Well, here's news you don't see every day.
Director Scott Derrickson and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill, the same horror filmmaking duo that gave us "Sinister" (read /Film's oral history here) and "The Black Phone," have confirmed their next project: "The Night of the Hunter," adapted from the 1953 novel by Davis Grubb. The project is being developed at Universal.
"The Night of the Hunter" follows Harry Powell, a faux-preacher, and misogynistic serial killer, in the 1930s Ohio River Valley. After Powell is arrested for stealing a car (from one of his brides-turned-victims), his cellmate is Ben Harper, who's on death row for armed robbery/homicide. Harper hid the stolen money in his daughter Pearl's doll, intending it to be her and his son John's birthright, and took that secret to his grave. Once Powell is walking free, however, he makes his way to the Harper family, seducing Ben's widow Willa so...
Director Scott Derrickson and screenwriter C. Robert Cargill, the same horror filmmaking duo that gave us "Sinister" (read /Film's oral history here) and "The Black Phone," have confirmed their next project: "The Night of the Hunter," adapted from the 1953 novel by Davis Grubb. The project is being developed at Universal.
"The Night of the Hunter" follows Harry Powell, a faux-preacher, and misogynistic serial killer, in the 1930s Ohio River Valley. After Powell is arrested for stealing a car (from one of his brides-turned-victims), his cellmate is Ben Harper, who's on death row for armed robbery/homicide. Harper hid the stolen money in his daughter Pearl's doll, intending it to be her and his son John's birthright, and took that secret to his grave. Once Powell is walking free, however, he makes his way to the Harper family, seducing Ben's widow Willa so...
- 3/26/2024
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
The classic 1955 movie The Night of the Hunter was adapted from Davis Grubb’s same-titled novel, and we’ve learned tonight that a brand new adaptation is now in the works.
THR reports this afternoon that Scott Derrickson will be directing the new take on The Night of the Hunter, with C. Robert Cargill (Sinister) writing.
Derrickson will write the script alongside Cargill, the report adds.
Cargill previews on the platform formerly known as Twitter tonight, “For those unfamiliar, Night of the Hunter was based on a novel that was *Much Darker* than the 1950s would allow. Very excited about this project and thrilled we can finally talk about it.”
The Night of the Hunter follows a religious fanatic, con man and murderer who marries a widow, knowing that her deceased husband had hid $10,000 from authorities following a bank robbery. The widow’s young children are reluctant to tell him...
THR reports this afternoon that Scott Derrickson will be directing the new take on The Night of the Hunter, with C. Robert Cargill (Sinister) writing.
Derrickson will write the script alongside Cargill, the report adds.
Cargill previews on the platform formerly known as Twitter tonight, “For those unfamiliar, Night of the Hunter was based on a novel that was *Much Darker* than the 1950s would allow. Very excited about this project and thrilled we can finally talk about it.”
The Night of the Hunter follows a religious fanatic, con man and murderer who marries a widow, knowing that her deceased husband had hid $10,000 from authorities following a bank robbery. The widow’s young children are reluctant to tell him...
- 3/26/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, the terrorific team behind horror hits Sinister and The Black Phone, are going noir.
Universal has tapped Derrickson to direct an adaptation of The Night of the Hunter, the acclaimed 1953 crime novel by Davis Grubb that was previously turned into a 1955 thriller starring Robert Mitchum.
Derrickson will write the script with Cargill, his frequent collaborator who also worked with him on Marvel Studios entry Doctor Strange.
Peter Gethers will produce through his KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions, and Amy Pascal will produce through her Pascal Pictures first-look deal with Universal Pictures.
Hunter told the story of Harry Powell, a murderous ex-con who takes up the identity of a preacher in order to do his misdeeds. While in prison, a cellmate slated for execution tells Powell that he hid stolen cash with his kids. Upon his release, Powell finds the widow, woos her and marries her,...
Universal has tapped Derrickson to direct an adaptation of The Night of the Hunter, the acclaimed 1953 crime novel by Davis Grubb that was previously turned into a 1955 thriller starring Robert Mitchum.
Derrickson will write the script with Cargill, his frequent collaborator who also worked with him on Marvel Studios entry Doctor Strange.
Peter Gethers will produce through his KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions, and Amy Pascal will produce through her Pascal Pictures first-look deal with Universal Pictures.
Hunter told the story of Harry Powell, a murderous ex-con who takes up the identity of a preacher in order to do his misdeeds. While in prison, a cellmate slated for execution tells Powell that he hid stolen cash with his kids. Upon his release, Powell finds the widow, woos her and marries her,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Scott Derrickson has been set to direct an adaptation of Davis Grubb’s classic 1953 novel The Night of the Hunter for Universal Pictures, working from his script written with C. Robert Cargill, his longtime collaborator on The Black Phone, Doctor Strange and other projects.
Peter Gethers will produce through his KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions, alongside Amy Pascal, whose Pascal Pictures has a first-look deal with the studio.
The Night of the Hunter revolves around Harry Powell, a serial killer posing as a preacher, who marries a widow solely to gain access to her deceased husband’s hidden fortune. Powell’s stepchildren, John and Pearl, become the targets of his relentless pursuit as he seeks the money hidden by their father.
An instant bestseller and finalist for the National Book Award, The Night of the Hunter was the first of Grubb’s 10 novels. Previously, the book was adapted into a classic film,...
Peter Gethers will produce through his KramMar Delicious Mystery Productions, alongside Amy Pascal, whose Pascal Pictures has a first-look deal with the studio.
The Night of the Hunter revolves around Harry Powell, a serial killer posing as a preacher, who marries a widow solely to gain access to her deceased husband’s hidden fortune. Powell’s stepchildren, John and Pearl, become the targets of his relentless pursuit as he seeks the money hidden by their father.
An instant bestseller and finalist for the National Book Award, The Night of the Hunter was the first of Grubb’s 10 novels. Previously, the book was adapted into a classic film,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert De Niro is set to star in the Paramount+ drama series ‘Bobby Meritorious’
The series is set in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. When Avery “The Sage” Accomando (De Niro), an informant in the office’s biggest case, is poised to tear this storied institution apart, only one man can stop him: a fabled ex-cop turned prosecutor known as Bobby Meritorious.
De Niro is also set to executive produce the series which hails from scribe Billy Ray.
Also in news – Austin Butler cast in adaptation ‘City on Fire’
Ray is writing and executive producing. De Niro will executive produce via his Tribeca Productions banner, along with the company’s Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh. Peter Gethers and Preet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney in the Sdny office, also exec produce.
