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The city of Verona is about to be filled with pop music this summer with the release of Juliet & Romeo, and yes, you read those names in the right order. A new spin on William Shakespeare's legendary tale of love and tragedy is coming soon from director Timothy Scott Bogart, taking direct inspiration from the same 1301 tale that spurred the Bard to craft the most famous lovers in all of fiction. It'll see Juliet and her Romeo, played by Black Mirror's Clara Rugaard and The Last Supper's Jamie Ward, respectively, not just defying the long-standing feud between the Montagues and the Capulets but the very conventions of Shakespeare's timeless story. As part of Collider's Exclusive Preview event for summer movies, we can share the official trailer for the musical film along with a conversation with the director, teasing the star-crossed romance ahead.

From the very beginning of the trailer,...

"The greatest love story of all time, set to the greatest music of our time." That's one of the hooks for the upcoming Romeo and Juliet adaptation from Briarcliff Entertainment, Juliet & Romeo. Briarcliff has set May 9, 2025 (Mother’s Day weekend) as the release date for this bold reimagining of arguably William Shakespeare's most popular play. Joining Briarcliff in bringing this visionary film to the big screen are global independent music powerhouses Lakeshore Records and Broadway Records, in partnership with Hero Entertainment and Rainmaker Films. The synopsis for the film, which seems to be part of a proposed trilogy, reads as follows:

"Set in 1301 at the end of Medieval times, theJuliet & Romeofranchise finds our most famous Star-Crossed lovers turning the tides on the history Shakespeare based his own story on, as they reveal the truth to the very future of the Empire. But the biggest twist in this most beloved of tales,...

Exclusive: Quiver Distribution has taken North American distribution rights to the romantic end-of-days thriller When I’m Ready, starring Andrew Ortenberg, June Schreiner, Thalia Besson, Lauren Cohan, and Dermot Mulroney.

Quiver and Briarcliff will jointly oversee theatrical release which is set for Feb. 7, 2025 followed by a digital release on Feb. 14. Quiver will handle the home entertainment release of the Ortenberg written movie.

Directed by Andrew Johnson, When I’m Ready revolves around a young couple, Rose and Michael, on a road trip across the country during the last days before an extinction event, as asteroids threaten to wipe out all life on earth. While journeying to see the girl’s grandmother one last time before they perish, they fight to find meaning and adventure in the world’s final week. Along the way Rose and Michael encounter a rotating cast of lost souls from different backgrounds, each looking for something very different out of the end.

Two years have gone by since we heard that director Steven C. Miller (Silent Night) was heading into production on a werewolf horror film that, at the time, was going by the title Year 2. Last month, the film was given a wide theatrical release in the United States under the title Werewolves – and over the holidays, it was also given a VOD release. Now, we have learned that Werewolves will be reaching Blu-ray on February 4th, and copies are available for pre-order at This Link!

The Blu-ray release will have deleted scenes and trailers as special features.

Starring Frank Grillo of the Purge and Captain America franchises, Werewolves shows us that a supermoon event triggered a latent gene in every human on the planet, turning anyone who entered the moonlight into a werewolf for that one night. Chaos ensued and close to a billion people died. Now, a year later,...

Last Updated on January 2, 2025

Two years have gone by since we heard that director Steven C. Miller (Silent Night) was heading into production on a werewolf horror film that, at the time, was going by the title Year 2. Earlier this month, the film was given a wide theatrical release in the United States under the title Werewolves – and over the holidays, it was also given a VOD release! Werewolves is available to rent on Amazon for the price of $19.99, or purchase for $24.99.

Starring Frank Grillo of the Purge and Captain America franchises, Werewolves shows us that a supermoon event triggered a latent gene in every human on the planet, turning anyone who entered the moonlight into a werewolf for that one night. Chaos ensued and close to a billion people died. Now, a year later, the Supermoon is back.

Grillo is joined in the cast by Katrina Law (NCIS), Ilfenesh Hadera...

Two years have gone by since we heard that director Steven C. Miller (Silent Night) was heading into production on a werewolf horror film that, at the time, was going by the title Year 2. That movie is now set to make its way out into the world under the title Werewolves, with Briarcliff Entertainment and The Solution Entertainment Group teaming up to give it a wide theatrical release in the United States on December 6th – and with that release date swiftly approaching, a trailer for the movie has now made its way online! You can check it out in the embed above.

Our friends at Bloody Disgusting got the first look at this trailer and also unveiled a poster, which can be seen at the bottom of this article. The poster is a Creepy Duck Design creation.

Starring Frank Grillo of the Purge and Captain America franchises, Werewolves will show...

Exclusive: Ahead of the AFM, LA-based Great Escape is launching sales on horror film Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round, the first project on the Terror Town genre slate from producer Joe Swanberg and Yale Productions.

