Exclusive: Scott Mescudi (X) has closed a deal to star opposite Jessica Biel and Xochitl Gomez in the sci-fi thriller Ursa Major, from Kin filmmakers Jonathan and Josh Baker.
The film written by Patrick Somerville, Colleen O’Brien and Katie French, which is heading into production this fall, is set on an earth-like planet, where a mother (Biel) and daughter (Gomez) fight for survival while hiding from a group of relentless hunters. With the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm, Natalie — now a teenager — begins questioning her mother, Charlie, about who they really are, how they got here, and what they need to do to survive.
Mescudi will play the role of Blair, part of an enemy faction that crash-lands on the same planet as Charlie and Natalie.
Producers include Somerville, David Eisenberg and Stephanie Jacob-Goldman through Tractor Beam, John Finemore through Lost City, Mason Novick through Mxn Entertainment,...
The film written by Patrick Somerville, Colleen O’Brien and Katie French, which is heading into production this fall, is set on an earth-like planet, where a mother (Biel) and daughter (Gomez) fight for survival while hiding from a group of relentless hunters. With the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm, Natalie — now a teenager — begins questioning her mother, Charlie, about who they really are, how they got here, and what they need to do to survive.
Mescudi will play the role of Blair, part of an enemy faction that crash-lands on the same planet as Charlie and Natalie.
Producers include Somerville, David Eisenberg and Stephanie Jacob-Goldman through Tractor Beam, John Finemore through Lost City, Mason Novick through Mxn Entertainment,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Nearly eight months have gone by since we heard that Mary Elizabeth Winstead (10 Cloverfield Lane) was set to star in the sci-fi thriller Ursa Major with Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) – but now Deadline has revealed that Winstead had to drop out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. Taking over the role that had previously been assigned to Winstead is Jessica Biel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003).
Twin brother directors Jonathan and Josh Baker are at the helm of Ursa Major, working from a screenplay written by Colleen O’Brien, Katie French, and Station Eleven creator Patrick Somerville. That trio crafted the story of Charlie (Biel) and Natalie (Gomez), a mother and daughter pair of survivors trapped on a harsh Earth-like planet. As a deadly storm heads toward the planetoid, the duo avoids encroaching elements, crazed hunters, and more. While Natalie has always trusted her mother, she...
Twin brother directors Jonathan and Josh Baker are at the helm of Ursa Major, working from a screenplay written by Colleen O’Brien, Katie French, and Station Eleven creator Patrick Somerville. That trio crafted the story of Charlie (Biel) and Natalie (Gomez), a mother and daughter pair of survivors trapped on a harsh Earth-like planet. As a deadly storm heads toward the planetoid, the duo avoids encroaching elements, crazed hunters, and more. While Natalie has always trusted her mother, she...
- 4/18/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Jessica Biel (“The Sinner,” The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) has been set to star alongside Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) in the upcoming sci-fi thriller Ursa Major, Deadline reports today.
The thriller hails from twin brother directors Jonathan and Josh Baker (Kin) and is scheduled to head into production this fall.
Ursa Major takes place “on an Earth-like planet, where a mother (Biel) and daughter (Gomez) fight for survival while hiding from a group of relentless hunters. With the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm, Natalie — now a teenager — begins questioning her mother, Charlie, about who they really are, how they got here, and what they need to do to survive.”
Based on that premise and the team behind it, it feels safe to assume there will be surprises and potential twists in store for the mother and daughter as they attempt to evade their pursuers.
The thriller hails from twin brother directors Jonathan and Josh Baker (Kin) and is scheduled to head into production this fall.
Ursa Major takes place “on an Earth-like planet, where a mother (Biel) and daughter (Gomez) fight for survival while hiding from a group of relentless hunters. With the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm, Natalie — now a teenager — begins questioning her mother, Charlie, about who they really are, how they got here, and what they need to do to survive.”
Based on that premise and the team behind it, it feels safe to assume there will be surprises and potential twists in store for the mother and daughter as they attempt to evade their pursuers.
- 4/18/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Jessica Biel (The Sinner) is set to star opposite Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) in Ursa Major, a sci-fi thriller from twin brother directors Jonathan and Josh Baker (Kin), which will head into production this fall.