Despite his long and illustrious career, this would only mark...
The series is set in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. When Avery “The Sage” Accomando (De Niro), an informant in the office’s biggest case, is poised to tear this storied institution apart, only one man can stop him: a fabled ex-cop turned prosecutor known as Bobby Meritorious.
De Niro is also set to executive produce the series which hails from scribe Billy Ray.
Also in news – Austin Butler cast in adaptation ‘City on Fire’
Ray is writing and executive producing. De Niro will executive produce via his Tribeca Productions banner, along with the company’s Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh. Peter Gethers and Preet Bharara, a former U.S. attorney in the Sdny office, also exec produce.
Despite his long and illustrious career, this would only mark...
- 4/5/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Robert De Niro is slated to star in “Bobby Meritorius,” a new crime drama in the works at Paramount+.
The series comes from Paramount Television Studios, which made a commitment to develop the show in a competitive situation. In addition to De Niro, the show is executive produced by writer Billy Ray, Tribeca Productions’ Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh, former U.S. attorney in the Sdny office Preet Bahara and Peter Gethers.
“The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is a sovereign kingdom with seemingly unlimited power and scope,” the show’s official logline states. “But now an informant in Sdny’s biggest case, Avery “The Sage” Accomando is poised to tear this storied institution apart. Only one man can stop him, a fabled ex-cop-turned prosecutor affectionately known as Bobby Meritorious. The battle between these two giants is a fight for justice itself.”
Ray is best known for writing,...
The series comes from Paramount Television Studios, which made a commitment to develop the show in a competitive situation. In addition to De Niro, the show is executive produced by writer Billy Ray, Tribeca Productions’ Jane Rosenthal and Berry Welsh, former U.S. attorney in the Sdny office Preet Bahara and Peter Gethers.
“The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York is a sovereign kingdom with seemingly unlimited power and scope,” the show’s official logline states. “But now an informant in Sdny’s biggest case, Avery “The Sage” Accomando is poised to tear this storied institution apart. Only one man can stop him, a fabled ex-cop-turned prosecutor affectionately known as Bobby Meritorious. The battle between these two giants is a fight for justice itself.”
Ray is best known for writing,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Lucas Manfredi
- The Wrap
Last month, we shared the news that Robert De Niro had signed on to star in a TV series for the first time in his career, as he’ll be starring in and executive producing the six-episode limited series Zero Day for Netflix. Now Deadline reports that De Niro has signed on for another series. He’ll be starring in the crime drama Bobby Meritorious for the Paramount+ streaming service, which is also home to the Sylvester Stallone crime drama series Tulsa King.
Billy Ray, whose credits include Richard Jewell, Terminator: Dark Fate, Captain Phillips, and The Hunger Games, is writing Bobby Meritorious, telling a story that is set amongst the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which is a sovereign kingdom with seemingly unlimited power and scope. But now an informant in Sdny’s biggest case, Avery “The Sage” Accomando is poised to tear this storied institution apart.
Billy Ray, whose credits include Richard Jewell, Terminator: Dark Fate, Captain Phillips, and The Hunger Games, is writing Bobby Meritorious, telling a story that is set amongst the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which is a sovereign kingdom with seemingly unlimited power and scope. But now an informant in Sdny’s biggest case, Avery “The Sage” Accomando is poised to tear this storied institution apart.
- 4/4/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Robert De Niro is adding another TV project to his plate.
The Oscar winner is attached to star in and executive produce a Paramount+ drama titled Bobby Meritorious, from writer Billy Ray (The Comey Rule, Captain Phillips) and Paramount Television Studios. The streamer outbid several other outlets for the project from its corporate sibling and has committed to develop it.
Should it go forward, the Paramount+ show would be De Niro’s second leading role in a TV series. He’s also starring in Netflix’s six-episode thriller Zero Day, from Narcos EP Eric Newman.
Bobby Meritorious is set in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. When Avery “The Sage” Accomando (De Niro), an informant in the office’s biggest case, is poised to tear this storied institution apart, only one man can stop him: a fabled ex-cop turned prosecutor known as Bobby Meritorious.
The Oscar winner is attached to star in and executive produce a Paramount+ drama titled Bobby Meritorious, from writer Billy Ray (The Comey Rule, Captain Phillips) and Paramount Television Studios. The streamer outbid several other outlets for the project from its corporate sibling and has committed to develop it.
Should it go forward, the Paramount+ show would be De Niro’s second leading role in a TV series. He’s also starring in Netflix’s six-episode thriller Zero Day, from Narcos EP Eric Newman.
Bobby Meritorious is set in the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York. When Avery “The Sage” Accomando (De Niro), an informant in the office’s biggest case, is poised to tear this storied institution apart, only one man can stop him: a fabled ex-cop turned prosecutor known as Bobby Meritorious.
- 4/4/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Robert De Niro is attached to star in a Billy Ray-penned crime drama series that is in the works at Paramount+.
The two-time Oscar winner will lead Bobby Meritorious, an original series that comes from Paramount Television Studios. Paramount made the commitment to develop the project after winning out a competitive situation.
It marks De Niro’s second TV project to emerge in a matter of weeks after conspiracy thriller Zero Day, from Eric Newman, landed a limited series order at Netflix.
The series is set amid the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which is a sovereign kingdom with seemingly unlimited power and scope. But now an informant in Sdny’s biggest case, Avery “The Sage” Accomando, played by De Niro, is poised to tear this storied institution apart. Only one man can stop him, a fabled ex-cop-turned prosecutor affectionately known as Bobby Meritorious.
The two-time Oscar winner will lead Bobby Meritorious, an original series that comes from Paramount Television Studios. Paramount made the commitment to develop the project after winning out a competitive situation.
It marks De Niro’s second TV project to emerge in a matter of weeks after conspiracy thriller Zero Day, from Eric Newman, landed a limited series order at Netflix.
The series is set amid the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, which is a sovereign kingdom with seemingly unlimited power and scope. But now an informant in Sdny’s biggest case, Avery “The Sage” Accomando, played by De Niro, is poised to tear this storied institution apart. Only one man can stop him, a fabled ex-cop-turned prosecutor affectionately known as Bobby Meritorious.
- 4/4/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
He is a TV news star: His views are populist, his subtext racist. His advocacy is passionate and his TV audience is vast, despite suspicion that he pursues an agenda above and beyond his own.
Some may rush to identify this character – images of Fox News flash before us – but the TV anchor was, in fact, a creation of Paul Newman, a star of a previous generation whose presence seems pervasive in the present.
