Exclusive: Following a bidding war, TriStar Pictures has beaten out a number of suitors and pre-emptively acquired rights to Alison Espach’s forthcoming novel The Wedding People. Will Speck and Josh Gordon, who have a first-look deal with Sony Pictures, are set to direct, with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Nicole Holofcener writing.
“It’s rare to read something that feels like real life, in all the best ways. .. funny, painful, cathartic and lasting. A throwback to the movies we grew up on with a modern sensibility. This is a story we can’t wait to tell,” said Speck and Gordon.
Speck, Gordon and Eric Fineman will produce through their company Speck + Gordon Inc. alongside Jonathan King and Ash Sarohia for Concordia Studio. Shary Shirazi and Kelseigh Coombs are overseeing the project for TriStar.
“Nicole is the perfect partner to adapt this incredible novel. She writes characters that are beautifully complex, with humor...
“It’s rare to read something that feels like real life, in all the best ways. .. funny, painful, cathartic and lasting. A throwback to the movies we grew up on with a modern sensibility. This is a story we can’t wait to tell,” said Speck and Gordon.
Speck, Gordon and Eric Fineman will produce through their company Speck + Gordon Inc. alongside Jonathan King and Ash Sarohia for Concordia Studio. Shary Shirazi and Kelseigh Coombs are overseeing the project for TriStar.
“Nicole is the perfect partner to adapt this incredible novel. She writes characters that are beautifully complex, with humor...
- 2/29/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix has landed the comedy The Chaperone, to be directed and produced by Will Speck and Josh Gordon as a potential star vehicle for Jason Bateman.
Pic will be produced by Bateman and Michael Costigan’s Aggregate Films, with Af’s Amanda Anka also producing. Gordon & Speck will also produce through their Speck Gordon Inc. banner.
Cocaine Bear’s Jimmy Warden will write the screenplay, and they are keeping plot specifics under wraps.
This marks the third collaboration between Bateman and Speck & Gordon, after they teamed on The Switch and Office Christmas Party.
Aggregate’s Drew Brennan and Speck Gordon’s Eric Fineman will shepherd the pic.
Bateman most recently co-starred in the Ben Affleck-directed Air, and Aggregate produced the Richard Linklater-directed Hit Man, which became the big acquisition of the Toronto Film Festival when Netflix acquired it in a $20 million deal.
Bateman and Speck & Gordon are repped by CAA.
Pic will be produced by Bateman and Michael Costigan’s Aggregate Films, with Af’s Amanda Anka also producing. Gordon & Speck will also produce through their Speck Gordon Inc. banner.
Cocaine Bear’s Jimmy Warden will write the screenplay, and they are keeping plot specifics under wraps.
This marks the third collaboration between Bateman and Speck & Gordon, after they teamed on The Switch and Office Christmas Party.
Aggregate’s Drew Brennan and Speck Gordon’s Eric Fineman will shepherd the pic.
Bateman most recently co-starred in the Ben Affleck-directed Air, and Aggregate produced the Richard Linklater-directed Hit Man, which became the big acquisition of the Toronto Film Festival when Netflix acquired it in a $20 million deal.
Bateman and Speck & Gordon are repped by CAA.
- 2/7/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Josh Gordon and Will Speck have signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce feature films. The news comes in the wake of their feature take of the children’s book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile grossing over $104 million at the global box office.
The movie, which stars Javier Bardem and Constance Wu and has songs by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and Shawn Mendes, is set for a China release April 15.
Speck and Gordon are attached to direct a film based on the AfterShock comic The Kaiju Score for Columbia Pictures. Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal at Escape Artists are producing along with AfterShock Media’s Lee and Jon Kramer; that project is in development. The duo are also attached to direct the A24 TV thriller Silverlake starring Zach Quinto and written by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale). They also are the creators and showrunners of the...
The movie, which stars Javier Bardem and Constance Wu and has songs by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and Shawn Mendes, is set for a China release April 15.