Michael Gilio, whose screenwriting credits include MGM’s Dark Harvest and Paramount’s Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, stars in the movie.

From first-time feature director Aidan Leary, the film will get its world premiere next month at the Leeds International Film Festival in the UK.

The synopsis reads: “Something really bad happened to James Jensen when he was a kid. While hosting the latest episode of his children’s series ‘Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round,’ his repressed memories begin to emerge, threatening his sanity, and possibly his life. Will Monkey and the Playground Pals help James recover his lost memories, or have they been withholding something from him all along? Where is the Post Lady hiding?...

Two years have gone by since we heard that director Steven C. Miller (Silent Night) was heading into production on a werewolf horror film that, at the time, was going by the title Year 2. That movie is now set to make its way out into the world under the title Werewolves, with Briarcliff Entertainment and The Solution Entertainment Group teaming up to give it a wide theatrical release in the United States on December 6th – and with that release date just a couple of months away, the Motion Picture Association ratings board has revealed that the movie has secured an R rating for violence, some gore, and language.

Starring Frank Grillo of the Purge and Captain America franchises, Werewolves will show us that a supermoon event triggered a latent gene in every human on the planet, turning anyone who entered the moonlight into a werewolf for that one night. Chaos...

After having its world premiere at the 2023 Sitges Film Festival, the new zombie horror-comedy flick All You Need Is Blood has been acquired by Level 33 Entertainment. The distribution company has set the movie's streaming release for October 2024.

According to Variety, the zombie movie will be released on the Kino Studio app on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024. If you weren't aware, Kino is an interactive streaming service that consists of an extensive list of feature films, documentaries, etc. Then, following its Kino debut, the film will be available across all Video on Demand outlets.

Yale Entertainment is the production company behind All You Need Is Blood. Grammy-nominated music video director Cooper Roberts wrote and directed the zombie movie, marking it as his feature directorial debut.

In addition, Yale Entertainment's Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, and Jesse Korman signed on as producers, along with Russell Posternak. Michael J. Rothstein, Jason Kringstein, Scott Levenson,...

North American distribution rights to Mena Suvari-starring zombie horror-comedy film “All You Need Is Blood,” have been picked up by Level 33 Entertainment.

The company is planning to launch the film on the Kino Studio app on Oct. 12. Following the Kino premiere, the film will be available across all customary VOD outlets.

The film had its world premiere at last year’s Sitges Film Festival and has been a hit on the genre festival circuit ever since, including winning the Fangoria Award at Make Believe Seattle.

“All You Need Is Blood” is the debut feature of writer/director Bucky Le Boeuf. The story involves Bucky, a 16-year-old aspiring director who dreams of becoming the next arthouse auteur sensation. After a strange meteor crash lands in his backyard and turns his deadbeat father into a brain-eating zombie, Bucky and his friends seize the opportunity to create the ultimate horror flick,...

Filmmaker Joe Swanberg was a major figure in the mumblecore film movement, and as the years have gone by he has also earned several credits in the horror genre, whether by taking acting roles in films like A Horrible Way to Die, You’re Next, The Sacrament, and Blackout, or by directing the werewolf movie Silver Bullets and contributing a segment to the anthology film V/H/S. Now Swanberg has increased his number of horror credits by five, as Deadline reports that he has teamed with Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman of Yale Entertainment to produce a slate of five horror films – all of which have already wrapped filming! Four of the titles are Helldorado, Kenneled, Yellow Eyes, and Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round. The fifth movie is currently simply known as the Untitled Jae Matthews Project.

Written and directed by Kansas Bowling (Cuddly Toys and the Troma release B.

Exclusive: Producer Joe Swanberg has partnered with Yale Entertainment’s Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman to produce a slate of five new horror films, each of which has now wrapped production.

Titles produced under the pact included Helldorado, Kenneled, Yellow Eyes, Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round, and Untitled Jae Matthews Project.

Jesse Korman’s Yellow Eyes

Written and directed by Kansas Bowling (Cuddly Toys), Helldorado watches as Queho, a Native American serial killer with a checkered past, takes out the people of a struggling mining town in the stark deserts of Nevada one by one, with the town Deputy right on his tail.

Written by H.K. Moore and directed by Jay Burleson (The Nobodies), Kenneled follows a destitute dog walker who finds a wealthy client who saves him from financial ruin. But this is no ordinary dog…

Written by Mickey Solis and directed by Jesse Korman, Yellow Eyes...

Two years have gone by since we heard that director Steven C. Miller (Silent Night) was heading into production on a werewolf horror film that, at the time, was going by the title Year 2 – so it seems like the appropriate amount of time has passed, and now we finally have an update to share about that project: Deadline reports that Miller’s movie is now titled Werewolves and Briarcliff Entertainment and The Solution Entertainment Group are teaming up to give it a wide theatrical release in the United States on December 6th!