At a moment when political expression, personal or corporate, seems instantly suffocated, Newman was a courageous free spirit who vented his opinions and put his career at risk in support of them. The superstar is the subject of a riveting new documentary directed by Ethan Hawke prompting praise this week at SXSW. He also is the subject of a revealing, long-suppressed memoir being published this fall by Alfred A. Knopf.
Though he passed in 2008, Newman occupies...
Some may rush to identify this character – images of Fox News flash before us – but the TV anchor was, in fact, a creation of Paul Newman, a star of a previous generation whose presence seems pervasive in the present.
At a moment when political expression, personal or corporate, seems instantly suffocated, Newman was a courageous free spirit who vented his opinions and put his career at risk in support of them. The superstar is the subject of a riveting new documentary directed by Ethan Hawke prompting praise this week at SXSW. He also is the subject of a revealing, long-suppressed memoir being published this fall by Alfred A. Knopf.
Though he passed in 2008, Newman occupies...
- 3/17/2022
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
For all of us big Paul Newman fans, it came as thrilling news last week that Knopf will be publishing the Hollywood icon’s unfinished memoir next fall, largely based on his own oral history along with interviews with his friends and family, actors like Tom Cruise and directors including George Roy Hill of “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” fame.
I’ve been obsessed with Newman my entire life, having grown up watching all his movies and going gaga every time he appeared on-screen. I met him once years ago when he and Joanne Woodward visited an acting class that I was in with one of Newman’s daughters. Meeting and conversing with that dreamy blue-eyed wonder was, well, you can just imagine.
I spoke with Knopf editor-at-large Peter Gethers, who will be editing the yet-to-be-titled memoir, and we agreed that Newman, Steve McQueen and Sidney Poitier are the...
I’ve been obsessed with Newman my entire life, having grown up watching all his movies and going gaga every time he appeared on-screen. I met him once years ago when he and Joanne Woodward visited an acting class that I was in with one of Newman’s daughters. Meeting and conversing with that dreamy blue-eyed wonder was, well, you can just imagine.
I spoke with Knopf editor-at-large Peter Gethers, who will be editing the yet-to-be-titled memoir, and we agreed that Newman, Steve McQueen and Sidney Poitier are the...
- 11/10/2021
- by Claudia Eller
- Variety Film + TV
Charles Laughton’s sole directorial effort, the 1955 suspense classic The Night of the Hunter is getting a modern remake from Universal Pictures, according to Variety. Amy Pascal’s (Spider-Man: Far From Home) Universal Pictures-based banner Pascal Pictures will produce along with Peter Gethers. The screenplay will be written by Matt Orton, best known for the Nazi-hunter film Operation Finale, based on Davis Grubb’s 1953 novel.
The original film is iconic, and Robert Mitchum’s portrayal of newly released prison convict Harry Powell is one of the greatest villains of the silver screen. This is the film which introduced the hand tattoos Love and Hate and the biblical battle fought just below the knuckles. It is the story of good and evil that goes back to when “Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low.” The inked-fingers had “veins that run straight to the soul of man.”
The book and...
The original film is iconic, and Robert Mitchum’s portrayal of newly released prison convict Harry Powell is one of the greatest villains of the silver screen. This is the film which introduced the hand tattoos Love and Hate and the biblical battle fought just below the knuckles. It is the story of good and evil that goes back to when “Cain struck the blow that laid his brother low.” The inked-fingers had “veins that run straight to the soul of man.”
The book and...
- 4/8/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Charles Laughton’s iconic 1955 serial killer thriller “Night of the Hunter” is getting a remake from Universal Pictures. The news was first reported by Variety. The studio has tapped “Operation Finale” screenwriter Matt Orton to pen the script, which is believed to be a contemporary reimagining of the storyline and not a period piece. Amy Pascal is producing the project through her production banner Pascal Pictures. Additional producers include Peter Gethers and Jay Polidoro, the latter of whom is Universal’s senior vice president of production. Pascal recently had a major hit with Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” which grossed over $200 million worldwide and picked up Oscar nominations for Best Picture and more. Universal is coming off box office success for genre title “The Invisible Man.”
The first iteration of “Night of the Hunter” was Davis Grubb’s 1953 novel of the same name. Film critic turned screenwriter James Agee adapted...
The first iteration of “Night of the Hunter” was Davis Grubb’s 1953 novel of the same name. Film critic turned screenwriter James Agee adapted...
- 4/7/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Matt Orton (“Operation Finale”) has been tapped to adapt the screenplay for Universal Pictures’ “The Night of the Hunter,” based on the novel by Davis Grubb.
Orton previously wrote “Operation Finale,” starring Oscar Isaac and Sir Ben Kingsley, which MGM released to excellent reviews and a strong performance at the box office in 2018. Since then, Orton has written “Battle of Britain,” which Ridley Scott will direct, and is currently writing the live-action family-adventure movie, “Knights,” for Disney.
The 1955 film directed by actor Charles Laughton (and the only film he ever directed), starred Robert Mitchum as a sublimely sinister traveling preacher turned serial killer named Harry Powell, who had tattooed knuckles and nefarious motives for marrying a fragile widow played by Shelley Winters. Powell plans to steal $10,000 hidden by her executed husband, and his motives are discovered by the widow’s terrified children.
Also Read: Universal Pulls 'Wicked' From Release Slate,...
Orton previously wrote “Operation Finale,” starring Oscar Isaac and Sir Ben Kingsley, which MGM released to excellent reviews and a strong performance at the box office in 2018. Since then, Orton has written “Battle of Britain,” which Ridley Scott will direct, and is currently writing the live-action family-adventure movie, “Knights,” for Disney.
The 1955 film directed by actor Charles Laughton (and the only film he ever directed), starred Robert Mitchum as a sublimely sinister traveling preacher turned serial killer named Harry Powell, who had tattooed knuckles and nefarious motives for marrying a fragile widow played by Shelley Winters. Powell plans to steal $10,000 hidden by her executed husband, and his motives are discovered by the widow’s terrified children.
Also Read: Universal Pulls 'Wicked' From Release Slate,...
- 4/7/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Universal Pictures is remaking “The Night of the Hunter,” a 1955 film adaptation based on the novel by Davis Grubb.
Matt Orton (“Operation Finale”) is penning the script. Though little is known about the new project, it is expected to be a contemporary version of the original thriller, rather than a period piece.
“The Night of the Hunter” follows a religious fanatic, con man and murderer who marries a widow, knowing that her deceased husband had hid $10,000 from authorities following a bank robbery. The widow’s young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the money as the man plots more sinister ways to find where to find the cash. The 1955 version, starring Robert Mitchum, was considered controversial at the time, given dark themes including Mitchum’s character preying on young children.
