News

Highland Film Group has unveiled the first image from Muzzle: City Of Wolves starring Aaron Eckhart, and announced key territory deals and additional casting as it continues sales at EFM this week.

Rights to the thriller about a retired police dog handler who gets pulled back into action to protect his family have closed with Vertigo Releasing for the UK, Australia, and New Zealand; Capelight Pictures for Germany; YouPlanet Pictures for Spain; and Italian International Film (Iif) for Italy.

Deals have also closed in Benelux (Three Lines Pictures), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Greece (Spentzos Film), Scandinavia (Mis. Label), Eastern Europe (Daro Film Distribution...

Daisy Ridley has landed another lead role, this time in action thriller “Dedication” from Martin Campbell, reuniting with the director following their recent feature “Cleaner.”

The film, written by Dan Gordon, is launching at the American Film Market, with Highland repping international sales and CAA Media Finance overseeing domestic rights.

“Dedication” follows Major Billie Jean Parker (Ridley), a decorated Marine Corps commander who is relieved of duty after a high-stakes mission in the Philippines results in civilian casualties, despite capturing anarchist leader Omar Romatas. Facing the loss of her career, she visits her dying father, Clyde, a former Marine, who asks her to attend a dedication ceremony for a school building named in his honor. The event takes a deadly turn when Omar Romatas’s vengeful son, Bento, launches an assault, taking hostages. Forced back into combat, Billie Jean sets traps and executes precise strikes to outwit the attackers. Her...

Highland Film Group has bolstered its AFM slate with international sales rights to romantic comedy The Pet-Nup on behalf of Rosario producers Javier Chapa and Phillip Braun of Mucho Mas Media.

Production is scheduled to begin in early 2025 in Arkansas on the story of a divorced man who shares custody of his Pomeranian and falls for a fellow dog owner, resulting in a madcap scheme to steal his own pet. Elaine del Valle directs from a screenplay by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok.

Gregg Sulkin (Marvel’s Runaways), Halston Sage (Twentieth Century Fox’s Paper Towns), Emeraude Toubia (Amazon’s With Love...

Highland Film Group has bolstered its AFM slate with international sales rights to romantic comedy The Pet-Nup on behalf of Rosario producers Javier Chapa and Phillip Braun of Mucho Mas Media.

Production is scheduled to begin in early 2025 in Arkansas on the story of a divorced man who shares custody of his Pomeranian and falls for a fellow dog owner, resulting in a madcap scheme to steal his own pet. Elaine del Valle directs from a screenplay by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok.

Gregg Sulkin (Marvel’s Runaways), Halston Sage (Twentieth Century Fox’s Paper Towns), Emeraude Toubia (Amazon’s With Love...

Screen has obtained the first-look image from Justin Chadwick’s action thriller Sierra Madre starring Kiefer Sutherland, which has begun production in Colombia with a host of new cast additions. Highland Film Group continues worldwide sales at the AFM this week.

Mexican actor and producer Omar Chaparro, whose credits include Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and Netflix original series Thursday’s Widows, joins alongside rising Colombian actress Laura Osma from Prime Video’s recent Toronto premiere Pimpinero: Blood And Oil and Sky Original’s Blocco 181, and Ashton Sanders from Moonlight and Equalizer 2.

Additional new cast include Tommy Martinez (ABC’s Good Trouble...

Highland Film Group has bulked up its AFM slate and acquired international sales rights to Fantasia entry Witchboard from The Mask director Chuck Russell.

The reimagining of the 1986 horror film follows Emily and her fiancé Christian, who are preparing to open a café business in New Orleans when Emily discovers an ancient artifact once used to summon spirits.

When Emily becomes obsessed with the witchboard’s power, Christian seeks the help of an occult expert who lures the couple deeper into the occult. They find themselves in a race against time to break the board’s deadly curse before Emily becomes its next victim.

Fox is developing a comedy series centered on a washed up golf prodigy, Variety has learned exclusively.

Titled “Thunderjacks,” the series has received a script commitment at the broadcast network. Chad Mountain is writing and executive producing, with Oliver Hudson, John Stalberg Jr., Douglas Banker of Five All in the Fifth, Jonathan Watson, and Scott MacArthur also executive producing. Fox Entertainment Studios will produce.

The official logline for the series states, “A famous former golf prodigy, who vanished into anonymity after a very public meltdown, is dragged into the limelight a decade later, forcing his dysfunctional family to futilely scramble to save their opulent lifestyle and fragile egos.”

There is no cast currently attached to the project, but sources say it could serve as a starring vehicle for Hudson should it go forward. The show falls under the broadcast direct deal Hudson and his producing partner Stalberg signed with Fox in 2023. Under that deal,...