Starring Frank Grillo of the Purge and Captain America franchises, Werewolves will show us that a supermoon event triggered a latent gene in every human on the planet, turning anyone who entered the moonlight into a werewolf for that one night. Chaos ensued and close to a billion people died. Now, a year later, the Supermoon is back.

Exclusive: Briarcliff Entertainment and The Solution Entertainment Group are set to release horror-thriller Werewolves, starring Frank Grillo (Captain America).

The two companies are planning a wide stateside release in theaters on December 6, 2024. Sales firm The Solution, which has recently sold Liam Neeson films The Ice Road and Mongoose, is growing its domestic distribution footprint and this marks their second release after Neeson pic Blacklight.

In Werewolves a supermoon event triggers a latent gene in every human on the planet, turning anyone who entered the moonlight into a werewolf for that one night. Chaos ensued and close to a billion people died. Now, a year later, the Supermoon is back. Above is a first look image.

Katrina Law (NCIS), Ilfenesh Hadera (Godfather Of Harlem), James Michael Cummings (City On The Hill) and Lou Diamond Phillips (Prodigal Son) also star in the recently completed film. Steven C. Miller (Line Of Duty) directs...

Briarcliff Entertainment wrapped and has set a 2025 wide theatrical release on Nickels, a life affirming drama directed by Spencer King (The Wilderness), and starring Rob Riggle, Aaron Holliday, Bitsie Tulloch, Rebecca Gayheart, Vinessa Shaw with Odessa A’zion and Tom Arnold. Tim Tuchrello wrote the script.

Briarcliff CEO Tom Ortenberg green lit the film, which has been shooting in and around Los Angeles. Riggle stars as Tom Monroe, a successful entrepreneur and family man who tragically lost his older brother in a motorcycle accident as a teenager. Some 30 years later, another serious bike accident involving his neighbor’s son, Mitch Diller(Holliday) sets in motion a series of events that have Tom wondering if his brother has perhaps returned to his life. Tulloch plays the wife who tries to be supportive.

Ortenberg produced with Danielle Goodman Strong, Andrew Ortenberg and Jordan Dykstra. Executive Producers include Tuchrello, Russell Geyser and Clay Pecorin of Rainmaker Films,...

Exclusive: Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to new musical franchise Verona’s Romeo & Juliet, in partnership with Hero Entertainment and Rainmaker Films. A modern reimagining of one of the most beloved love stories of all time, the first of the films will unspool wide on Valentine’s Day 2025, in one of Briarcliff’s biggest releases to date.

Set in 1301 at the end of Medieval times, Verona’s Romeo & Juliet finds our most famous star-crossed lovers turning the tides on the history Shakespeare based his own story on, as they reveal the truth to the very future of the Empire. But the biggest twist in this most beloved of tales is leaving the poetry of Iambic Pentameter in the past to tell the story with the help of original pop music.

With Clara Rugaard (Love Gets a Room) and Jamie Ward (His Dark Materials) in the lead as Romeo & Juliet,...

Exclusive: Vertical has acquired North American rights to Parachute, the romantic drama marking the directorial debut of actress Brittany Snow (X), which won multiple awards in its debut at SXSW 2023, recognizing Snow and star Courtney Eaton (Yellowjackets). The film from Yale Productions, also starring Thomas Mann (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl), is set to open in select theaters on April 5.

Written by Snow and Becca Gleason (Summer ’03), Parachute boasts a starry cast that also includes Gina Rodriguez (Not Dead Yet), Dave Bautista (Dune: Part Two), Joel McHale (Community), Francesca Reale, and Scott Mescudi aka Kid Cudi (Silent Night).

The film tells the story of Riley (Eaton), a fun and energetic young woman who struggles with an eating disorder and body image issues, and Ethan (Mann), a once-promising musician approaching the end of his 20s, watching as the two meet and just “click.” To Ethan, all...

Exclusive: Briarcliff Entertainment has closed a deal for U.S. distribution rights to DogMan, the Luc Besson-directed revenge thriller that stars Caleb Landry Jones. A first quarter 2024 theatrical release is the plan for a film that made its world premiere this fall at the Venice Film Festival.

Besson wrote the script and Jones stars as an unusual man named Douglas who, having just been arrested, opens his heart to tell the moving story of his life. As a survivor of childhood trauma at the hands of a violent father who forced him to live in the family kennel, Douglas develops a bond with dogs that defies understanding. Out of this hell, he grows to discover love, theatre, and cabaret, but also the injustice and disillusionment of the human world. In a life that’s been broken a thousand times, only the love of his dogs can bring salvation. That...

