J d lifshitz

New Line Cinema won a heated auction for Weapons , a film it will fast-track with the team behind the horror thriller Barbarian . Zach Cregger wrote the script and will direct, and he’ll produce alongside his Barbarian producing team: Roy Lee of Vertigo and J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules of BoulderLight Pictures. Vertigo’s Miri Yoon also produces. “Zach proved with Barbarian that he can create a visceral theatrical experience for audiences and that he commands every tool in the filmmaker toolbelt,” said Richard Brener , president and chief creative officer at New Line Cinema. “We couldn’t be happier that he, Roy and Miri and J.D. and Rafi chose New Line to be the home of his next film, and hope it is the first of many to come.” Word is Universal, Netflix and Sony/TriStar were in the mix, but New Line won because of a guarantee of a theatrical release. The package went out Monday morning. The plot line is under wraps, but the film straddles thriller … [Read more...] about New Line Lands Hot Package ‘Weapons’; ‘Barbarian’s Zach Cregger To Helm His Script

Barbarian producer BoulderLight Pictures has secured a multi-year first-look feature agreement with New Line Cinema , Deadline has confirmed. BoulderLight is a production company founded by J.D. Lifshitz & Raphael Margules which specializes in high-concept, filmmaker-driven genre stories and last year hit on its breakout project with Barbarian — the hit 20th horror from writer-director Zach Cregger, which grossed over $45MM worldwide against a production budget of $4.5MM. News of the shingle’s New Line deal follows the announcement that Lifshitz and Margules will retest with Cregger for Weapons — a new film being fast-tracked at the Warner Bros subsidiary, which we were first to report on. “J.D. and Rafi share a passion for cinema that puts the audience first,” said New Line Cinema’s President and Chief Creative Officeer, Richard Brener. “They have a proven ability to identify and champion stories and filmmakers that transcend genre, and no one works … [Read more...] about New Line Cinema Sets First-Look Production Deal With ‘Barbarian’ Producer BoulderLight Pictures

Legal docudrama Saint Omer was voted Best Picture at the 34 th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, which announced this year’s juried award winners today. Saint Omer wins for its ability “to expertly interrogate issues of society, culture, race, and gender,” the festival release stated. “Alice Diop, as screenwriter and director, delivers a film that explores different dynamics of Black women in contemporary France, drawing empathetic lead performances from Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanga (whose characters never interact, save for one momentous glance). By harnessing the skills of her technical team, Diop turns Saint Omer into a shrewd, cogent, ambitious, and overwhelming film which teases a metafictional awareness while remaining clear-eyed and unsentimental.” The Palm Springs festival took place from January 5-16 and screened 134 films from 64 countries, including 27 premieres. The lineup includes 35 of the International Feature Film Oscar … [Read more...] about ‘Saint Omer’ Takes Top Honors At 34th Palm Springs Film Festival

Barbarian producer BoulderLight Pictures has set up a new thriller titled Companion at New Line , Deadline can confirm. The film will be the first produced under the banner’s first-look deal with the studio, announced just days ago . News of the project comes following New Line’s triumph in a heated auction for Weapons — the second feature from writer-director Zach Cregger to produced by both BoulderLight and Vertigo Entertainment. Details as to the plot of Companion are under wraps, though it’s being fast-tracked for production this year alongside Weapons . Deadline understands that Cregger initially eyed Companion as his directorial follow-up to Barbarian , though the team wound up setting the project as the directorial debut of Drew Hancock , who penned the script. Producers are BoulderLight’s Raphael Margules and J.D. Lifshitz, Vertigo’s Roy Lee, and Cregger. BoulderLight’s Tracy Rosenblum and Vertigo’s Andrew Childs will exec produce. … [Read more...] about BoulderLight, Zach Cregger Set ‘Companion’ At New Line, Will Produce Thriller From Drew Hancock

EXCLUSIVE : Days after a feverish auction wrapped up for Weapons , the town is still talking about the wake left in its path. The Dish hears that the deal for the Zach Cregger -directed horror film is remarkable in that this is only Cregger’s second film — after the highly profitable debut Barbarian — and it sold to New Line for an overall sum around $38 million, including the budget and Cregger getting $5 million to direct, and $10 million total when that sum is added to his fees for scripting and producing alongside Vertigo’s Roy Lee and Miri Yoon, and J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules. The bidding also included Universal , with Jordan Peele and his Monkeypaw to produce. While others circled it came down to those two studios. Sources said that that the Uni bid was about $7 million less than New Line. Peele, we hear, was ready to kick in part of his contractual back end. This is where it enters Rashomon territory with rumors racing in all kinds of … [Read more...] about Behind The Scenes Of Zach Cregger’s Extraordinary ‘Weapons’ Auction & Its Aftermath: The Dish