Amid a generally positive market the familiar gripe of high asking prices has sent a clear message that buyers and sellers are finding it increasingly tough to reconcile their respective financial models.

The tension remains particularly acute on A-list market packages, where independent producers have fought (and paid) to attract and hold on to talent in a post-strike world where hefty offers from studios and streamers, driven by talent agents, have been hard to resist.

The ripple effect has forced sales agents to push up their asks in order to recoup financiers’ investments. Sales estimates set more than a year ago,...

Aaron Eckhart is set to return to the “Muzzle” universe in action thriller “Muzzle: City of Wolves.”

The actioner marks the sequel to “Muzzle” and will be directed by John Stalberg Jr. (Lionsgate’s “Crypto”), who also directed the first installment. Jacob Michael King (“Caviar”) wrote the script from a story by Carlyle Eubank (“The Signal”) and Stalberg Jr.

Highland Film Group is handling international rights and introducing “Muzzle: City of Wolves” to buyers at the Marché du Film.

In “Muzzle: City of Wolves,” Jake Rosser (Eckhart), haunted by Ptsd from his days as a K-9 officer, endeavors to lead a peaceful life with his family and retired K-9 companion, Socks. But the tranquility quickly dissolves when a ruthless gang targets them in a brutal attack. Determined to protect his loved ones, Jake and his new K-9 partner Argos delve into a violent underbelly of crime where Jake confronts corrupt officials,...

"This ain't gonna wipe your slate clean..." Vertigo Films has revealed the second official trailer for a gritty crime thriller meets action film titled Bad Hombres, from filmmaker John Stalberg Jr (following Muzzle last year). This one already opened in the US earlier this year (here's the first trailer) and is out now, this is another trailer from the UK distributor. Two undocumented immigrants looking for work take a job digging a hole, only to discover their employers are psychopathic criminals. They become embroiled in a blood bath, with one of them revealing a secret past that just might save them. Bad Hombres stars Diego Tinoco and Hemky Madera as Cesar and Alfonso, respectively, along with Luke Hemsworth, Thomas Jane, Nick Cassavetes, Paul Johansson, with Tyrese Gibson playing "The Man With No Name." This looks rather generic, with a batch of criminals crossing each other and getting into even more trouble,...

“Bad Hombres” is a new crime thriller, directed by John Stalberg Jr., starring Luke Hemsworth, Tyrese Gibson, Diego Tinoco, Thomas Jane, Nick Cassavetes and Paul Johansson, releasing January 26, 2024 in theaters:

“…desperate to provide for his family, undocumented immigrant ‘Cesar’ (Tinoco) is hired alongside day-laborer ‘Alfonso’ to work for ‘Donnie’ (Hemsworth), a brute who is also a psychopathic criminal.

“Now finding themselves entangled in the aftermath of a botched drug deal, Cesar and Alfonso must band together to survive. Alfonso has a criminal past of his own that might be what he and Cesar need to make it out alive…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

"Welcome to the land of opportunity." Screen Media Films has unveiled an official trailer for a gritty crime thriller, action film titled Bad Hombres, the latest from filmmaker John Stalberg Jr (following Muzzle last year). This premiered at the 2023 Mammoth Film Festival, where it somehow won the Grand Jury Award and Achievement in Screenwriting. Two undocumented immigrants looking for work take a job digging a hole, only to discover their employers are psychopathic criminals. They become embroiled in a blood bath, with one of them revealing a secret past that just might save them. Bad Hombres stars Diego Tinoco and Hemky Madera as Cesar and Alfonso, respectively, along with Luke Hemsworth, Thomas Jane, Nick Cassavetes, Tyrese Gibson, and Paul Johansson. This is set for a VOD release at the end of January if anyone wants to watch. Unfortunately looks like yet another direct-to-bargain-bin junk film dropping soon. // Continue Reading ›...

Aaron Eckhart stars in the 2023 crime thriller Muzzle as Jake Rosser, a disgruntled police officer in charge of a K9 dog named Ace. Directed by John Stalberg Jr., the movie runs for 1 hour and 39 minutes and is more-or-less an entertaining watch that explores how people deal with the loss of creatures who are extremely close to them. There aren’t too many movies of this sub-genre, and were it not for a few errors and slightly underwhelming script, this movie would have won many accolades. Here’s a detailed summary and ending of the 2023 crime thriller, Muzzle.

Spoilers Ahead

What Happens To Ace?

Muzzle opens with Officer Jake Rosser driving around the more rundown parts of LA in his car, along with his most trusted companion, Ace, a German shepherd. Jake is a part of the K9 unit, and Ace seems to be his best friend and partner in the line of duty,...