Speck and Gordon are attached to direct a film based on the AfterShock comic The Kaiju Score for Columbia Pictures. Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal at Escape Artists are producing along with AfterShock Media’s Lee and Jon Kramer; that project is in development. The duo are also attached to direct the A24 TV thriller Silverlake starring Zach Quinto and written by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale). They also are the creators and showrunners of the...
- 3/20/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: With her Emmy-winning show Pose coming to an end, writer/director Janet Mock looks to have found her follow-up feature. She has signed on to direct and rewrite The International Sweethearts of Rhythm for Sony Pictures. A previous draft was written by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Suzan-Lori Parks with Amy Pascal, Susan Tarr, Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman producing.
Plot details are being kept under wraps for a project in early development. Eric Fineman will oversee for Pascal Pictures. Alison Small is Executive Producer for Brownstone.
Mock’s star has been on the rise ever since Pose creator Ryan Murphy took her under his wing and gave her a key role in the writer’s room on Pose in its first season. She would go on to be one of the major architects of the show, serving as co-executive producer, writer and director until its series finale this past summer.
Plot details are being kept under wraps for a project in early development. Eric Fineman will oversee for Pascal Pictures. Alison Small is Executive Producer for Brownstone.
Mock’s star has been on the rise ever since Pose creator Ryan Murphy took her under his wing and gave her a key role in the writer’s room on Pose in its first season. She would go on to be one of the major architects of the show, serving as co-executive producer, writer and director until its series finale this past summer.
- 11/5/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures has acquired Ayesha at Last, a Muslim romantic dramedy novel by Uzma Jalaluddin. Eric Fineman and Isabel Siskin will be the execs shepherding it. The novel, which was published in Canada and will debut in the U.S. next year, is a present day retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a Muslim community in Toronto.
The novel was shopped as interest swelled in Crazy Rich Asians, and it was helped by an appetite to tell a fun story focused on historically underrepresented characters.
The protagonist Ayesha has dreams of being a poet but has set them aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely,...
The novel was shopped as interest swelled in Crazy Rich Asians, and it was helped by an appetite to tell a fun story focused on historically underrepresented characters.
The protagonist Ayesha has dreams of being a poet but has set them aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely,...
- 8/27/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Winning what was a competitive bidding situation, Amy Pascal via Pascal Pictures just nailed down a sci-fi pitch from screenwriter Kat Wood. This is the second project that Pascal has bought from Wood, following another sci-fi project, Envoy, that Pascal brought into her company last year. This latest pitch is entitled Genus, described as a thriller about a scientist who accidentally brings back a prehistoric form of human species. It’s set in modern day and, of course, has a strong female lead.
Wood is a former Earth scientist and journalist for the BBC, who is from the UK. Since starting a career as a screenwriter, she has been named as one of the UK’s rising stars. She is one of several up and coming women who write, direct and produce.
Pascal has been steadily building up her feature film and television development slate with such projects as Beneath a Scarlet Sky,...
Wood is a former Earth scientist and journalist for the BBC, who is from the UK. Since starting a career as a screenwriter, she has been named as one of the UK’s rising stars. She is one of several up and coming women who write, direct and produce.
Pascal has been steadily building up her feature film and television development slate with such projects as Beneath a Scarlet Sky,...
- 5/25/2018
- by Anita Busch
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Amy Pascal and her Pascal Pictures pre-emptively picked up the sci-fi thriller spec Envoy from screenwriter Kat Wood. The character-driven piece is said to be in the vein of Arrival and The Day The Earth Stood Still and is about an elite military intelligence specialist who jumps at the chance to take part in the selection process to become the first-ever human representative to alien life. The project was brought into Pascal Pictures by Eric Fineman. This adds…...
- 11/20/2017
- Deadline
The recently restarted Orion Pictures has made it official, making Sony Pictures’ Dan Kagan its first big hire since parent MGM relaunched it this month as a new, stand-alone marketing and distribution outfit under president John Hegeman. Kagan will become VP Production & Acquisitions after exiting his Sony role as Director of Development. Kagan and VP Production Eric Fineman both departed Sony Pictures today, with the latter segueing to Sony-based Pascal Pictures.We’re…...