Peter Gethers will produce alongside Amy Pascal, who will produce through her Universal-based Pascal Pictures.
Matt Orton (“Operation Finale”) is penning the script. Though little is known about the new project, it is expected to be a contemporary version of the original thriller, rather than a period piece.
“The Night of the Hunter” follows a religious fanatic, con man and murderer who marries a widow, knowing that her deceased husband had hid $10,000 from authorities following a bank robbery. The widow’s young children are reluctant to tell him where their real dad hid the money as the man plots more sinister ways to find where to find the cash. The 1955 version, starring Robert Mitchum, was considered controversial at the time, given dark themes including Mitchum’s character preying on young children.
Peter Gethers will produce alongside Amy Pascal, who will produce through her Universal-based Pascal Pictures.
- 4/7/2020
- by Justin Kroll
- Variety Film + TV
With Crazy Rich Asians closing on $200 million at the worldwide box office, its success continues to puncture several myths: that spandex heroes own the summer, that rom-coms can’t be cross-cultural, and that comics must provide the sole source material for franchises.
The surprise hit also points up Hollywood’s growing dependency on what some considered an arcane genre — the novel. Warner Bros was quick to announce that Kevin Kwan’s Rich novels will provide the basis for a new franchise (this was the studio obsessed with DC comics). Meanwhile, television producers and development executives are intensely competing for the rights to other once-obscure novels, having realized they lend themselves ideally to longer formats and to other streamer product.
All of this is good news for novice novelists – even several stars and filmmakers have tried their hands at fiction this year. It’s also relevant to those select companies like Random House Studio that develop scripted television by connecting published fiction to the fast-changing Hollywood universe.
Hollywood has always had its eye on revered literary titles, of course – witness The Great Gatsby, which was made (badly) four times. Movies based on Lord of the Rings and Gone with the Wind were giant hits, but some of Hollywood’s best movies stemmed from non bestsellers, such as Midnight Cowboy and In the Heat of the Night.
Hollywood’s appetite in genre and style has broadened in recent times, according to Peter Gethers, an accomplished book editor who is also Evp and general manager of Random House Studio, which is backed by Fremantle and Bertelsmann. The company has sold scripted projects to HBO, TNT and Showtime among others, along with three studio feature films.
Currently in development there as feature material are such novels as Social Creature by Tara Burton, a thriller about an ambitious career woman who winds up committing murder (it’s at Lionsgate); and Longbourn by Jo Baker, a Jane Austen-mode period piece set up at StudioCanal. Neither were runaway bestsellers but still found ready buyers. Random House Studio under Gethers also has optioned several books by Paulo Coelho as potential one-hour TV series. A Brazilian writer, Coelho’s books have sold more than 260 million copies, but The Alchemist, his best-known title, has proven difficult to translate because of its ethereal story line. In concert with Original Productions, Random House Studio has also moved aggressively into the documentary business.
From the point of view of Gethers, who also is the author of 12 novels, this moment in the media business holds out great opportunity for writers who may have struggled in a previous era. “Genre books ranging from The Thin Man to Maltese Falcon have always been ideal grist for films,” he points out. “The big difference today is that genre categories have shifted to TV, which eats up so much material that there’s opportunity for non-bestselling books. There’s room to fully develop characters and themes; the TV translation of the book doesn’t have to be crammed into two hours.”
Many of today’s “hot” filmmakers, of course, still rely on original material as the basis for their projects. The story of Roma was the creation of Alfonso Cuarón, while A Star Is Born, now in its fourth iteration, is credited to an original 1937 story by director William Wellman and three writers, one of whom was the legendary critic Dorothy Parker.
In a few famously reverse cases, however, the writing of the novels themselves was actually funded by studios for the purpose of translating them into films. The classic example was Love Story by Erich Segal; Paramount bought the script, then paid the author to novelize it. The studio also spent heavily on marketing the novel, with the promotional materials avoiding mention that the project originated as a script — a revelation that would have blemished its legitimacy. In the eyes of the literary establishment, it’s acceptable to film a novel, but not to manufacture one.
The surprise hit also points up Hollywood’s growing dependency on what some considered an arcane genre — the novel. Warner Bros was quick to announce that Kevin Kwan’s Rich novels will provide the basis for a new franchise (this was the studio obsessed with DC comics). Meanwhile, television producers and development executives are intensely competing for the rights to other once-obscure novels, having realized they lend themselves ideally to longer formats and to other streamer product.
All of this is good news for novice novelists – even several stars and filmmakers have tried their hands at fiction this year. It’s also relevant to those select companies like Random House Studio that develop scripted television by connecting published fiction to the fast-changing Hollywood universe.
Hollywood has always had its eye on revered literary titles, of course – witness The Great Gatsby, which was made (badly) four times. Movies based on Lord of the Rings and Gone with the Wind were giant hits, but some of Hollywood’s best movies stemmed from non bestsellers, such as Midnight Cowboy and In the Heat of the Night.
Hollywood’s appetite in genre and style has broadened in recent times, according to Peter Gethers, an accomplished book editor who is also Evp and general manager of Random House Studio, which is backed by Fremantle and Bertelsmann. The company has sold scripted projects to HBO, TNT and Showtime among others, along with three studio feature films.
Currently in development there as feature material are such novels as Social Creature by Tara Burton, a thriller about an ambitious career woman who winds up committing murder (it’s at Lionsgate); and Longbourn by Jo Baker, a Jane Austen-mode period piece set up at StudioCanal. Neither were runaway bestsellers but still found ready buyers. Random House Studio under Gethers also has optioned several books by Paulo Coelho as potential one-hour TV series. A Brazilian writer, Coelho’s books have sold more than 260 million copies, but The Alchemist, his best-known title, has proven difficult to translate because of its ethereal story line. In concert with Original Productions, Random House Studio has also moved aggressively into the documentary business.
From the point of view of Gethers, who also is the author of 12 novels, this moment in the media business holds out great opportunity for writers who may have struggled in a previous era. “Genre books ranging from The Thin Man to Maltese Falcon have always been ideal grist for films,” he points out. “The big difference today is that genre categories have shifted to TV, which eats up so much material that there’s opportunity for non-bestselling books. There’s room to fully develop characters and themes; the TV translation of the book doesn’t have to be crammed into two hours.”