Exclusive: Primetime Emmy nominee Kate Mara has joined Laurence Fishburne in the sci-fi thriller, The Astronaut. Terminator: Dark Fate actor Gabriel Luna has also joined the cast.

Jess Varley (Phobias) makes her solo writing and directorial debut.

Cameras are set to roll this October in Ireland under an interim SAG-AFTRA agreement.

The Astronaut is produced by Fuller Media’s Brad Fuller and Cameron Fuller, alongside Wonder Company’s Eric B. Fleischman (J.D. Dillard’s Sleight) and Chris Abernathy (Barbarian).

Highland Film Group is repping foreign rights to the pic here at TIFF. CAA Media Finance and the UTA Independent Film Group are co-repping domestic rights.

Gabriel Luna

In the pic, astronaut Sam Walker (Mara) returns from her first space mission. She’s found miraculously alive in a punctured capsule floating deep off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean.

If the "John Wick" films are any indication, action heroes could always use a little canine companionship. It just so happens that there's a long-standing aspect of law enforcement where the dog and human relationship is already built-in: The K-9 unit.

You've likely seen numerous buddy cop movies, and even a handful of K-9 films. However, those movies tend to lean heavily on the comedy aspects of man's best friend fighting bad guys. Witness the old Rin Tin Tin series, or the films "K-9" and "Turner & Hooch," for starters. Even last year's Channing Tatum vehicle with the world's most inspired title, "Dog," milked its military mutt more for melodrama than action.

That all changes with "Muzzle," a new film from director John Stalberg Jr. that stars Aaron Eckhart as K-9 cop Jake Rosser. When Jake loses his pup partner, Ace, after a deadly shootout with drug dealers, he...

"Fire me. I could care less." Rlje Films has unveiled an official trailer for Muzzle, a dog thriller starring Aaron Eckhart. This is the latest film directed by a filmmaker named John Stalberg Jr., who first made his mark with the stoner comedy High School back in 2010. How's this for a wild pitch: LAPD K-9 officer Jake Rosser and his K-9 partner Ace battle it out on the streets of LA when they get into a shootout with local gangsters and Ace is shot. In a moment of crisis, Jake assaults an Emt, resulting in him taking leave from the force. Blocked by Internal Affairs, muzzled by his own superiors from finding the shooter's identity, Jake resolves to go rogue and partners with “Socks”, a violent K-9 with titanium incisors and a mysterious past. Jake and Socks uncover a vast conspiracy that has a chokehold on the city,...

John Wick isn’t the only character willing to go on a killing spree after someone takes his dog off the board. In Rlje Films’s Muzzle trailer, Jake Rosser (Aaron Eckhart) is an elite agent grieving the loss of his partner. While all dogs go to heaven, Rosser is ready to travel to hell and back to honor his dog’s memory and take a bite out of crime.

In Muzzle, “LAPD K-9 officer Jake Rosser (Aaron Eckhart) and his K-9 partner Ace battle it out on the streets of LA when they get into a shootout with local drug dealers, and Ace is shot dead,” reads the film’s official synopsis. “In a moment of crisis, Jake tries to get an Emt to look at Ace and assaults him when he refuses, resulting in him taking leave from the force. Blocked by Internal Affairs and muzzled by his...

Rlje announced today it has acquired North American rights to “Muzzle,” an action thriller starring Aaron Eckhart, from Highland Film Group. Directed by John Stalberg Jr. (“Crypto”) and based on a script by Carlyle Eubank (“The Signal”) from a story by Eubank and Stalberg Jr., the film is set to debut in theaters and will be made available on all rental platforms on Sept. 29.

Rlje is a business unit of AMC Networks. It specializes in genre fare such as the Kurt Russell western “Bone Tomahawk” and the Nicolas Cage revenge thriller “Mandy.”

“’Muzzle’is a fully charged ride led by a gripping performance from Aaron Eckhart,” said Rlje Film Chief Acquisitions Officer Mark Ward, “We can’t wait to unleash the film to audiences this fall.”

“We are thrilled to have Mark and the outstanding team at Rlje come on board to distribute ‘Muzzle.’ They are the perfect partner to...

Exclusive: Screen Media has taken all North American rights to crime pic Bad Hombres, directed by John Stalberg Jr. ahead of its world premiere at the Mammoth Film Festival.

The thriller features an ensemble cast that includes Luke Hemsworth (Westworld), Thomas Jane (The Punisher), Nick Cassavetes (Face Off), Tyrese Gibson (The Fast and The Furious), Diego Tinoco (On My Block), Hemky Madera (Queen of the South) and Paul Johansson (One Tree Hill).