Briarcliff Entertainment has released a trailer for The Hill, the inspirational sports drama starring Dennis Quaid, scripted by Angelo Pizzo & Scott Marshall Smith and directed by Jeff Celentano. Have a look above.

Quaid plays the stern father of young Rickey Hill (Colin Ford), a boy who shows an extraordinary ability for hitting a baseball despite being burdened by leg braces from a degenerative spinal disease. While Quaid’s character discourages Rickey from playing baseball to protect him from injury, and to have him follow in his footsteps and become a preacher, the son becomes a baseball phenomenon.

The film also stars Joelle Carter, country music singer-songwriter Randy Houser, Bonnie Bedelia and Scott Glenn.

The Hill is produced by Warren Ostergard and Celentano. Executive producers include Ron Cundy, Michael A. Blubaugh, Michael E. Hollingsworth, Rickey Hill, Matthew Dwyer, Darren Moorman, Carl Mazzocone and Tyler W. Konney, Clay Pecorin and Russell Geyser of Rainmaker Films.

Exclusive: Briarcliff Entertainment has snapped up North American distribution rights from Concourse Media to Christian Swegal’s true crime thriller Sovereign, starring Nick Offerman, Dennis Quaid and Jacob Tremblay.

Swegal wrote and will direct later this year in Arkansas. A theatrical release during Q4 2024 is planned.

Based on real events, the story follows a father and son (Offerman and Tremblay) who identify as Sovereign Citizens, a group of anti-government extremists, as they venture across the country and find themselves in a standoff with a chief of police (Dennis Quaid) that sets off an intense manhunt with tragic consequences.

“Sovereign is a timely and captivating story and all of us at Briarcliff are looking forward to working with Christian, Nick, the Concourse team and this stellar cast on what will be a gripping ride for movie audiences,” said Tom Ortenberg, Briarcliff Entertainment CEO.

“We are beyond excited to be partnering with...

Yale Entertainment has announced that production has wrapped on their “horror thriller with comedic elements” All You Need Is Blood, which stars Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Logan Riley Bruner (Stranger Things), and Eddie Griffin (Undercover Brother). This film marks the feature directorial debut of Cooper Roberts, the Grammy-nominated director of The Dead Weather’s “I Feel Love” music video.

Scripted by Roberts and filmed in New Jersey, All You Need Is Blood has the following synopsis: After a strange meteor lands in his backyard and turns his deadbeat father into a brain-eating zombie, a 16-year-old aspiring director teams up with his friends to create the ultimate student film.

Sounds like a good time to me! The concept of a meteor leading to a zombie outbreak is reminiscent of the 1986 horror comedy classic Night of the Creeps… and we definitely need more movies like Night of the Creeps.

All You Need...

Exclusive: Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Eddie Griffin (Undercover Brother)and Logan Riley Bruner (Stranger Things) have been set to star in Yale Entertainment’s latest feature, All You Need Is Blood, a comedic horror-thriller.

The film, which recently wrapped in New Jersey, sees a 16-year-old aspiring director team up with his friends to create the ultimate student film after a strange meteor lands in his backyard and turns his deadbeat father into a brain-eating zombie.

Grammy nominated music video director Cooper Roberts is writer-director. Yale Entertainment’s Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman and Jesse Korman are producing. Russell Posternak is also producing. Worldwide sales will be handled by the company’s recently launched sales banner, Great Escape, led by Nick Donnermeyer.

Executive producers include Yale’s Michael J. Rothstein, and Jason Kringstein, Scott Levenson, Clay Pecorin, Russell Geyser, Brian S. Unger, Eric Broughton and Roz Rothstein.

“It’s a zombie...

Exclusive: Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired North American rights to The Hill, an inspirational true-life sports drama starring Dennis Quaid, scripted by Angelo Pizzo & Scott Marshall Smith and directed by Jeff Celentano. Quaid starred in one of the most successful fact-based sports films in recent memory with The Rookie, and Pizzo wrote two of the best true sports films in Rudy and Hoosiers. Celentano helmed Gunshy and Breaking Point.

Quaid plays James Hill, a traveling pastor who becomes an overbearing influence on Rickey Hill, his sandlot baseball phenom son. The pastor thinks he’s protecting the boy because of health concerns and fear of how others will treat the youth because of his physical disabilities. But Rickey is determined to overcome those setbacks to fulfill his dream of playing professional baseball and making his father proud. The cast includes Colin Ford, Joelle Carter and country star Randy Houser, with Bonnie Bedelia and Scott Glenn.