Many of today’s “hot” filmmakers, of course, still rely on original material as the basis for their projects. The story of Roma was the creation of Alfonso Cuarón, while A Star Is Born, now in its fourth iteration, is credited to an original 1937 story by director William Wellman and three writers, one of whom was the legendary critic Dorothy Parker.
In a few famously reverse cases, however, the writing of the novels themselves was actually funded by studios for the purpose of translating them into films. The classic example was Love Story by Erich Segal; Paramount bought the script, then paid the author to novelize it. The studio also spent heavily on marketing the novel, with the promotional materials avoiding mention that the project originated as a script — a revelation that would have blemished its legitimacy. In the eyes of the literary establishment, it’s acceptable to film a novel, but not to manufacture one.
- 9/20/2018
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
FremantleMedia North American with Random House Studio is partnering with best-selling fantasy novelist Brandon Sanderson to develop drama Dark One for television, part of a multi-pronged project. In addition to a TV series, Sanderson also is concurrently creating a graphic novel that will be published by Vault Comics. Sanderson is also penning a supplementary, multi-volume book series that will expand on the storyline from the show and further explore subsidiary characters. The multi-media project also includes a Dark One podcast, which will shed further light on the incidents leading up to where the TV series will begin.
Dark One will be a dramatic fantasy adventure spotlighting a young man who sees visions of strange and fantastical worlds, which he is told are just hallucinations. But this dark and deadly fantasy world that keeps coming to him is actually a real vision of another world – one where he has been prophesied...
Dark One will be a dramatic fantasy adventure spotlighting a young man who sees visions of strange and fantastical worlds, which he is told are just hallucinations. But this dark and deadly fantasy world that keeps coming to him is actually a real vision of another world – one where he has been prophesied...
- 6/11/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Homeland executive producer Ron Nyswaner has signed a multi-year exclusive overall deal with FremantleMedia North America. His first project with the studio will be Bounty, a crime thriller drama based on Louisa Luna’s acclaimed novel Two Girls Down.
In Bounty, Alice Vega is a fearless and driven Recovery Agent, also known as a bounty hunter. She finds people for a price — violent criminals, on the run spouses, abducted children — working outside the law when necessary. When two girls disappear from a strip mall parking lot, in central Pennsylvania, Alice enlists the help of a disgraced former cop, Max Caplan, to find them. With her outsider personality and relentless need to pursue the truth, Alice makes dangerous enemies and exposes Caplan to the dark secrets of his community. Luna’s novel was published by Doubleday on January 9 to strong reviews.
Nyswaner will serve as executive producer and showrunner. Peter Gethers...
In Bounty, Alice Vega is a fearless and driven Recovery Agent, also known as a bounty hunter. She finds people for a price — violent criminals, on the run spouses, abducted children — working outside the law when necessary. When two girls disappear from a strip mall parking lot, in central Pennsylvania, Alice enlists the help of a disgraced former cop, Max Caplan, to find them. With her outsider personality and relentless need to pursue the truth, Alice makes dangerous enemies and exposes Caplan to the dark secrets of his community. Luna’s novel was published by Doubleday on January 9 to strong reviews.
Nyswaner will serve as executive producer and showrunner. Peter Gethers...
- 5/8/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s roundup, CBS All Access released a first look at the trailer and key art for “Strange Angel” and YouTube releases new clip from “Cobra Kai.”
Dates
“Carriers at War,” a new four-part series exploring the U.S. Navy’s fleet of aircraft carriers, premieres May 20 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on Smithsonian Channel as a part of its Memorial Day programming. The series features an in-depth look at the construction and launch of the Navy’s latest generation of carriers, including the multibillion-dollar and controversial supercarrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.
First Look
“Cobra Kai,” the new series coming to YouTube Red as a continuation of the “Karate Kid” story, has released a first look at the show, which includes never-before-seen footage from the 1984 film. The clips shows the iconic fight scene from Johnny Lawrence’s perspective, setting the stage for the series, which follows Lawrence (William Zabka...
Dates
“Carriers at War,” a new four-part series exploring the U.S. Navy’s fleet of aircraft carriers, premieres May 20 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on Smithsonian Channel as a part of its Memorial Day programming. The series features an in-depth look at the construction and launch of the Navy’s latest generation of carriers, including the multibillion-dollar and controversial supercarrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.
First Look
“Cobra Kai,” the new series coming to YouTube Red as a continuation of the “Karate Kid” story, has released a first look at the show, which includes never-before-seen footage from the 1984 film. The clips shows the iconic fight scene from Johnny Lawrence’s perspective, setting the stage for the series, which follows Lawrence (William Zabka...
- 5/1/2018
- by Kirsten Chuba
- Variety Film + TV
Untitled show follows young priest on journey of self-discovery.
FremantleMedia North America (Fmna) has signed The Alchemist author Paulo Coelho to an exclusive deal to develop the first-ever TV drama series based on the work of the Brazilian novelist.
The deal – which also involves Fmna-owned Random House Studio and Dancing Ledge Productions, the UK company in which FremantleMedia has a stake – covers an as yet untitled series that will follow a young priest on a journey of self-discovery as he is ostracised by the church and hunted by a powerful crime family.
The project will explore themes and characters from...
FremantleMedia North America (Fmna) has signed The Alchemist author Paulo Coelho to an exclusive deal to develop the first-ever TV drama series based on the work of the Brazilian novelist.
The deal – which also involves Fmna-owned Random House Studio and Dancing Ledge Productions, the UK company in which FremantleMedia has a stake – covers an as yet untitled series that will follow a young priest on a journey of self-discovery as he is ostracised by the church and hunted by a powerful crime family.
The project will explore themes and characters from...
- 5/1/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Works by Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist) are headed to the small screen. American Gods producer FremantleMedia North America, Random House Studio and Dancing Ledge Productions have signed an exclusive deal with the famous Brazilian author to develop the first-ever TV drama series based on his books.
Exploring themes and characters from Coelho’s novels The Devil and Miss Prym, Brida and The Witch of Portobello, all published by Harper Collins, the crime thriller will explore the human condition, celebrating Coelho’s multi-layered and inspirational storytelling.
The yet-untitled TV series follows a young priest who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption – ostracized by his church, a fugitive from the law, and hunted by a powerful crime family. Meanwhile, the CIA agent chasing him discovers mysterious powers, and a more profound connection to the priest than she ever thought possible.
Coelho, who is known for his deep connection with his audience,...
Exploring themes and characters from Coelho’s novels The Devil and Miss Prym, Brida and The Witch of Portobello, all published by Harper Collins, the crime thriller will explore the human condition, celebrating Coelho’s multi-layered and inspirational storytelling.