Screen Media is planning a theatrical release later this year, followed by a digital release soon after.

Pic follows the story of two immigrants who take a simple job, but when their employers reveal themselves to be criminals, surviving becomes the most difficult job of their lives.

Producers are Stalberg Jr., David Frigerio, Scott Macfarland, Oliver Hudson and Wyatt Russell.

“We are thrilled to acquire such a gripping, tense crime thriller with an exceptional cast,” said David Fannon,...

Kiefer Sutherland consistently places himself in harm’s way to entertain audiences, and now, thanks to The Winter Kills, he’s going after a serial killer. According to Deadline, Sutherland is the star of the new John Stalber Jr.-directed action film written by Ben Floro Carney. The Winter Kills finds Sutherland playing a disgraced cop tracking the serial killer who murdered his partner ten years ago. The killer has resurfaced, and Sutherland is prepared to stop at nothing to take them down.

Filming kicks off in New Jersey in the spring, with Patrick Rizzotti, Paul Johansson, David Guglielmo, John Jr, Wyatt Russell, Oliver Hudson, and XYZ Films producing.

“Kiefer Sutherland is more than just the perfect actor for this film, he’s an absolute legend, and I’m beyond thrilled to match his rare talent with a role that will require every ounce of it. I couldn’t imagine a better team of professionals,...

Exclusive: Kiefer Sutherland (24) is set to star in action-thriller The Winter Kills from director John Stalberg, Jr. (Crypto).

Sutherland will portray a disgraced cop pursuing the serial killer who murdered his partner ten years ago — and has resurfaced to kill again.

Written by Ben Floro Carney, the film is produced by Patrick Rizzotti, Paul Johansson, David Guglielmo, John Jr, Wyatt Russell, Oliver Hudson and XYZ Films.

Pic is set to shoot this spring in New Jersey with debt financing to be provided by Blue Fox Financing. XYZ Films is also financing and will introduce the film to buyers at this week’s European Film Market in Berlin.

“Kiefer Sutherland is more than just the perfect actor for this film, he’s an absolute legend, and I’m beyond thrilled to match his rare talent with a role that will require every ounce of it. I couldn’t imagine a better team of professionals,...

photo credit Kane Skennar

The first look photo has been released for the upcoming action thriller Land Of Bad starring Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth (Independence Day: Resurgence, The Hunger Games), Luke Hemsworth (HBO’s “Westworld”), Milo Ventimiglia (NBC’s “This is Us”), Ricky Whittle (Starz’s “American Gods”), Daniel MacPherson and Chika Ikogwe (Netflix’s “Heartbreak High”).

Directed by Will Eubank and co-written by Eubank and David Frigerio (Lionsgate’s Crypto, Focus Features’ The Signal), Highland Film Group has locked distribution deals in key territories for Land of Bad with Rialto Distribution for Australia and New Zealand, Wild Bunch for Germany, Blue Swan Entertainment for Italy, YouPlanet Pictures for Spain, Nos Lusomundo Audiovisuals for Portugal, Spentzos Film for Greece, Vertical Entertainment for Eastern Europe, Moviebox for Turkey, MovieCloud for Taiwan, Pictureworks for India, First Run Inc. for South Korea, Imagem Filmes for South America, Filmfinity for South...

Production underway on Australia’s Gold Coast and southeast Queensland.

Show Fullscreen

Highland Film Group has released a first-look image from the Australia set of Russell Crowe and Liam Hemsworth action thriller Land Of Bad and announced a raft of pre-sales.

Production is underway on Australia’s Gold Coast and southeast Queensland on the story about an Air Force drone pilot (Crowe) who becomes the only hope for a rookie air support controller dispatched to extract a Delta Force team from the Philippines.

Rights have gone in Australia and New Zealand (Rialto Distribution), Germany (Wild Bunch), South Korea (First Run...

Photo credit is Steve Squall

Check out this first look photo from John Stalberg Jr.’s thriller Muzzle starring Golden Globe-nominee Aaron Eckhart. Highland Film Group is handling worldwide sales on the film which just wrapped in August.

LAPD K-9 officer Jake Rosser (Eckhart) has just witnessed the shocking murder of his dedicated partner by a mysterious assailant. As he investigates the shooter’s identity, he uncovers a vast conspiracy that has a chokehold on the city in this thrilling journey through the tangled streets of Los Angeles and the corrupt bureaucracy of the LAPD.

The cast also includes Stephen Lang Diego Tinoco and Kyle Smithson.

Muzzle is written by Carlyle Eubank (Focus Features’ The Signal) from a story by Eubank and Stalberg Jr.