Patrick Somerville — the Emmy nominee known for creating HBO Max’s Station Eleven, who also co-created Netflix’s Maniac and HBO Max’s Made for Love — wrote the script with Colleen O’Brien and Katie French. Pic is set on an earth-like planet, where a mother (Biel) and daughter (Gomez) fight for survival while hiding from a group of relentless hunters. With the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm, Natalie — now a teenager — begins questioning her mother, Charlie, about who they really are, how they got here, and what they need to do to survive.
Biel takes over the role of Charlie from Critics’ Choice and Independent Spirit Award nominee Mary Elizabeth Winstead,...
Patrick Somerville — the Emmy nominee known for creating HBO Max’s Station Eleven, who also co-created Netflix’s Maniac and HBO Max’s Made for Love — wrote the script with Colleen O’Brien and Katie French. Pic is set on an earth-like planet, where a mother (Biel) and daughter (Gomez) fight for survival while hiding from a group of relentless hunters. With the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm, Natalie — now a teenager — begins questioning her mother, Charlie, about who they really are, how they got here, and what they need to do to survive.
Biel takes over the role of Charlie from Critics’ Choice and Independent Spirit Award nominee Mary Elizabeth Winstead,...
- 4/18/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Artists First has today announced its promotion of Caroline Soss to Manager, and its hire of Curtis Shaw Flagg in the same role.
Clients of recently appointed Talent Manager Soss, who specializes in developing global artists, include Lyrica Okano (Marvel’s Runaways), Dan Leahy (Reboot), Katie Parker (The Haunting of Hill House), Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Nicholas Ralph (All Creatures Great and Small).
The Philadelphia native started at Artists First as an intern in 2015 and, after graduating from Syracuse University;s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, joined Artists First full-time assisting Kimberlin Belloni and Maggie Haskins (who was promoted to Partner last year). Soss then moved on to work for Co-President David Gardner, also serving as the company’s Drama Talent Coordinator prior to her latest promotion.
Illinois native Flagg studied Bioinformatics at Marian University before moving to Chicago and pivoting his career to live entertainment...
Clients of recently appointed Talent Manager Soss, who specializes in developing global artists, include Lyrica Okano (Marvel’s Runaways), Dan Leahy (Reboot), Katie Parker (The Haunting of Hill House), Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman and Nicholas Ralph (All Creatures Great and Small).
The Philadelphia native started at Artists First as an intern in 2015 and, after graduating from Syracuse University;s S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, joined Artists First full-time assisting Kimberlin Belloni and Maggie Haskins (who was promoted to Partner last year). Soss then moved on to work for Co-President David Gardner, also serving as the company’s Drama Talent Coordinator prior to her latest promotion.
Illinois native Flagg studied Bioinformatics at Marian University before moving to Chicago and pivoting his career to live entertainment...
- 2/24/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s been written in the stars that two stand-out comic book character actors will come together for Ursa Major, an upcoming science-fiction thriller from the Baker Brothers. Xochitl Gomez (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness) and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are joining forces for the new project as a mother and daughter duo fighting to survive.
Jonathan and Josh Baker direct Ursa Major, featuring the story of Charlie (Winstead) and Natalie (Gomez), a mother and daughter pair of survivors trapped on a harsh Earth-like planet. As a deadly storm heads toward the planetoid, the duo avoids encroaching elements, crazed hunters, and more. While Natalie has always trusted her mother, she’s beginning to question the strategies they’ve used to survive and thinks it might be time to change who leads the charge.
The story for Ursa Major hails from an original script co-written by Station Eleven creator Patrick Somerville,...
Jonathan and Josh Baker direct Ursa Major, featuring the story of Charlie (Winstead) and Natalie (Gomez), a mother and daughter pair of survivors trapped on a harsh Earth-like planet. As a deadly storm heads toward the planetoid, the duo avoids encroaching elements, crazed hunters, and more. While Natalie has always trusted her mother, she’s beginning to question the strategies they’ve used to survive and thinks it might be time to change who leads the charge.
The story for Ursa Major hails from an original script co-written by Station Eleven creator Patrick Somerville,...
- 8/30/2022
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Click here to read the full article.
Birds of Prey star Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness breakout Xochitl Gomez have signed on to star in Ursa Major, a new sci-fi thriller from sibling directors Jonathan and Josh Baker (Kin).