The yet-untitled TV series follows a young priest who embarks on a journey of self-discovery and redemption – ostracized by his church, a fugitive from the law, and hunted by a powerful crime family. Meanwhile, the CIA agent chasing him discovers mysterious powers, and a more profound connection to the priest than she ever thought possible.
Coelho, who is known for his deep connection with his audience,...
- 5/1/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
A version of this story first appeared in the Oct. 3 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Universal is taking more pages from Random House books — literally. The studio has inked a two-year, first-look production deal with Penguin Random House, whose Unbroken and Fifty Shades of Grey it already has adapted. Future projects will include the publisher's entertainment division, Random House Studio, as a producer. Rhs recently renewed its partnership with Universal division Focus Features through 2016, but the new pact will expand "the scope of what we're able to do," says Rhs president Peter Gethers , who will
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- 9/24/2014
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spike TV is continuing its re-entry into scripted programming, teaming with Emmy-winner Rob Reiner to develop Carl Hiaasen's best-seller Basket Case. From FremantleMedia North America, Random House Television Productions and Reiner's Castle Rock Entertainment, Basket Case centers on an investigative reporter who has trouble dealing with authority, change, women, success and corruption. Reiner will develop the script and direct the project should it move forward. Peter Gethers (Old Jews Telling Jokes) and Jeffrey Levine (Too Big to Fail) will executive produce alongside Alex Taub (Hart of Dixie, Drop Dead Diva), who will pen the script. Thom Beers,
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- 12/11/2013
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Spike TV and FremantleMedia North America (Fmna) in association with Random House Television Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment, have joined forces to develop a script for a new original series based on the best-selling novel "Basket Case" by prominent author and journalist Carl Hiaasen. Rob Reiner is set to direct and develop the script. Peter Gethers ("The Cat Who Went To Paris," "Old Jews Telling Jokes") and Jeffrey Levine ("Too Big to Fail") will serve as executive producers and Alex Taub ("Hart of Dixie," "Drop Dead Diva") will write the series. Thom Beers, Craig Cegielski and Stefanie Berk serve as executive producers for FremantleMedia North America. Reiner and Liz Glotzer are executive producers for Castle...
- 12/11/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Bernadette Peters, Norm Lewis, Jeremy Jordan and Cyrille Aimee just concluded their run in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra withWynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Vierteland John Doyle. BroadwayWorld was there for last night's closing night cast party and you can check out photo coverage below...
- 11/18/2013
- by Genevieve Rafter Keddy
- BroadwayWorld.com
Bernadette Peters, Norm Lewis, Jeremy Jordan and Cyrille Aimee star in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Vierteland John Doyle, and will run for seven performances, now through November 17 at City Center. BroadwayWorld brings you photos from the opening night curtain call below...
- 11/16/2013
- by Walter McBride
- BroadwayWorld.com
Bernadette Peters, Norm Lewis, Jeremy Jordan and Cyrille Aimee star in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra withWynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Vierteland John Doyle, and opened last night, November 13 at City Center. Let's see what the critics had to say...
- 11/15/2013
- by Review Roundups
- BroadwayWorld.com
Bernadette Peters, Norm Lewis, Jeremy Jordan and Cyrille Aimee star in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Viertel and John Doyle, and will run for seven performances, tonight, November 13 - 17 at City Center. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below...
- 11/13/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Bernadette Peters, Norm Lewis, Jeremy Jordan and Cyrille Aimee star in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Viertel and John Doyle, and will run for seven performances, tonight, November 13 - 17 at City Center. BroadwayWorld has highlights from the show in the video below...
- 11/13/2013
- by BroadwayWorld TV
- BroadwayWorld.com
Bernadette Peters, Norm Lewis, Jeremy Jordan and Cyrille Aimee star in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Vierteland John Doyle, and will run for seven performances, beginning tonight, through November 17 at City Center.
- 11/13/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Bernadette Peters, Norm Lewis, Jeremy Jordan and Cyrille Aimee star in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Viertel and John Doyle, and will run for seven performances, November 13 - 17 at City Center. Scroll down for a first look at the company...
- 11/8/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Norm Lewis and Jeremy Jordan will join Cyrille Aime and Bernadette Peters in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's A Bed And A Chair A New York Love Affair, a new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Viertel and John Doyle,and will run for seven performances, November 13 17 at City Center.
- 10/11/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Bernadette Peters and Cyrille Aime will star in Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis's A Bed And A Chair A New York Love Affair, a new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Viertel and John Doyle, and will run for seven performances, November 13 - 17 at City Center.
- 9/26/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis will collaborate on A Bed And A Chair A New York Love Affair, a new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, with choreography by Parker Esse and musical supervision by David Loud, was conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Viertel and John Doyle, and will run for seven performances, November 13 - 17 at City Center.
- 8/15/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Stephen Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis will collaborate on A Bed And A Chair A New York Love Story, a new musical event featuring Sondheim's music arranged and performed by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, announced Arlene Shuler, President amp CEO of New York City Center. This Encores Special Event, directed by frequent Sondheim collaborator John Doyle, and conceived by Peter Gethers, Jack Viertel and John Doyle, will run for seven performances, November 13 - 17 at City Center. City Center's annual Gala Benefit will take place on Thursday, November 14 and will include a post-performance dinner at the Plaza Hotel.
- 4/18/2013
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
American Idol producer FremantleMedia and Random House Inc, the U.S. division of trade-book publisher Random House, have partnered to develop scripted television programming for the U.S. and international markets based on the fiction and nonfiction books published by Random House’s imprints in North America and internationally. As part of the first-look deal, Random House Studio, the publisher’s rebranded entertainment division led by president Peter Gethers, is launching new division Random House Television. It will work together with Random House’s editors and publishers, and their authors’ agents, to acquire rights for broadcast network, cable, and premium television scripted projects and will collaborate with Random House authors to develop original scripted television properties. Both FremantleMedia and Random House are Bertelsmann Ag companies. Jeffrey Levine has been named Head of Television for Random House Television. Based in FremantleMedia’s Los Angeles offices and reporting to Gethers, he will work closely with Jeff Tahler,...
- 7/25/2012
- by NELLIE ANDREEVA
- Deadline TV
Fans of hard-boiled detective novels – and the movies they’re made into – worship at the altar of Raymond Chandler (The Long Goodbye, The Big Sleep) and Dashiell Hammett (The Maltese Falcon, The Thin Man), but unless you’re seriously into noir, the name Ross MacDonald is often skipped. MacDonald wrote a series of highly praised private eye yarns featuring a SoCal detective named Lew Archer.
