News

Henry Winkler and Lena Headey have joined Bob Odenkirk in the upcoming action movie “Normal,” from the producing team behind the 2021 hit “Nobody.”

In “Normal,” Odenkirk plays Ulysses, who is appointed substitute sheriff in the tiny Minnesota town of Normal, populated by friendly Midwesterners. When the local bank is sacked, Ulysses “unknowingly uncovers something far more explosive than a simple bank robbery,” per the logline.

Winkler, star of “Happy Days” and “Barry,” will play the mayor of Normal, while “Game of Thrones” and “300” favorite Headey is the local bartender, Moira.

“Normal” is directed by Ben Wheatley from a screenplay written by “John Wick” creator Derek Kolstad, who shares a story credit with Odenkirk. Producers are Marc Provissiero (“Nobody,” “No Hard Feelings”), Odenkirk and Kolstad, who all recently wrapped “Nobody 2.”

Principal photography on “Normal” began Oct. 21 and will continue in Winnipeg, Canada, through December. Rounding out the cast are Ryan Allen,...

Exclusive: Asia Pacific Films (Apf) announced that it will produce and finance romantic comedy The Last Resort (working title), with 10 Things I Hate About You and Legally Blonde screenwriter Karen McCullah attached to the project.

Set to begin production in the Philippines in early 2025, the film is executive produced by a group led by Apf chairman and Filipino billionaire Manuel V. Pangilinan, and produced by Ernesto “Bong” Sta. Maria Jr. and Rj Collins. Simon Heo and Akshay Mehta serve as co-producers.

The Last Resort follows a hotel executive who is sent to scout a new resort location in the Philippines. She becomes captivated by the breathtaking scenery and the warmth of its people — and also meets Ben, a charming expatriate charter pilot.

The production company said that casting and search for the film’s director is currently underway, which...

Good news for exhibition as Lionsgate is delivering two big releases this fall: The Dave Bautista action pic The Killer’s Game on Sept. 13 and the Mel Gibson directed Mark Wahlberg movie Flight Risk for Oct. 18. Again, we can’t be without film product in a marketplace that’s starving for volume.

Meanwhile the Gerard Butler sequel Den of Thieves: Pantera will hit cinemas on Jan. 10, 2025; that title arriving to Lionsgate through its eOne acquistion.

The JJ Perry directed The Killer’s Game, based on the book by Jay R. Bonansinga and adapted by Rand Ravich and James Coyne, follows a top hitman, Joe Flood (Bautista) who is diagnosed with a terminal illness. He opts to take matters into his own hands – by taking a hit out on himself. But when the very hitmen he hired also target his ex-girlfriend (Sofia Boutella), he must fend off an army of assassin colleagues and...

A seemingly indestructible force will come to theaters and VOD this fall, as Magnet Releasing has acquired Officer Downe for Us distribution beginning November 18th:

Press Release: New York, NY (September 22, 2016) – Magnet Releasing, the genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today that they have acquired U.S. rights to Officer Downe, the debut feature of M. Shawn Crahan (aka ‘Clown’), co-founder and visual architect of Grammy winning and multi-platinum band Slipknot. The film, starring Kim Coates (Sons Of Anarchy), will be released in theaters and On Demand November 18.

Adapted from the 2010 graphic novel by Joe Casey and Chris Burnham, Officer Downe concocts a hyper-real Los Angeles for the story of a savage La policeman who is repeatedly resurrected and returned to active duty via dark science technology. When a rookie officer named Gable is recruited as back up, he discovers there's much more to the titular super-cop than a mindless...

IndieVest Pictures, the L.A.-based indie film financier and distributor, has struck a home entertainment output deal with Vivendi Entertainment. While Indie will handle its own theatrical distribution, Vivendi will handle TV, VOD and DVD as well as digital and mobile rights for IndieVest titles.

IndieVest, which aims to produce six to eight films a year, will launch its first release, Hue Rhode's "Saint John of Las Vegas," in February. The film stars Steve Buscemi, Romany Malco, Sarah Silverman, Tim Blake Nelson, Peter Dinklage, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jesse Garcia and John Cho.

"We are creating a multi-genre, commercially driven, production slate that guarantees our filmmakers theatrical distribution, and can't imagine a better home entertainment partner than Vivendi Entertainment to bring our titles to the largest possible audiences," IndieVest president Mark Burton said.

The deal was negotiated by Yolanda Macias on behalf of Vivendi and Mark Burton and attorney Glenn Feig for IndieVest Pictures.