The post First Look Photo: Aaron Eckhart As LAPD K-9 Officer Jake Rosser In Muzzle appeared first on We Are Movie Geeks.

Highland holds worldwide rights and will be in talks with TIFF buyers.

Screen has obtained an exclusive first-look from Highland Film Group of Aaron Eckhart in the thriller Muzzle.

John Stalberg Jr.’s film follows a K-P officer at the Los Angeles Police Department who investigates the murder of his partner and uncovers a conspiracy as well as corruption within the department.

Principal photography wrapped last month [August] on the film, which is based on a script by Carlyle Eubank from a story by Eubank and Stalberg Jr.

The cast includes Stephen Lang, Diego Tinoco and Kyle Smithson. Producers are Broken Open Pictures’ David Frigerio,...

Principal photography scheduled for spring start in Winnipeg, Canada.

In a high-profile package that has dropped in the run-up to Cannes Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Benjamin Evan Ainsworth will star in the horror thriller Felix for producer Joe Carnahan, with Highland Film Group boarding world sales.

John Kissack, whose credits include horror thriller Everfall, will direct from a screenplay by Casey Giltner with principal photography scheduled for a spring start in Winnipeg, Canada.

Highland has commenced pre-sales on Felix, which centres on Charlie and his best friend Jimmy who are making a film and dream of becoming big-time Hollywood directors.

Exclusive: Sumalee Montano (Star Trek: Picard), Arrow alum Rick Gonzalez and Beau Knapp (The Good Lord Bird) are set as series regulars opposite Ashley Zukerman in Langdon, NBC’s drama pilot based on Dan Brown’s best-selling thriller novel The Lost Symbol.

The project, which hails from Imagine Television, CBS TV Studios and Universal Television, is among five 2020 pilots which NBC has committed to filming later this year, once production can safely begin amid coronavirus restrictions.

Written by Dan Dworkin and Jay Beattie, Langdon follows the early adventures of famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Zukerman), who must solve a series of deadly puzzles to save his kidnapped mentor and thwart a chilling global conspiracy.

Montano will play Sato, Director of the Os. Gonzalez is Nunez, a uniformed Capitol policeman. Knapp portrays Mal’akh, who takes Langdon on a dangerous and arcane mission.

In addition to Zukerman, they join previously announced Valorie Curry and Eddie Izzard.

Lionsgate has released a trailer for a new cyber-thriller set in the “high stakes world of blockchain technology” called Crypto.

Beau Knapp stars in the film as a Wall Street banker named Martin ”who is thrust into a vast scheme involving money laundering, undercover FBI agents and the Russian mob, in this cyber-thriller. After a fallout with his bosses, Martin is sent to his hometown where it soon becomes evident his reassignment was anything but coincidental.”

The movie comes from director John Stalberg Jr. (High School) and the film also stars Kurt Russell, Liam Hemsworth, Alexis Bledel, Vincent Kartheiser, Jill Hennessy, Malaya Rivera Drew, and Gabe Fazio.

The movie is set to be released in select theaters and on VOD on April 12th. Check out the trailer below and let us know if it looks like something that sparks your interest.

"These people are dangerous!" "I warned you..." Lionsgate has just released an official trailer for a "cyber-thriller" set in the high stakes world of blockchain technology titled Crypto, from director John Stalberg Jr. (High School). It didn't take long for someone to make a film involving blockchain, it's the big technology buzzword right now and everyone wants in on it - so why not write a plot involving it. Crypto is about a Wall Street banker who connects a small-town art gallery to a global conspiracy, putting his own family in grave danger. Starring Beau Knapp as the banker, with Kurt Russell, Liam Hemsworth, Alexis Bledel, Vincent Kartheiser, Jill Hennessy, Malaya Rivera Drew, and Gabe Fazio. Surprise, surprise, this looks pretty awful. It's all bark and no bite, with such a contrived and unoriginal plot. Not looking any good. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for John Stalberg Jr.'s Crypto,...

"Crypto" is the upcoming money laundering crime thriller directed by John Stalberg Jr., starring Kurt Russell, Luke Hemsworth, Alexis Bledel, Jeremie Harris, Beau Knapp, Vincent Kartheiser and Annalé, opening in 2019:

"...an anti-money laundering agent (Knapp) is tasked with investigating a tangled web of corruption and fraud in his remote New York hometown, where his father (Russell) and brother (Hemsworth) are struggling to maintain their family farm in a changing economic landscape.