Two of Archer’s eight adventures were filmed (with Archer’s name changed to Lew Harper, for whatever reason) as Harper in 1966 and The Drowning Pool in 1975, both starring Paul Newman as the gumshoe. Now, Deadline reports that The Matrix and Sherlock Holmes super-producer Joel Silver is reviving the series with Warner Bros., staring with the eighth novel of the series, The Galton Case.
Silver Pictures and Random House Films will team on the film, with Rhf head exec Peter Gethers joining the holder of the series’ rights,...
Two of Archer’s eight adventures were filmed (with Archer’s name changed to Lew Harper, for whatever reason) as Harper in 1966 and The Drowning Pool in 1975, both starring Paul Newman as the gumshoe. Now, Deadline reports that The Matrix and Sherlock Holmes super-producer Joel Silver is reviving the series with Warner Bros., staring with the eighth novel of the series, The Galton Case.
Silver Pictures and Random House Films will team on the film, with Rhf head exec Peter Gethers joining the holder of the series’ rights,...
- 11/1/2011
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Warner Bros acquired rights to the Ross Macdonald mystery series about private detective Lew Archer. The studio will launch a franchise, starting with the 1959 novel The Galton Case, which was the eighth book in the series. Paul Newman played Archer in the 1966 Warner Bros film Harper and 1975 film The Drowning Pool. Silver Pictures’ Joel Silver will produce and Andrew Rona and Alex Heineman will be executive producers. Silver will partner with Random House Films on the movie, and Rhf head Peter Gethers exec producing with series rights holder Stephen White. Archer is a private eye who cracked dangerous cases in Southern California in the 1950s and 60s. In The Galton Case, Archer is hired to track down the lost heir to the Galton fortune. His path leads him through a trail of murder, deception and a tangle of secrets. The studio will hire a writer soon to script what...
- 10/31/2011
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Vince Vaughn Enters Talks For Lay The Favorite
With Stephen Frears at the helm, Rebecca Hall and Bruce Willis are set to star in the indie flick, Lay the Favorite, which is based upon the life of Beth Raymer, who began as a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas and went on to become a professional gambler. Upon falling in love though, Raymer began to revaluate her life and her chosen profession. Variety now tells us that Vince Vaughn is in talks to join the film for an unspecified role after last being seen in Universal’s The Dilemma. Randall Emmett will produce via Emmett/Furla Films, along with Anthony Bregman, D.V. DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits. Peter Gethers will be executive producing.
Thanks for reading We Got This Covered...
With Stephen Frears at the helm, Rebecca Hall and Bruce Willis are set to star in the indie flick, Lay the Favorite, which is based upon the life of Beth Raymer, who began as a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas and went on to become a professional gambler. Upon falling in love though, Raymer began to revaluate her life and her chosen profession. Variety now tells us that Vince Vaughn is in talks to join the film for an unspecified role after last being seen in Universal’s The Dilemma. Randall Emmett will produce via Emmett/Furla Films, along with Anthony Bregman, D.V. DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits. Peter Gethers will be executive producing.
Thanks for reading We Got This Covered...
- 5/6/2011
- by Evan Dalton
- We Got This Covered
"Fringe" star Joshua Jackson is in talks to join Bruce Willis and Rebecca Hall in the Stephen Frears-directed Lay the Favorite , reports Variety . The script, written by D.V. DeVincentis, is based on the life of Beth Raymer, "a professional gambler who started off as a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas but soon rose to become one of the world's best gamblers. After falling in love, Raymer soon begins to re-evaluate her life and the profession she has chosen." Randall Emmett will produce through his Emmett/Furla Films along with Anthony Bregman, DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits. Peter Gethers will executive produce.
- 4/19/2011
- Comingsoon.net
Lay the Favorite may star Joshua Jackson, joining Rebecca Hall and Bruce Willis. Stephen Frears directs from the D.V. DeVincentis-written script based on the life of Beth Raymer, a pro gambler who started as a cocktail waitress in Vegas before becoming of the world's top gamblers. However, after falling in love, Raymer begins to re-evaluate her life. Randall Emmett produces via Emmett/Furla Films alongside Anthony Bregman, DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits. Peter Gethers will serve as an executive producer. Jackson is in Fox's Fringe which has been renewed for a fourth season run.
- 4/19/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Lay the Favorite may star Joshua Jackson, joining Rebecca Hall and Bruce Willis. Stephen Frears directs from the D.V. DeVincentis-written script based on the life of Beth Raymer, a pro gambler who started as a cocktail waitress in Vegas before becoming of the world's top gamblers. However, after falling in love, Raymer begins to re-evaluate her life. Randall Emmett produces via Emmett/Furla Films alongside Anthony Bregman, DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits. Peter Gethers will serve as an executive producer. Jackson is in Fox's Fringe which has been renewed for a fourth season run.
- 4/19/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Lay the Favorite may star Joshua Jackson, joining Rebecca Hall and Bruce Willis. Stephen Frears directs from the D.V. DeVincentis-written script based on the life of Beth Raymer, a pro gambler who started as a cocktail waitress in Vegas before becoming of the world's top gamblers. However, after falling in love, Raymer begins to re-evaluate her life. Randall Emmett produces via Emmett/Furla Films alongside Anthony Bregman, DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits. Peter Gethers will serve as an executive producer. Jackson is in Fox's Fringe which has been renewed for a fourth season run.
- 4/19/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Lay the Favorite may star Joshua Jackson, joining Rebecca Hall and Bruce Willis. Stephen Frears directs from the D.V. DeVincentis-written script based on the life of Beth Raymer, a pro gambler who started as a cocktail waitress in Vegas before becoming of the world's top gamblers. However, after falling in love, Raymer begins to re-evaluate her life. Randall Emmett produces via Emmett/Furla Films alongside Anthony Bregman, DeVincentis and Paul Trijbits. Peter Gethers will serve as an executive producer. Jackson is in Fox's Fringe which has been renewed for a fourth season run.
- 4/19/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Focus Features has announced a domestic theatrical release date of Friday, July 8, 2011 for One Day, directed by Lone Scherfig. David Nicholls has adapted his internationally praised and bestselling novel One Day into the screenplay for One Day. Academy Award nominee Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess star in One Day, a co-production in the unique partnership of Random House Inc..s Random House Films division and Focus. The U.K..s Film4 is co-financing. Nina Jacobson (the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies) is producing One Day, and Tessa Ross, controller, Film4 & Channel 4 drama, is executive-producing.
