Universal 2017 films

EXCLUSIVE: Hot off the heels of their Sundance premiere of Rye Lane , writers Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia have teamed up with Vertigo Films for their next romantic comedy The Whole Hog . The project follows a newly broken up couple who are forced to temporarily reconcile their differences and travel the food festivals and markets of Britain together as they try and make a success of the food truck that they sunk their savings into before they split up. Bryon and Melia are currently preparing for the release of youthful Brit pic Rye Lane for Searchlight Pictures, which opened to rave reviews in Sundance last month. Deadline’s Anna Smith described the Raine Allen Miller-directed pic as a “delight” and a “sunny, irreverent take on life and love” The Whole Hog , which is produced by Vertigo’s Allan Niblo, will apply the same razor sharp and freewheeling insights into relationships as Rye Lane (which was also compared to Before Sunrise in Deadline’s … [Read more...] about Vertigo Films Taps Scribes Behind Sundance Hit ‘Rye Lane’ For Original Rom-Com Road Movie ‘The Whole Hog’

EXCLUSIVE: Red, White & Brass is the debut feature from director Damon Fepulea’i and we’ve got the first trailer for the Taika Waititi -exec produced inspiring underdog tale. Check it out above. Based on a true story, the film follows a community of passionate Tongans led by Maka, a superfan who will do whatever it takes to get tickets to the Tonga vs France 2011 Rugby World Cup game – even if that means promising to deliver a brass band for the pre-match entertainment. The only problem is, the band doesn’t exist and Maka has four weeks to create one. The cast includes John-Paul Foliaki ( Popstars) , Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi ( Panthers ), Ilaisaane Green ( Brutal Lives ), Onetoto Ikavuka, Mikey Falesiu ( Toke ), Lupeti Finau, Lotima Pome’e ( Under the Vines ) and Haanz Fa’avae-Jackson ( Savage ). Fepulea’i co-wrote the script with co-producer Halaifonua (Nua) Finau. The film hails from the producers behind such New Zealand-produced features … [Read more...] about ‘Red, White & Brass’: First Trailer For Piki Films’ Underdog Story From Exec Producers Taika Waititi, Carthew Neal & Ainsley Gardiner

Erica Tremblay ’s Fancy Dance shows the darkside of reservation life for Indigenous people, especially women. As an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, Fancy Dance it’s a unique viewing experience as the viewer is brought in to observe these characters and how they navigate a desperate situation. Written by Tremblay and Miciana Alisa, this drama/mystery shows how often people have to take matters into their own hands because the outside world doesn’t care enough to work with this community to find these missing women. Fancy Dance is a procedural following Jax ( Lily Gladstone ), and her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson), who are looking for Tawi (Hauli Gray), who is Jax’s sister and Roki’s mother, who has gone missing. Jax is a former drug dealer, and often gets in trouble with the law. Now acting as her niece’s guardian, the two are troublemakers, stealing money and cars from folks, scamming people in card games, and … [Read more...] about ‘Fancy Dance’ Sundance Film Festival Review: Lily Gladstone Delivers A Strong Performance In Erica Tremblay’s Feature Film Debut

Writ Large has upped TV and film literary manager Lauren Dineley to partner. Dineley joined Writ Large in 2016 and was later promoted to manager in 2019. During her tenure at the company, she has cultivated a diverse roster of top tier clients including creator & showrunner Tanya Saracho ( Vida), Black List scribes Azia Squire ( Bridgerton, Amari & the Night Brothers, Sister ), Emma Dudley ( Care Bears, Super Pets, Forever Hold Your Peace ), and Holly Brix ( Why Women Kill, The Vampire Diaries, Happy Anniversary ), writers Brittany Miller ( Woke, Platonic ), Kim Shumway ( The Partner Track, The 100 ), Silvia Olivas ( Maya & the Three, Elena of Avalor), Calaya Michelle Stallworth ( Fear the Walking Dead, Daybreak), Carly Woodworth ( Sweet Tooth, Lucifer) , and Jessica Mena Esteves ( Madonnas of Echo Park, Work in Progress), as well as filmmakers Veronica Rodriguez ( The Slumber Party, Let’s Get Merried) and Monica Zanetti ( Ellie & Abbie and … [Read more...] about Writ Large Promotes TV, Film Lit Manager Lauren Dineley To Partner

EXCLUSIVE : Paris-based mk2 films has boarded international sales on Tina Satter ’s debut feature Reality about real-life U.S. whistleblower Reality Winner ahead of its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival later this month. Euphoria and White Lotus star Sydney Sweeney plays Winner. The former intelligence officer was given the longest prison sentence ever for the unauthorized release of classified material to the media in 2018 (five years and three months) after she leaked a report about Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. elections. Opening with the Saturday afternoon in June 2017 when 25-year-old Winner was confronted at her Georgia home by the FBI, the film follows the cryptic conversation that took place as the young woman’s life begins to unravel. Satter’s dialogue, taken directly from the FBI’s transcript of the interrogation, alternates between nail-biting and banal, darkly funny and surreal. The film tracks one woman’s experience of … [Read more...] about Sydney Sweeney Whistleblower Drama ‘Reality’ Secures Int’l Sales Deal With MK2 Ahead Of Berlin Premiere