"The agent quickly finds himself enmeshed in a dangerous underworld populated by a mysterious art dealer (Bledel), a crypto-currency enthusiast turned cyber-sleuth (Harris) and a corrupt accountant doing the bidding of ruthless clients (Kartheiser)..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Reset your passwords and change your pin number, because Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid's Tale), Kurt Russell (Guardians Of The Galxy Vol. 2), and Beau Knapp (The Nice Guys) have just signed on to star in a new money laundering thriller from director John Stalberg Jr. entitled Crypto. Written by Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio, the upcoming film is based on an original story by Jeffrey... Read More...

Beau Knapp, the star of Netflix's recently canceled series Seven Seconds, will star alongside Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid’s Tale, Gilmore Girls), Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight), Luke Hemsworth (Westworld), Jeremie Harris (Legion) and Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) in the money laundering thriller Crypto.

Directed by John Stalberg Jr., the indie film is written by Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio based on an original story by Jeffrey Ingber and produced by Yale Prods.’ Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman alongside David Frigerio.

Dubbed a thriller in the vein of The Firm and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Crypto centers on a young anti-money ...

Beau Knapp, the star of Netflix's recently canceled series Seven Seconds, will star alongside Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid’s Tale, Gilmore Girls), Kurt Russell (The Hateful Eight), Luke Hemsworth (Westworld), Jeremie Harris (Legion) and Vincent Kartheiser (Mad Men) in the money laundering thriller Crypto.

Directed by John Stalberg Jr., the indie film is written by Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio based on an original story by Jeffrey Ingber and produced by Yale Prods.’ Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman alongside David Frigerio.

Dubbed a thriller in the vein of The Firm and The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Crypto centers on a young anti-money ...

Exclusive: Steven Silver, who co-starred in Netflix’s controversial hit series 13 Reasons Why, has joined Thomas Mann, Jai Courtney and Timothy Olyphant in Beef, the dark comedy directed by John Stalberg Jr. The screenplay comes from Jeff Lock’s 2014 Black List script. The pic follows Jason (Mann), a general manager at a fast food restaurant called Beefy's, who, in hopes escaping his bleak small town, makes a $10,000 bet that was supposed to be a sure thing. When he…...

Chris Messina joins Lily Rabe from American Horror Story on Berlin sales title We’re Just Married, which Rodrigo García will direct from a screenplay by David Rabe.

Wme Global represents Us rights to the 1970s-set dramedy about of a romantic triangle. Rabe and Bettina Barrow produce.

Meanwhile Timothy Olyphant from new Netflix series Santa Clarita Diet has joined Thomas Mann from the upcoming Kong: Skull Island on the cast of Beef.

The Exchange introduced the project at the Afm. John Stalberg Jr will direct from Jeff Lock’s 2014 Black List script about a general manager at a Midwest fast food restaurant who must rob the place to pay back a group of thugs.

Tom McNulty from MC2 Entertainment produces and Wme Global handles the Us.

The Exchange’s Efm line-up includes Lin Oeding’s Office Uprising; documentary Gleason; Ghost House; and market screening Modern Life Is Rubbish.

Exclusive: Afm line-up includes Thomas Mann comedy.

Los Angeles-based The Exchange has bolstered its Afm slate with international sales rights to Beef and attached rising star Thomas Mann from Me And Earl And The Dying Girl as the lead.

CEO Brian O’Shea will introduce the project this week and it marks his second collaboration with MC2 Entertainment producer Tom McNulty after acclaimed drama The Spectacular Now.

Wme Global represents Us rights to Beef, a Fargo-like dark comedy based on Jeff Lock’s 2014 Black List screenplay about a small-town fast food restaurant manager who gets into trouble with the local crime syndicate.

John Stalberg Jr., whose credits include High School, will direct.

”Beef is a smart, fun and high concept film that can be sold globally,” said O’Shea. “The script is a great read, with pitch-perfect dialogue, interesting characters and compelling storylines. This dark comedy is perfect for all audiences including Millennials, and will be...

In 8 to Go, Warlock the Cat plays Captain Cuddles, a fancy feline whose one desire is to D.J. with Deadmau5 (although he may not realize that Deadmau5 is not actually a ... well, you know). Directed by John Stalberg and presented by Fresh Step (which, by the way, kudos), the movie will be "featured in the Catdance International Film Festival 2013." The Catdance International Film Festival. A thing, ladies and gentlemen.

Apparently, I’m the “stoner comedy” guy at JustPressPlay. That’s fine. I can live with that. After reviewing Mac & Devin, I declared a personal vendetta against stoner flicks, however; John Stalberg's High School has changed my opinion. For the better.

The day after valedictorian Henry (Matt Bush) takes his first hit of “da chronic,” his high school principal (Michael Chiklis, equal parts creepy and menacing here) decides to institute mandatory drug testing for the entire student body after the school’s spelling bee champ flubs a word due to being stoned out of her brain. Henry turns to his newfound stoner buddy (aptly named Breaux, played by Sean Marquette) for help.