The book was #1 on both the hardcover and paperback bestseller charts in the U.K. It was published in the U.S. as a trade paperback original last June 15 by Vintage Books, a paperback imprint of Random House, Inc..s Knopf Doubleday Group. One Day spent 12 weeks on The New York Times Trade Paperback Fiction Bestseller list,...
The book was #1 on both the hardcover and paperback bestseller charts in the U.K. It was published in the U.S. as a trade paperback original last June 15 by Vintage Books, a paperback imprint of Random House, Inc..s Knopf Doubleday Group. One Day spent 12 weeks on The New York Times Trade Paperback Fiction Bestseller list,...
- 1/13/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Exclusive: In the latest attempt by a book publisher to produce what it publishes, Macmillan Publishers has launched Macmillan Films, a new shingle that will be spearheaded by Brendan Deneen. A former Hollywood development and production executive for Scott Rudin and Harvey & Bob Weinstein, Deneen will start the venture while continuing as an editor at Thomas Dunne Books. Macmillan Films kicks off with a deal with Summit Entertainment for Tempest, a manuscript by Julie Cross that is meant to be the first in a trilogy. The book about a 19-year old time traveler who witnesses his girlfriend's murder just as he jumps back two years will be published by Thomas Dunne Books, a division of St. Martin’s Press. Sonny Mallhi is producing while Deneen will be executive producer with Roy Lee. Macmillan Films joins Random House Films and Alloy Entertainment as publishing-based enterprises intent on staying involved in certain projects during the filmmaking process.
- 10/4/2010
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Word landed today from Focus CEO James Schamus and Random House Films President Peter Gethers that Darren Aronofsky (The Wrestler) and his Protozoa Pictures will team with Brad Pitt and his Plan B Entertainment production company to produce the adventure thriller The Tiger, for the partnered Random House Films and Focus Features release. Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Guillermo Arriaga (Babel) will adapt the screenplay per the upcoming nonfiction book The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival, by John Vaillant. Darren Aronofsky and Brad Pitt almost worked together before when Pitt almost played the lead in Aronofsky's The Fountain. No director has yet been confirmed for the film at this time. Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment will lead production of the feature with worldwide distribution rights held by Focus. The book, is slated for release on August 24th of this year by Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House,...
- 5/12/2010
- by Dave Campbell
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
Call it higher fidelity.
Stephen Frears and D.V. DeVincentis, who teamed up on the John Cusack breakout "High Fidelity," could be joining forces again.
DeVincentis is writing and Frears is attached to direct "Lay the Favorite," a dramedy set in the world of geeky gamblers that's set up at Focus Features.
The project is based on Beth Raymer's upcoming memoir "Lay the Favorite, Take the Dog," which Random House is set to publish in the spring. The pic springs from and is a co-production with Rh Films, Focus' label with book-publishing giant Random House.
Raymer's memoir is set amid a group of fiftyish math geeks who figure out how to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas for their own profit. It centers on a woman in her early thirties who has made a series of bad choices but achieves a redemption of sorts when she meets and then becomes involved with the gamblers.
Stephen Frears and D.V. DeVincentis, who teamed up on the John Cusack breakout "High Fidelity," could be joining forces again.
DeVincentis is writing and Frears is attached to direct "Lay the Favorite," a dramedy set in the world of geeky gamblers that's set up at Focus Features.
The project is based on Beth Raymer's upcoming memoir "Lay the Favorite, Take the Dog," which Random House is set to publish in the spring. The pic springs from and is a co-production with Rh Films, Focus' label with book-publishing giant Random House.
Raymer's memoir is set amid a group of fiftyish math geeks who figure out how to work the sportsbook system in Las Vegas for their own profit. It centers on a woman in her early thirties who has made a series of bad choices but achieves a redemption of sorts when she meets and then becomes involved with the gamblers.
- 11/5/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Danish filmmaker Ole Bornedal has been tapped to direct a Dean Koontz bestselling novel. "The Husband" will be based on the author's 2006 novel of the same name.
The novel follows a working husband's quest to free his wife from the kidnappers. Mitch Rafferty one day receives a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped his wife Holly. In exchange for Holly's safe return, Mitch must produce million dollars.
"The Husband" feature film will be co-produced by Random House Films and Focus Features, the companies said in an announcement.
Focus CEO James Schamus and Random President Peter Gethers said in a joint statement, "Ole's work, as a writer/director who deftly crafts human-sclaed stories of suspense and drama, makes him the ideal filmmaker to bring Dean's gripping bestseller to the screen."...
The novel follows a working husband's quest to free his wife from the kidnappers. Mitch Rafferty one day receives a phone call from someone claiming to have kidnapped his wife Holly. In exchange for Holly's safe return, Mitch must produce million dollars.
"The Husband" feature film will be co-produced by Random House Films and Focus Features, the companies said in an announcement.
Focus CEO James Schamus and Random President Peter Gethers said in a joint statement, "Ole's work, as a writer/director who deftly crafts human-sclaed stories of suspense and drama, makes him the ideal filmmaker to bring Dean's gripping bestseller to the screen."...
- 7/31/2009
- icelebz.com
Cannes -- Ole Bornedal will write and direct an adaptation of Dean Koontz' thriller "The Husband" for Random House Films and Focus Features.
The novel follows an ordinary working man whose love for his wife is put to a series of tests over a 60-hour period, beginning with a phone call from a stranger.
Bornedal, whose latest thriller "Deliver Us from Evil," has just been released in his native Denmark, has begun writing the newest draft of the screenplay, which had most recently been scripted by Glenn Gers. "The Husband" was published in 2006 in hardcover in the U.S. and Canada by the Bantam Books imprint of Random House, the paperback edition was published in 2007 in the U.S. and Canada by Bantam.
Focus creative exec Matthew Plouffe is supervising the film for Focus president of production John Lyons, and Random House Films president Peter Gethers is supervising for his company.
The novel follows an ordinary working man whose love for his wife is put to a series of tests over a 60-hour period, beginning with a phone call from a stranger.
Bornedal, whose latest thriller "Deliver Us from Evil," has just been released in his native Denmark, has begun writing the newest draft of the screenplay, which had most recently been scripted by Glenn Gers. "The Husband" was published in 2006 in hardcover in the U.S. and Canada by the Bantam Books imprint of Random House, the paperback edition was published in 2007 in the U.S. and Canada by Bantam.
Focus creative exec Matthew Plouffe is supervising the film for Focus president of production John Lyons, and Random House Films president Peter Gethers is supervising for his company.
- 5/20/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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