Winstead and Gomez will play Charlie and Natalie, mother and daughter fighting for survival on an Earth-like planet, hiding from a group of relentless hunters with the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm approaches. But Natalie, now a teenager, has begun to question her mother’s decisions, her explanation of who there are, how they got here and what they need to do to survive.
The Baker Brothers will direct Ursa Major from an original script by Patrick Somerville, the Emmy-nominated creator of HBO Max series Station Eleven, who co-wrote Ursa Major with Colleen O’Brien and Katie French. Somerville will produce the film...
Birds of Prey star Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness breakout Xochitl Gomez have signed on to star in Ursa Major, a new sci-fi thriller from sibling directors Jonathan and Josh Baker (Kin).
Winstead and Gomez will play Charlie and Natalie, mother and daughter fighting for survival on an Earth-like planet, hiding from a group of relentless hunters with the added threat of an imminent and deadly storm approaches. But Natalie, now a teenager, has begun to question her mother’s decisions, her explanation of who there are, how they got here and what they need to do to survive.
The Baker Brothers will direct Ursa Major from an original script by Patrick Somerville, the Emmy-nominated creator of HBO Max series Station Eleven, who co-wrote Ursa Major with Colleen O’Brien and Katie French. Somerville will produce the film...
- 8/30/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: The creator, executive producer and showrunner of the acclaimed HBO Max series Station Eleven, Patrick Somerville, and the series’ associate producer and editor David Eisenberg, have opened the doors to feature film and television production company Tractor Beam.
Somerville and Eisenberg first met on The Leftovers, hitting it off as friends and hoping to become eventual collaborators. They reteamed for Station Eleven, where during the long, often pandemic-induced delays, they hatched the idea for Tractor Beam, with the mission of making content that centers on the creatives and empowers them to control the filmmaking process.
Hilary Flynn and Stephanie Jacob-Goldman have been brought aboard as Tractor Beam’s VP of Development and VP of Production, respectively. Somerville currently has a deal at Paramount Television Studios.
“Our mission at Tractor Beam is to help creators get home,” said Somerville. “Streamers have opened up astounding new opportunities in television and film,...
Somerville and Eisenberg first met on The Leftovers, hitting it off as friends and hoping to become eventual collaborators. They reteamed for Station Eleven, where during the long, often pandemic-induced delays, they hatched the idea for Tractor Beam, with the mission of making content that centers on the creatives and empowers them to control the filmmaking process.
Hilary Flynn and Stephanie Jacob-Goldman have been brought aboard as Tractor Beam’s VP of Development and VP of Production, respectively. Somerville currently has a deal at Paramount Television Studios.
“Our mission at Tractor Beam is to help creators get home,” said Somerville. “Streamers have opened up astounding new opportunities in television and film,...
- 1/20/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Rebecca F. Kuang’s series of fantasy novels including The Poppy War, are set to be adapted for television after Peter Luo’s Starlight Media optioned the rights.
Starlight Media, which has backed films including Crazy Rich Asians and Midway, has taken the rights to The Poppy War, Dragon Republic and The Burning God.
The company has teamed with financing and production banner Sa Inc to develop and finance the female-led, fantasy epic, which combines the history of twentieth-century China and a world of gods and monsters.
Allen Fischer from management/production company Artists First is packaging the project with Starlight, and is in the process of attaching a showrunner.
Inspired by the mixture of the atmosphere of Song dynasty and the Second Sino-Japanese War in mid-20th-century China, the books build an imaginary world of shamanism and classical Chinese legends with adventure.
The story unfolds with Rin, a war orphan from southern China,...
Starlight Media, which has backed films including Crazy Rich Asians and Midway, has taken the rights to The Poppy War, Dragon Republic and The Burning God.
The company has teamed with financing and production banner Sa Inc to develop and finance the female-led, fantasy epic, which combines the history of twentieth-century China and a world of gods and monsters.
Allen Fischer from management/production company Artists First is packaging the project with Starlight, and is in the process of attaching a showrunner.
Inspired by the mixture of the atmosphere of Song dynasty and the Second Sino-Japanese War in mid-20th-century China, the books build an imaginary world of shamanism and classical Chinese legends with adventure.
The story unfolds with Rin, a war orphan from southern China,...