Read more...

From Anchor Bay Films, Sneak Peek a restricted Red Band trailer supporting director John Stalberg Jr.'s 2010 'stoner' comedy "High School", now available on Blu-ray and DVD.

The film stars Colin Hanks, Adhir Kalyan, Yeardley Smith, Alicia Sixtos, Michael Vartan, Matt Bush, Sean Marquette, Michael Chiklis, Curtis Armstrong, Luis Chavez and Adrien Brody :

"...the day after soon-to-be valedictorian 'Henry Burke' (Bush) takes a hit of the 'chronic' for the first time, his school principal (Chiklis) institutes a zero tolerance drug policy and administers a mandatory drug test for all students. Henry has two options: fail and lose his college scholarship, or team up with his stoner friend 'Breaux' (Marquette) to beat the system.

"They steal a high powered 'ganja' from law student-turned-drug-dealer 'Psycho Ed' (Brody) and spike the school’s bake sale brownies, getting the whole school—faculty included—completely stoned out of their minds. But with the student...

When the stars align and both Neil Miller and Rob Hunter agree that a stoner comedy transcends the genre and manages to deliver laughs rather than just jokes about being high (and potentially hungry), you know you’ve got a special film that’s a toke above the average drug comedy. In High School, valedictorian Henry Burke blazes for the first time only to be faced with the introduction of mandatory drug tests the very next day. Timing is everything, right? Putting that big brain aside for a minute, he lets his stoner buddy come up with what is perhaps the most illegal plan one could do – get the entire school high. Hey, if everyone fails the drug test, something is wrong with the test, right? If you’re a fan of movies, laughing, eating, brownies, or the appropriate medical use of marijuana, how about you do yourself a favor and enter to win a copy of...

Matt Bush talks about playing an unconventional valedictorian in High School, debuting on Blu-ray and DVD September 4

Matt Bush is an actor who has always chosen diverse roles to appear in. Following guest-starring stints on shows like Veronica Mars and Scrubs, he landed roles in movies such as Adventureland, Halloween II, Nice Guy Johnny, Margaret and this year's Piranha 3Dd. He can next be seen in High School, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD September 4. I recently had the chance to speak with the actor about the indie comedy, where he portrays a high school valedictorian who tries to ruin his school's new mandatory drug test, since he just tried marijuana for the first time ever. Take a look at what he had to say.

I have to imagine this was quite a read when you first picked up this script. Can you talk about your initial reactions to this crazy story?...

“I’m surprised this hasn’t happened sooner…” No truer words could represent the existence of John Stalberg Jr.’s High School, a film that sat on a shelf following a blistering run at Sundance in 2010, only to be released theatrically, in a very limited fashion, in June of this year. It’s the simple tale of two former friends whose paths have diverged in their later teen years. Henry Burke (Matt Bush) is the soon-to-be Valedictorian of his class, with a promising future awaiting him at M.I.T. Travis Breaux (Sean Marquette) is a burnout who spends more time wiping sharpie marker penises off his face than he does hitting the books. After a pre-school accident lands them together in detention, Breaux convinces Henry that his path to relaxation must go through the forrest of the sticky green, the cannabis sativa. And so they smoke marijuanna, not knowing that tomorrow will bring about a school-wide...

This week: Jason Segal and Emily Blunt play a couple whose wedding date keeps getting postponed in "The Five-Year Engagement," a comedy brought to you by the people behind "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "The 40-Year Old Virgin" and "Get Him to the Greek."

Also new this week is the 3-D killer-fish sequel "Piranha 3Dd," Jason Statham in the action flick "Safe," the stoner comedy "High School" and the limited edition "Harry Potter Wizard's Collection," packaged with all eight movies plus collectibles.

'The Five-Year Engagement'

Box Office: $29 million

Rotten Tomatoes: 63% Fresh

Storyline: Jason Segal and Emily Blunt star in this romantic comedy as a couple whose relationship becomes severely strained as circumstances keep postponing their wedding date. It is emphasized in the press materials that Nicholas Stoller, the writer-director-star of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," helms the movie that is produced by Judd Apatow ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") and Rodney Rotham ("Get Him to the Greek...

We have an exclusive deleted scene from the Anchor Bay comedy High School, arriving on Blu-ray and DVD September 4. Michael Chiklis (sporting a full head of hair) stars as a strict high school principal who learns that the valedictorian (Matt Bush) switched out regular brownies for pot brownies at the school's bake sale. Take a look at this scene where Michael Chiklis has a weird conversation with Colin Hanks.