- 9/26/2017
- Deadline
According to new reports Marvel Comics' 'Carnage' will be the main villain opposite Tom Hardy in the prepping "Venom" solo feature, to be directed by Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland"), starting September 2017 in Atlanta and New York City:
'Cletus Kasady' aka 'Carnage', debuted in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" #344 (March 1991) followed by "The Amazing Spider-Man" #360...
...created by writer David Michelinie and illustrators Erik Larsen and Mark Bagley, based on elements of the precursor character 'Venom'.
Along with Venom, the character belongs to a race of amorphous extraterrestrials known as the 'Symbiotes'.
'Venom', aka the 'Venom Symbiote', was originally a super-villain sentient alien, debuting in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" #300 (May 1988)...
...before evolving into an antihero, requiring a host to bond with for its survival.
The first known host was 'Spider-Man', who eventually separated himself from the creature when he discovered its true nature.
The Symbiote went on to merge with other hosts.
According to the 'Marvel Universe', the creature is considered one of the greatest threats to humanity...
...alongside 'Magneto', 'Doctor Doom' and the 'Red Skull'.
The Symbiote is capable of shape-shifting, as well as the ability to expand its size and mimic the appearance of other humanoids after it has obtained a host.
The organism can additionally conceal itself by altering its coloration or by becoming invisible, also exhibiting telepathic abilities.
Columbia Pictures executives Palak Patel and Eric Fineman will oversee the new film for the studio.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Venom"...
'Cletus Kasady' aka 'Carnage', debuted in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" #344 (March 1991) followed by "The Amazing Spider-Man" #360...
...created by writer David Michelinie and illustrators Erik Larsen and Mark Bagley, based on elements of the precursor character 'Venom'.
Along with Venom, the character belongs to a race of amorphous extraterrestrials known as the 'Symbiotes'.
'Venom', aka the 'Venom Symbiote', was originally a super-villain sentient alien, debuting in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" #300 (May 1988)...
...before evolving into an antihero, requiring a host to bond with for its survival.
The first known host was 'Spider-Man', who eventually separated himself from the creature when he discovered its true nature.
The Symbiote went on to merge with other hosts.
According to the 'Marvel Universe', the creature is considered one of the greatest threats to humanity...
...alongside 'Magneto', 'Doctor Doom' and the 'Red Skull'.
The Symbiote is capable of shape-shifting, as well as the ability to expand its size and mimic the appearance of other humanoids after it has obtained a host.
The organism can additionally conceal itself by altering its coloration or by becoming invisible, also exhibiting telepathic abilities.
Columbia Pictures executives Palak Patel and Eric Fineman will oversee the new film for the studio.
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Venom"...
- 6/22/2017
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
According to new reports actor Tom Hardy ("Mad Max: Fury Road") has been cast to play 'Eddie Brock' aka 'Venom' in the long-developing "Venom" solo feature from Sony, to be directed by Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland") from a screenplay by Scott Rosenberg ("Jumanji") and Jeff Pinkner ("The Dark Tower") :
'Venom', aka the 'Venom Symbiote', was originally a super-villain sentient alien, debuting in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" #300 (May 1988)...
...before evolving into an antihero, requiring a host to bond with for its survival.
The first known host was 'Spider-Man', who eventually separated himself from the creature when he discovered its true nature.
The Symbiote went on to merge with other hosts.
According to the 'Marvel Universe', the creature is considered one of the greatest threats to humanity...
...alongside 'Magneto', 'Doctor Doom' and the 'Red Skull'.
The Symbiote is capable of shape-shifting, as well as the ability to...
'Venom', aka the 'Venom Symbiote', was originally a super-villain sentient alien, debuting in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" #300 (May 1988)...
...before evolving into an antihero, requiring a host to bond with for its survival.
The first known host was 'Spider-Man', who eventually separated himself from the creature when he discovered its true nature.