- 12/8/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Warner Bros is re-teaming with its Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu to chronicle the journey of Arnel Pineda, a Filipino singer rescued from obscurity by a YouTube video that led him to become the lead singer of the iconic ’80s arena rock band Journey. Discovered on YouTube by Journey co-founder Neal Schon, who’d finally found the rare singer able to reliably replicate the soaring vocals of exited original lead singer Steve Perry, Pineda revived Journey and put the band back in stadiums once again. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen will produce, and the search for a writer is underway.
The studio is negotiating to license the original Journey tunes, most written by Perry and Schon, and Warner Bros has acquired rights to Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey. That was the 2012 documentary that chronicled Pineda’s impossible rise. Chu’s vision is to make...
The studio is negotiating to license the original Journey tunes, most written by Perry and Schon, and Warner Bros has acquired rights to Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey. That was the 2012 documentary that chronicled Pineda’s impossible rise. Chu’s vision is to make...
- 12/5/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Joel Zadak has been promoted to Partner at Principato-Young Entertainment, joining Peter Principato, Paul Young, Brian Dobbins, Allen Fischer and David Gardner in the brain trust of the management/production company. Those partners surprised Zadak during a company-wide pilot season celebration at the racetrack at Santa Anita Park, flashing Zadak’s promotion on the Jumbotron. Zadak has been a manager-producer there over a decade, managing clients that include Get…...
- 6/29/2017
- Deadline TV
Exclusive: Joel Zadak has been promoted to Partner at Principato-Young Entertainment, joining Peter Principato, Paul Young, Brian Dobbins, Allen Fischer and David Gardner in the brain trust of the management/production company. Those partners surprised Zadak during a company-wide pilot season celebration at the racetrack at Santa Anita Park, flashing Zadak’s promotion on the Jumbotron. Zadak has been a manager-producer there over a decade, managing clients that include Get…...
- 6/29/2017
- Deadline
Updated With Full List Of Scripts, Writers, And Reps: Catherine The Great, about the rise and life of the famous (sometimes notorious) 18th-Century Russian monarch, was the top vote-getter among 70 scripts chosen for the 2014 Black List of the year’s best un-produced scripts. The screenplay, by Los Angeles writer and producer Kristina Lauren Anderson, was announced as part of an hour-plus process on Twitter and YouTube this morning.
Each of the 70 screenplays on this 10th annual list was chosen by a group of 250 development executives, agents and other Hollywood insiders as among the year’s best un-produced scripts in a process overseen by Franklin Leonard of http://www.blcklst.com. Anderson’s screenplay received 51 votes.
Other notables in the list include writer/actor/director Kenneth Lonergan with Manchester-By-The-Sea, which is being produced by Matt Damon and Chris Moore. Randall Green had two scripts make the list, The Swimsuit Issue and Cartoon Girl.
Each of the 70 screenplays on this 10th annual list was chosen by a group of 250 development executives, agents and other Hollywood insiders as among the year’s best un-produced scripts in a process overseen by Franklin Leonard of http://www.blcklst.com. Anderson’s screenplay received 51 votes.
Other notables in the list include writer/actor/director Kenneth Lonergan with Manchester-By-The-Sea, which is being produced by Matt Damon and Chris Moore. Randall Green had two scripts make the list, The Swimsuit Issue and Cartoon Girl.
- 12/15/2014
- by David Bloom and Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Exclusive: Ryan Kampe and his team have acquired rights to a pair of titles and will commence sales at Afm this week.
Crime thriller Snakehead stars Lucy Liu as a smuggled immigrant who becomes a human smuggler herself only to be targetted by rivals and the FBI.
Evan Jackson Leong directs his passion project from his own screenplay and most recently directed the documentary Linsanity.
Brian Yang of 408 Films produces with Gregory Chou and E Brian Dobbins and Allen Fischer of Principato-Young Entertainment. The latter two are currently in production on Sea Of Trees, while Chou is producing the Halle Berry thriller Kidnap.
Jason Weinberg of Untitled Entertainment and Maryellen Mulcachy of Framework Entertainment also serve as producers.
Always Shine is currently in production from director Sophia Takal and stars Caitlin FitzGerald, Mackenzie Davis and Jane Adams.