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has picked up U.S. rights to Misanthrope, a psychological thriller marking the first English-feature from BAFTA-winning Argentinian director Damián Szifron (Wild Tales). The indie distributor has slated the film starring Emmy nominee Shailene Woodley (Big Little Lies), Emmy winner Ben Mendelsohn (The Outsider) and Emmy nominee Jovan Adepo (Babylon) for release exclusively in theaters nationwide in the first half of 2023.

The film written by Szifron and Jonathan Wakeham picks up in Baltimore on New Year’s Eve, as a talented but troubled police officer (Woodley) is recruited by the FBI’s chief investigator (Mendelsohn) to help profile and track down a mass murderer.

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Exclusive: Film Bridge International and 19th Hole Productions have shot and are ready to shop the end-of-the-world YA romance When I’m Ready, starring up and comers Andrew Ortenberg and June Schreiner along with Thalia Besson, Dermot Mulroney and Lauren Cohan.

Written by Ortenberg and directed by Andrew Johnson, When I’m Ready tells the story of Rose and Michael, a young couple falling in love while on the run from their past as a devastating asteroid threatens to wipe out life on Earth. Seeking meaning and thrills in their last days alive, they embark on a cross-country road trip. Along the way they encounter other lost souls, each with their own unique perspective on the impending doom. It will be shopped shortly and readied for early 2023 festivals.

Pic is produced by Jordan Dykstra, Ortenberg, Robert Ballo and Eli Samek. Executive producers include James Masciello, Matt Sidari, Clay Pecorin, Russell Geyser and Tom Ortenberg.

Exclusive: Ryan Phillippe, Kat Graham and Jim Gaffigan will topline Collide, a thriller from Vertical Entertainment, Tpc and Robert Ogden Barnum, which recently wrapped production.

The film written and directed by Mukunda Michael Dewil is billed as is an edge-of-your-seat, noirish thriller where three interlocking stories hurl towards an explosive end. It follows an ensemble of characters whose paths intersect over the course of a single evening inside an L.A. restaurant.

David Cade (Lansky), Dylan Flashner (The Card Counter), Drea de Matteo (The Sopranos), Aisha Dee (The Bold Type), David James Elliot (Heart of Champions), and Paul Ben-Victor (Daredevil) round out Collide‘s cast. Barnum and Lucas Jarach produced the film, with Daniel Baur, Luke Daniels, David Gendron, Russell Geyser, Rich Goldberg, Peter Jarowey, Ali Jazayeri, Joel Michaely, Rick Sasner, Greg Thompson...

Six weeks ago, a group of music executives threw seven Gen Z influencers in a mansion on a 40-acre estate for a live competition that would pit the fledgling artists and songwriters against each other, with the promise of a path to fame and fortune for a sole winner. What could possibly go wrong? To the kids’ credit, the 24/7 livestream of the competition, which is called Song House Live, doesn’t seem to have caused any psychological damage yet, perhaps because the TikTokers are already used to shooting content ’round the clock.

Exclusive: With Disney/Marvel’s Black Widow jumping from May 7 to July 9, there’s a lot more oxygen in the late spring theatrical release calendar. Open Road will take advantage of that pic’s absence and is moving up its horror feature Separation from April 23 to April 30.

Deadline first told you about Open Road and Briarcliff Entertainment jointly acquiring U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to the movie which stars Rupert Friend, Violet McGraw, Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer and Brian Cox.

The William Brent Bell-directed feature, which was written by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun, tells the terrifying consequences of divorce: a young girl finds solace in her artist father and her dead mother. The movie was shot entirely in New York City, and is is produced by Bell, Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, Russ Posternak, Jesse Korman and Clay Pecorin. EPs are Seth Posternak, Russell Geyser, Jane Oster,...

Exclusive: Open Road Films and Briarcliff Entertainment jointly acquired U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to Separation, a horror film directed by William Brent Bell and starring Rupert Friend, Violet McGraw, Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer and Brian Cox. The distributor has set an April 23 date for a wide theatrical release.

Pic was acquired from Rainmaker Films, Yale Productions and The Machine Room, in association with Post Film. Scripted by Nick Amadeus and Josh Braun, the film tells of the terrifying consequences of divorce and is the story of a young girl who finds solace in her artist father and her dead mother. Shot entirely in New York City, Separation is produced by Bell, Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, Russ Posternak, Jesse Korman and Clay Pecorin. Executive producers are Seth Posternak, Russell Geyser, Jane Oster, James Masciello, Matt Sidari and Open Road’s Tom Ortenberg.

Ortenberg called the film,...

