock: Eva Mendes
Ann Merai: Sanaa Lathan
Chris: Dean Cain
Chae: John Billingsley
Tony: Robert Baker
Cabot: Alex Carter
Running time -- 105 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 10/23/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Renny Harlin is in negotiations to direct Intermedia Films' action comedy The Killer's Game with Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance Prods. producing. The project, previously titled Godforsaken, aims to go into production in the fall in Europe. It reteams Harlin with Intermedia, which produces the upcoming Dimension Films feature Mindhunters. Based on Jay Bonansinga's novel The Killer's Game, the project is about a burned-out assassin who takes a hit out on himself. But after learning he is about to become a father, the protagonist must evade an assortment of world-class assassins while on the run across Europe with his girlfriend. The project had previously attracted the attention of such helmers as Rupert Wainwright and Mike Van Diem as well as actor Wesley Snipes. Rand Ravich adapted the material, which Lazar will produce. Mad Chance's Far Shariat and Damien Saccani will executive produce along with Peter Miller of New York-based PMA, which represents the book rights. Harlin is repped by WMA.
- 7/11/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mike Van Diem, whose 1998 Netherlands feature "Karakter" won a foreign language film Oscar, is in negotiations to direct Wesley Snipes in Intermedia Films' action-comedy "Godforsaken," with Andrew Lazar's Mad Chance Prods. producing. The project aims to go into production in the fall in Europe. Based on Jay Bonansinga's novel "The Killer's Game," the project stars Snipes as a burned-out assassin takes a hit out on himself. But after learning he is about to become a father, Snipes must evade an assortment of world-class assassins while on the run across Europe with his girlfriend. Rupert Wainwright was in talks to direct the project but has since turned his attention to MGM's "Outer Limits." Rand Ravich adapted the material, which Lazar will produce. Mad Chance's Far Shariat and Damien Saccani will executive produce along with Peter Miller of New York-based PMA, which represents the book rights. Van Diem is repped by Sanford Gross Associates and attorney Linda Lichter. Snipes is repped by WMA.
- 8/22/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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