EXCLUSIVE: Nacelle , the studio behind Down to Earth with Zac Efron and Grant, Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History , has struck a deal to distribute a feature-length doc filmed during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine . The company has taken worldwide rights to Comedy of War: Laughter in Ukraine . The doc comes from filmmakers Christopher Walters and Krista Liney, who runs producer Maiden, and shows the brutal reality of the conflict through the lens of stand-up comedians touring in war-torn Ukraine. Nacelle plans to take the doc to film festivals before launching worldwide sales. The documentary follows four rising stars of Ukrainian stand-up comedy, each with a unique perspective on the war currently being waged in their homeland. Performing in converted bomb shelters, they laugh in spite of the war, not at it. The Russian invasion of Ukraine began almost a year ago and has left tens of thousands dead and millions displaced. Comedy of War ’s filmmakers say that, … [Read more...] about Nacelle Boards Maiden’s Feature Doc ‘Comedy Of War: Laughter In Ukraine’

As most of this year’s Oscars displayed, there are few things that Hollywood loves more than a big show. Now Disney , Fox, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros . are officially on board with what could be one of the biggest spectacles of the next decade: the 2024 Olympics in Los Angeles. With Disney boss Bob lger having joined the board as Vice-Chair of the Casey Wasserman-led effort for the City of Angels’ third Olympic Games back in June, the presence of the House of Mouse is no surprise. However, it was revealed today that LA 2024’s board now will include WB chief Kevin Tsujihara, NBCUniversal Film head honcho Jeff Shell and Fox princeling James Murdoch. Along with serving as consultants to the city’s bid process and engaging in undefined creative “partnerships,” all three studios also are putting their money were their execs are. Disney, Fox, NBCU and WB have come on as significant donors to attempt to bring the summer games to L.A. seven years from now. “We … [Read more...] about Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal & Warner Bros. Formally On L.A. Olympics Bandwagon

EXCLUSIVE: Ron Ninio , executive producer of Showtime drama Your Honor , is lining up an espionage drama as his next series. Ninio has teamed with journalist and doc maker Amir Oren and Sharon Bar-Ziv ( Room 514 , Good Morning Son ) to create The Clinic , we can reveal. Your Honor exec Rob Golenberg is producing and Israeli network Reshet/Channel 13 is already attached. Ninio is “fast-tracking” the show’s development and wants it to be a co-production with an American partner. Based on real characters and events, The Clinic follows top New York surgeon Dr. Steven Neuman, who moonlights as an assassin. Having served in the Israeli Navy as a commando, he returns to the States to run a practice but when Mossad and the FBI catch a plot to overthrow the U.S. government, they send him to use his medical expertise to kill. “Dr. Steven Neuman has a constant conflict between his doctor’s oath to save peoples’ lives and his job at the Mossad, which in many … [Read more...] about ‘Your Honor’ Co-Creator Ron Ninio Sets Espionage Drama ‘The Clinic’ As Next Series

EXCLUSIVE : Katie Cassidy ( Arrow ), Devon Sawa ( Gasoline Alley ), Chris Backus ( Mindhunter ), Kate Bosworth ( The Enforcer ), and Tyrese Gibson ( Fast & The Furious ) have joined survival thriller Fallout , which recently wrapped filming in New Jersey. The film charts the fallout when a nuclear threat forces six people into a malfunctioning underground bunker. Tensions soon rise as they fight to stay alive. With oxygen and the trust in each other quickly running out, they learn that a more sinister plan is afoot. Michael Benaroya’s International Film Trust is launching world sales on the project at the upcoming EFM . Penned by Michael Miceli ( The Bounty Hunter ) and Cecil Chambers ( Awol-72 ), the film will be directed by Chambers, who is financing and producing under his Triumphant Entertainment banner alongside Miceli, Tyler Jon Olson ( Cash Out ), and Benaroya ( Lawless ) for Benaroya Pictures. Saleem Elmasri, John Marques, … [Read more...] about ‘Fallout’: Katie Cassidy, Devon Sawa, Chris Backus, Kate Bosworth & Tyrese Gibson Set For Survival Thriller — EFM

American Cinemas Editors has cut together the nominees for its 73rd annual ACE Eddie Awards , which will be handed out next month. See the list for all 14 categories below. Vying for the marquee prize of Best Edited Feature Film (Drama, Theatrical) prize are the editors behind All Quiet on the Western Front, Elvis, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick and The Woman King . The Comedy Theatrical race will be among The Banshees of Inisherin, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, The Menu and Triangle of Sadness. Since the turn of the 21st century, the Eddie winner for theatrical drama has gone on to score the Academy Award for Best Editing 13 of 22 times — but none of the past three years. In 2022, King Richard took that ACE trophy , but Dune went home with the Oscar. Banshees of Inisherin, Elvis, Everything Everywhere, Tár and Maverick are up for the Editing statuette as the Oscars on March 12. RELATED: 2023 Awards Season Calendar … [Read more...] about ACE Eddie Awards Nominations: ‘Everything Everywhere’, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, ‘Woman King’, ‘Banshees of Inisherin’ & More