The Symbiote went on to merge with other hosts.
According to the 'Marvel Universe', the creature is considered one of the greatest threats to humanity...
...alongside 'Magneto', 'Doctor Doom' and the 'Red Skull'.
The Symbiote is capable of shape-shifting, as well as the ability to...
- 5/19/2017
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
In the wake of the success of the R-rated Fox/Marvel feature "Deadpool", based on the Marvel Comics superhero, an R-Rated "Venom" solo feature film, spinning off from "Spider-Man", has been greenlit at Sony, with Dante Harper ("Edge Of Tomorrow") writing the screenplay for producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach:
'Venom', aka the 'Venom Symbiote', was originally a super-villain sentient alien, debuting in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" #300 (May 1988), before evolving into an antihero, requiring a host to bond with for its survival.
The first known host was 'Spider-Man', who eventually separated himself from the creature when he discovered its true nature. The Symbiote went on to merge with other hosts.
According to the 'Marvel Universe', the creature is considered one of the greatest threats to humanity, alongside 'Magneto', 'Doctor Doom' and the 'Red Skull'.
The Symbiote is capable of shape-shifting, as well...
'Venom', aka the 'Venom Symbiote', was originally a super-villain sentient alien, debuting in Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man" #300 (May 1988), before evolving into an antihero, requiring a host to bond with for its survival.
The first known host was 'Spider-Man', who eventually separated himself from the creature when he discovered its true nature. The Symbiote went on to merge with other hosts.
According to the 'Marvel Universe', the creature is considered one of the greatest threats to humanity, alongside 'Magneto', 'Doctor Doom' and the 'Red Skull'.
The Symbiote is capable of shape-shifting, as well...
- 3/6/2016
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Sony Pictures has tapped Tron 3 scribe Jesse Wigutow to adapt acclaimed comic book series, Descender.
That’s according to The Hollywood Reporter, noting that after first acquiring the property almost exactly a year ago, the big-screen rendition of Jeff Lemire’s sci-fi tale is finally beginning to gain a sense of momentum. Indeed, Wigutow will be hoping for better luck with this current deal, given that he penned treatments for Relativity’s long-gestating The Crow remake along with Brian Michael Bendis’ Fire, neither of which have entered production in earnest.
Descender very much acts as a new platform for the scribe, then, and the original source material imagines a “sprawling, science-fiction space opera full of mystery and adventure. For those unfamiliar, Descender tells the heart-felt cosmic odyssey about “a little boy looking for home in a universe that hates and fears him. The incredibly lifelike artificial boy, Tim-21, may...
That’s according to The Hollywood Reporter, noting that after first acquiring the property almost exactly a year ago, the big-screen rendition of Jeff Lemire’s sci-fi tale is finally beginning to gain a sense of momentum. Indeed, Wigutow will be hoping for better luck with this current deal, given that he penned treatments for Relativity’s long-gestating The Crow remake along with Brian Michael Bendis’ Fire, neither of which have entered production in earnest.
Descender very much acts as a new platform for the scribe, then, and the original source material imagines a “sprawling, science-fiction space opera full of mystery and adventure. For those unfamiliar, Descender tells the heart-felt cosmic odyssey about “a little boy looking for home in a universe that hates and fears him. The incredibly lifelike artificial boy, Tim-21, may...
- 2/2/2016
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Sony Pictures has acquired the movie rights to Cori McCarthy’s forthcoming novel “Breaking Sky,” which will be produced by Barry Josephson (“Bones”), TheWrap has learned. Set in the year 2048 with America locked in a cold war, “Breaking Sky” follows Chase Harcourt (call sign “Nyx”), who’s one of only two daredevil pilots chosen to fly an experimental “Streaker” jet, which serves as the country’s best hope of victory. Also Read: Chloe Moretz to Star in Ya Adaptation ‘The 5th Wave’ for Sony (Exclusive) Sony executives Michael De Luca and Eric Fineman will oversee the project for the studio,...
- 2/27/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
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