High School - Exclusive Deleted Scene

The day after soon-to-be valedictorian Henry Burke (Matt Bush) takes a hit of the chronic for the first time, his school principal (Michael Chiklis) institutes a zero tolerance drug policy and administers a mandatory drug test for all students. Henry has two options: fail and lose his college scholarship, or team up with his stoner friend Breaux (Sean Marquette) to beat the system. They steal a high powered ganja from law student-turned-drug-dealer Psycho Ed (Adrien Brody...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: Sept. 4, 2012

Price: DVD $26.98, Blu-ray $29.99

Studio: Anchor Bay

It’s stoner mayhem in the comedy movie High School, which was released in limited theaters in 2010 but held back from DVD and Blu-ray for a couple years.

The film stars Matt Bush (Margaret) as smart kid Henry Burke, school valedictorian who’s heading to MIT on a scholarship. But that gets threatened when his friend Travis (Sean Marquette, Love at First Hiccup) convinces Matt to try pot for the first time just when the school decides to have a mandatory drug test. With his future in jeopardy, Matt tries the only thing he can do to save himself from getting expelled — get the whole school stoned so everyone will fail the drug test. And drug dealer Psycho Ed (Adrien Brody, The Experiment) is the man who can help.

Michael Chiklis (TV’s The Shield) and Colin Hanks (Orange...

For an actor whose legacy status could have likely afforded him much easier paths, Colin Hanks, son of superstar Tom Hanks, has embraced a wide range of projects, giving example to the pursuit of a life in the arts as one big, unending education. His latest film is John Stalberg’s “High School,” in which he plays an assistant principal, Brandon Ellis, to Michael Chiklis’ bewigged, obsessively authoritarian principal. When the school’s would-be valedictorian (Matt Bush) takes his first and only hit of marijuana before a school-wide drug test that promises to cost him his academic standing, he and his estranged stoner pal (Christopher Marquette) set out to spike and spoil [ Read More ]...

Matt Bush made quite an impression in “Adventureland,” as Figo, the impish, nut-punching co-worker and torturer of Jesse Eisenberg’s character. He’s now making impressions in a less throbbing manner. Bush has a wonky, out-there leading man June two-fer, appearing in both “Piranha 3Dd” and John Stalberg’s “High School.” In the former, he’s a shy guy whose balls finally descend as he swings into action to help his longtime crush (Danielle Panabaker) battle a piranha invasion at a water theme park. The the latter, he plays Henry, a straight-laced, would-be valedictorian who, after first sampling marijuana, teams up with estranged stoner pal Breaux (Christopher Marquette) to try to throw the test [ Read More ]...

Title: High School Directed By: John Stalberg Starring: Matt Bush, Sean Marquette, Adrien Brody, Michael Chiklis, Colin Hanks, Adhir Kalyan Perhaps I’m a bit too liberal, but if someone back in high school plotted to get the entire student body high in attempt to not get in trouble for failing a drug test, even if I was a mere pawn in their ploy, I’d get a kick out of it and while that is very much true when the same event goes down in the movie High School, rather than relish in the genius and hilarity of the idea, an overly convoluted and silly plot puts it in a fog. [ Read More ]...

In director John Stalberg’s stoner comedy, High School, soon-to-be valedictorian Henry Burke (Matt Bush) decides to get high for the first time in his life after a chance encounter with the school’s resident drug head, Travis Breaux (Sean Marquette). Shortly afterward, he discovers that the school’s dictatorial principal, Dr. Leslie Gordon (Michael Chiklis), has just instituted a zero tolerance drug policy. When Gordon schedules a mandatory drug test for the entire school the next day, Henry sees his dreams of a bright college future are about to go up in smoke. His only option involves stealing law student-turned-drug dealer Psycho Ed’s (Adrien Brody) stash of high powered ganga. At the press day for High School, we sat down at a roundtable interview with Chiklis and Bush. Chiklis, who portrayed Detective Vic Mackey on FX’s ground-breaking drama The Shield, revealed what attracted him to the project,...

Another Memorial Day weekend come and gone, and here we are: summer has begun. Temperatures are rising all over the place, and you might have trouble finding comfort, let alone sleep, with all the humidity. You could make like the olden days and take to the air-conditioned cinema houses to beat the heat. With fairy tales, horror flicks, historical epics and more, there’s plenty of material to keep you in that ice-cold seat, eyes glued to the screen. Take note, however: the gore/scare factor is high this week; these movies probably won’t help you sleep at night.

The second Snow White flick of the year hits theaters this weekend, offering a much darker, gothic take on the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale than its predecessor. Rupert Sanders helms “Snow White and the Huntsman,” in which the titular Snow White (Kristen Stewart) and Hunky Hunter (Chris Hemsworth) join forces...