We have a new trailer for Honest Thief. This is the latest/action thriller to star Liam Neeson. Starting with Taken, Neeson managed to completely reinvent his image, becoming an unlikely action star, which has continued for more than a decade now. The results have been mixed, to be certain but for every Battleship, there is a Widows. In this case, the actor has teamed up with filmmaker Mark Williams for a heist flick that has a somewhat unique angle on the tried and true subgenre. Per the studio, we can expect a "heartfelt tale of redemption, packed with fights, chases and explosions centered on one man's mission to make things right for the sake of love."

The trailer opens up with Liam Neeson recounting his character's history as a rather successful bank robber. We then see that he is attempting to make things right, turning himself over to the...

Exclusive: Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Honest Thief, a Mark Williams-directed action thriller that stars Liam Neeson and Kate Walsh. The deal was made by Briarcliff CEO Tom Ortenberg with Solution Entertainment Group CEO Myles Nestel. Briarcliff has set a wide release on Labor Day weekend, with the film bowing September 4.

Briarcliff saw the film at a test screening and Ortenberg was eager to reunite with Neeson; at Open Road, Ortenberg released the Joe Carnahan-directed Neeson-starrer The Grey. Upstart Briarcliff is building toward a slate of four to five pictures for this year. The distributor just acquired the slave rebellion drama Emperor for release March 27.

Scripted by the director and Steve Allrich, the film co-stars Jeffrey Donovan, Jai Courtney, Anthony Ramos and Robert Patrick. Financing for the acquisition was provided by New York-based private equity fund manager Raven Capital, with transactional support from Sculptor Media...

In today’s film news roundup, Seann William Scott’s “Already Gone” and “High Strung: Free Dance” get releases, and Tom Skerritt, Mira Sorvino and Chloe Coleman get cast.

Acquisition

Gravitas Ventures has acquired worldwide rights to the Seann William Scott road drama “Already Gone,” executive produced by Keanu Reeves, Variety has learned exclusively.

Christopher Kenneally directed from his own script with Rainmaker Films producing. The film, which also stars Shiloh Fernandez, Justine Skye and Tyler Dean Flores, will be released in theaters and on demand on Aug. 16.

Flores plays a lonely teenager in Coney Island who uses his graffiti to escape from his abusive stepfather, portrayed by Scott. The teenager is in love with his stepfather’s girlfriend and they flee together to Colorado after the stepfather tries to pimp her out.

The film is produced by Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman of Yale Productions, Russell Geyser of RainMaker Films,...

Harvey Keitel has accepted an offer he can’t refuse to take on the role of notorious gangster Meyer Lansky in the Eytan Rockaway directed untitled biopic.

Keitel will be joined by Sam Worthington, Emory Cohen and Austin Stowell on the cast while Alexandra Daddario and Tony Danza are still currently in talks.

The story follows an ageing Lansky living quietly in Miami Beach after being investigated and pursued for decades by the FBI. He enlists a young journalist named David Stone (Sam Worthington) to tell his story, but the Feds use the young man as a pawn to track the hundreds of millions the mobster is suspected of stashing.

Also in news – Michael Fassbender and Peter Dinklage in talks to star in Mel Gibson’s ‘The Wild Bunch’ remake

Stone finds himself caught in the middle of a game of cat and mouse, uncovering the hidden truth about the...

Harvey Keitel will star as notorious gangster Meyer Lansky, a contemporary of Bugsy Siegel, in a biopic directed by Eytan Rockaway. Sam Worthington, Emory Cohen and Austin Stowell are also set to star in the picture, with Alexandra Daddario and Tony Danza in talks to join.

Voltage Pictures has boarded the project and hopes to spark international sales at Cannes. Rockaway wrote the script from a story by Ido Fluk and Sharon Mashihi, partially based on interviews with the real-life Lansky conducted by Rockaway’s father, history professor Robert Rockaway.

The film centers on an aging Lansky living in anonymity in Miami Beach after being investigated and pursued for decades by the FBI. When he enlists a young journalist named David Stone (Worthington) to tell his story, the Feds use him as a pawn to track down the hundreds of millions of dollars that the mobster has been suspected of stashing.

Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer, Violet McGraw and Brian Cox have joined Rupert Friend in the cast of horror-thriller “Separation,” with production under way in New York.

William Brent Bell is directing from a script by Nick Amadeus and Joshua Braun. Bell is also producing with Yale Productions’ Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman, Russ Posternak and Jesse Korman, and RainMaker’s Clay Pecorin and Russell Geyser. Executive producers are Seth Posternak and Dennis Rice. Yale Productions’ Jon Keeyes serves as a co-producer.

“Separation” explores the horrifying consequences of divorce with Friend and Gummer, portraying a newly separated couple, battling for custody of their 7-year-old daughter Jenny (played by McGraw). Brewer portrays the couple’s longtime nanny with Cox playing the overbearing father of Gummer’s character.