The psychological thriller follows two struggling La actresses who embark on a road trip to Big Sur to mend their...
Crime thriller Snakehead stars Lucy Liu as a smuggled immigrant who becomes a human smuggler herself only to be targetted by rivals and the FBI.
Evan Jackson Leong directs his passion project from his own screenplay and most recently directed the documentary Linsanity.
Brian Yang of 408 Films produces with Gregory Chou and E Brian Dobbins and Allen Fischer of Principato-Young Entertainment. The latter two are currently in production on Sea Of Trees, while Chou is producing the Halle Berry thriller Kidnap.
Jason Weinberg of Untitled Entertainment and Maryellen Mulcachy of Framework Entertainment also serve as producers.
Always Shine is currently in production from director Sophia Takal and stars Caitlin FitzGerald, Mackenzie Davis and Jane Adams.
The psychological thriller follows two struggling La actresses who embark on a road trip to Big Sur to mend their...
- 11/3/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Comedy Central has a ratings goldmine in comic duo Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, stars of the sketch comedy show Key & Peele, and they’re looking to further capitalize on this with development of an animated series based on two of the team’s popular characters. In October, it was announced that Season 4 of the highly popular show was ordered to the tune of 22 episodes, the largest since the first season in 2012, and that’s expected to hit the airwaves at some point during the third or fourth quarter of this year. The comedians and Comedy Central will apparently be spending their time before then developing their animated offering with the help of executive producer Rodney Barnes (The Boondocks, Everybody Hates Chris), Key & Peele collaborator Joel Zadak, Allen Fischer (Wonderland), and Brian Dobbins. The animated series will focus on the characters Vandaveon and Mike, stars of “Critiquer’s Corner,” the YouTube counterpart to each episode where they...
- 3/14/2014
- by Dustin Hucks
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Exclusive: David Gardner has been promoted to partner at Principato-Young Entertainment, joining Peter Principato, Paul Young, Brian Dobbins and Allen Fischer in partner posts. Gardner has worked there since 2003 and has a client list that includes Jonathan Liebesman, Judy Greer, Ann Peacock, Neil Marshall, Brian Burns, Eriq La Salle, Ken Marino, David Ellis, Gonzalo Lopez Gallego and Nelson McCormick. Gardner is an executive producer on Caesar, the Roman epic in development at Warner Bros.
- 9/21/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Getting promoted from assistant to deal maker is itself an unforgettable day in the life of an assistant. The partners at Principato-Young ratcheted up the grandeur last Friday for newly minted managers Pete Dealbert and Meghan Moeller. Principato partners Allen Fischer and Paul Young tell me they gathered the entire assistant staff into a conference room, ostensibly to discuss the important issue of new chairs for expansion to the ninth floor at their 9465 Wilshire Blvd headquarters. While they closed the blinds to view chair choices on a monitor, partner Brian Dobbins hung an 18-foot banner off the roof of the building across the street. Filmmaker client Zack Pearlman rushed in to ask if they’d seen the commotion across the street. When the blinds were opened, Dealbert (1.5 years and Susan Solomon’s assistant) and Moeller (a 3.5 year vet and Peter Principato’s assistant) realized their coffee pouring days were over.
- 1/10/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
In their second deal within a week, Will Arnett and Joe Russo and Anthony Russo have sold their comedy pitch Dad Can't Lose to Paramount Pictures. Arnett is attached to star, and the Russo brothers are attached to direct. The project will be written by Jay Martel and Ian Roberts. Peter Principato and Paul Young will produce through their Principato Young banner, with Allen Fischer executive producing. Alli Shearmur and Andrew Haas will oversee the project for Paramount.
- 4/28/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paramount Pictures has pre-emptively picked up the comedy spec Dealbreaker with Peter Segal attached to direct. Segal and producing partner Michael Ewing are producing through their Callahan Filmworks along with Peter Principato and Paul Young. Written by Samantha Goodman and Andrew Stern, the script concerns a slick crisis PR guy who, in order to get out of jams, makes deals with God that he never fulfills. While drowning he makes the ultimate bargain, promising God to make good on all his previous deals, and is forced to fulfill them. The project is described as being in the vein of Liar, Liar and Family Man. Principato-Young's Allen Fischer is exec producing.
- 10/8/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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