Gummer’ credits include Steven Soderbergh’s “Side Effects,” Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” and Jonathan Demme’s “Ricki and The Flash.” Brewer stars in “The...

Mamie Gummer, Madeline Brewer, Violet McGraw and Brian Cox have been added to the cast of Separation, joining Rupert Friend in the pic, a supernatural thriller directed by A Devil Inside helmer William Brent Bell.

The film takes on the horrifying consequences of divorce, and is being described as a cross between Kramer vs. Kramer and films like Sixth Sense and Mama. Friend and Gummer will play Jeff and Maggie, a newly separated couple battling for custody of their 7-year-old daughter (McGraw). Brewer will play the couple’s longtime nanny, and Cox is Maggie’s overbearing father. Nick Amadeus and Joshua Braun penned the script.

Bell is producing with Yale Productions’ Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman Russ Posternak and Jesse Korman, along with RainMaker’s Clay Pecorin and Russell Geyser. Seth Posternak and Dennis Rice are xecutive producers, and Yale Productions’ Jon Keeyes is a co-producer.

Gummer, up next in...

“Homelandâ€. actor Rupert Friend will star in director William Brent Bell’s supernatural thriller “Separation,â€. which is inspired by “Kramer vs Kramerâ€. and “The Sixth Sense.â€.

The film, being produced by Yale Productions and RainMaker Films, was written by Nick Amadeus and Joshua Braun and explores the horrifying consequences of divorce.

The production companies said additional casting will be announced at a later date, along with more details about the story.

Also Read: Katie Holmes to Star in Horror Film 'The Boy 2'

“As soon as I read Nick and Josh’s script I knew I found my next project,â€. Bell said in a statement. “It blends emotional, relatable family drama with edge-of-your-seat scares and Rupert is the ideal actor to bring both aspects to life.â€.

Bell is most known for his hit horror films “The Boy,â€. which grossed $65 million at the box office for Stx and just received a sequel with Katie Holmes,...

Jeremy Irvine plays Air Force media William Pitsenbarger.

Roadside Attractions has picked up Us rights from ICM Partners and Foresight Unlimited to Todd Robinson’s The Last Full Measure starring Sebastian Stan, Christopher Plummer, William Hurt, Jeremy Irvine, Ed Harris and Diane Lane.

Stan plays a military investigator who helps Vietnam veterans build a case for the posthumous award of the Congressional Medal of Honor to William Pitsenbarger (Irvine), a heroic Air Force medic who saved more than 60 lives during battle. Peter Fonda, Amy Madigan, and Bradley Whitford round out the key cast.

Roadside Attractions plans a wide theatrical release...

Justine Skye, Tyler Dean Flores and Seann William Scott have been cast in the coming-of-age road movie Green Dolphin, written and directed by Chris Kenneally.  

Green Dolphin follows 15-year-old Robinson (Flores) and 20-year-old Keesha (Skye) as they venture cross-country in an attempt to escape the grasp of abusive foster parent and drug-dealer Martin (Scott).  When they breakdown midway, Keesha and Robinson discover a new family that could turn their life around. 

The film is produced by Russell Geyser of RainMaker Films, Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman of Yale Productions, and Shruti Ganguly of Honto88. Keanu Reeves and Clay Pecorin...

The distributor announced at the Efm it has picked up North American rights to Tim Smit’s sci-fi starring Dan Stevens and Bérénice Marlohe.

The sci-fi is based on Smit’s short What’s In The Box? and takes place in a futuristic world where a pilot battles to save his family when an energy experiment goes wrong.

Patrick Chu produced for FilmNation alongside Smit, and Sander Verdonk and Denis Wigman for Ctm Films.

FilmNation’s Aaron Ryder and Milan Popelka are executive producers with SquareOne Entertainment’s Al Munteanu, RainMaker Films’ Clay Pecorin and Russell Geyser, and Thibaut Niels.

“Smit’s previous work in VFX is evident throughout this film, and his experience working within the action and sci-fi genre takes his feature debut to a spectacular level,” Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley said.

“This will be a unique film that will captivate our audiences with its heavy visuals and thought-provoking plotlines.”

“We are thrilled...

Ahead of the theatrical and VOD release of Tell Me How I Die on September 16th, Daily Dead has an exclusive clip from the film. Also: details on YouTube Spaces and Blumhouse's horror Vr collaboration, Child Eater's world premiere at Brooklyn Horror Fest, Destination America's Mountain Monsters season five renewal, and Iris Prize Festival screening details for Kill Pill.

Watch an Exclusive Clip from Tell Me How I Die: "When a group of college students takes part in an experimental drug study, an unexpected side effect gives them terrifying visions of their own murders… which begin to come true. As they scramble to outsmart and outmaneuver their date with death, they realize that the killer is among them and shares their ability to see the future – only he seems to be one step ahead in their race to survive."

Ryan Higa (YouTube's NigaHiga), Nathan Kress (iCarly), Virginia Gardner...

• Megan Fox will take the female lead in Zeroville, starring opposite James Franco, who is also directing. Adapted from the novel by Steve Erickson, the story follows a film-obsessed man (Franco) who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, hoping to break in to the business just as the industry is at a major turning point. Fox will play a Hollywood starlet with an uneasy past who becomes the romantic interest and obsession of Franco’s character. Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Will Ferrell, Jacki Weaver, and Horatio Sanz also star. Vince Jolivette of Rabbit Bandini is producing along with Caroline Aragon,...

• Meg Ryan and Kara Hayward are joining Kiernan Shipka in Fan Girl. The film follows a 15-year-old post-Millennial teenager who combines her passions—making movies and idolizing her favorite band—in a final film project. Paul Jarrett is making his directorial debut with the semi-autobiographical film. Gina O'Brien wrote the script. The film also stars Scott Adsit, Joshua Boone, and Bill Sage. All Time Low will lend their music to the soundtrack and will appear as themselves. Jarrett, Nick Huston, and Adam Spielberg in association with Rosetta Films, Filament Productions and Literally Films are producing. O'Brien and Jonathan Gray are executive producing.

Exclusive: Reverse gay-bullying drama Love Is All You Need? has bolstered its cast as filming continues in La. Suburgatory‘s Jeremy Sisto, Ugly Betty‘s Ana Ortiz, Deception‘s Katherine La Nasa, Trophy Wife‘s Jenica Bergere, and Drumline‘s Leonard Roberts have joined Briana Evigan, Emily Osment, and Kyla Kennedy in the film set in a world where being gay is the norm and heterosexual persons are bullied. Director Kim Rocco Shields has also tapped Pretty Little Liars‘ Tyler Blackburn for a lead role playing Ryan, the journalist who strikes up a forbidden romance with Evigan’s star quarterback. The feature is based on the provocative short film of the same name that scored over 45 million hits on YouTube. Blackburn, Ortiz, and Sisto are repped by The Gersh Agency. La Nasa is repped by Paradigm. Bergere is repped by Innovative. Roberts is repped by Michael Greene.

Hawaiian model and...

The company has bolstered its Afm slate with the thriller starring Pierce Brosnan and Ashley Greene.

Chef executive producer Aaron Kaufman makes his feature directorial debut on the story about friends on an island getaway who take a designer drug that releases all inhibitions. Kaufman wrote the screenplay with Jason Zumwal and Jerry Stahl.

Skip Williamson and Mark Neveldine produce through their Blackmrkt Incorporated banner and production is set for New York later this month.

Bridgeworks Media Capital, Tci and 360 Elite Media & Entertainment will finance the project. Tim Smith, Alastair Burlingham, Lee Vandermolen, Yoram Barzilai, Frank Martinez, Anthony Gudas, Clay Pecorin, Russell Geyser, Gerald Fruchtman and Peter Fruchtman will serve as executive producers.

Fortitude co-principal Nadine de Barros and vice-president of international Katie Irwin will kick off sales at the Afm, set to run from November 5-12.

Fortitude’s slate includes Gee Malik Linton’s dramatic thriller Daughter Of God starring Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas and David Foster...

• Ariana Grande, Katie Homes, Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Days of Future Past), Matthew Morrison (Glee), John Leguizamo (Chef), Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included), Taran Killam (12 Years a Slave), Bobby Moynihan (Saturday Night Live), and Chazz Palminteri (Rizzoli & Isles) have signed on to voice The Weinstein Company's Underdogs, EW has confirmed. The film, from Argentinian director Juan Jose Campanella, is being re-voiced in English by TWC with a script that has been reworked for domestic audiences. The story follows football player Jake (Morrison) and his love interest, Laura (Grande). With Laura's support, Jake beats the town bully, Ace (Hoult), in a foosball game.

Twilight star Ashley Greene has signed on to star alongside Pierce Brosnan in the upcoming thriller Urge.

The story follows a young woman named Theresa (Ashley Greene) who embarks on an island retreat with a group of friends, where they discover a new designer drug that appears to be perfect. They come to realize that the drug has one major side effect, causing users to lose control of their inhibitions and urges. Pierce Brosnan is playing the man who created the drug.

Aaron Kaufman, who has produced recent movies such as Machete Kills, Chef and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, is making his directorial debut. Here's what the filmmaker had to say about Ashley Greene joining the cast.

"Ashley Greene brings the gravitas and intensity that the role of Theresa demands. I am very excited to collaborate with her."

Skip Williamson and Mark Neveldine are producing through their Blackmrkt Incorporated company,...