FILMNATION ENTERTAINMENT TO LAUNCH INTERNATIONAL SALES FOR ACTION COMEDY AMERICAN ULTRA AT AFM
JESSE EISENBERG AND KRISTEN STEWART TO STAR
New York – Monday, November 4, 2013 – FilmNation Entertainment announced today that they will handle international sales for all territories, including Canada, for PROJECT X director Nima Nourizadeh’s AMERICAN ULTRA. Sales will begin at the upcoming American Film Market in Santa Monica. Academy Award nominee Jesse Eisenberg (NOW YOU SEE ME, THE SOCIAL NETWORK) and Kristen Stewart (TWILIGHT franchise, SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN) will star in the action comedy, written by Max Landis (CHRONICLE). The film is a Likely Story and Circle of Confusion production. It is being produced by Anthony Bregman for Likely Story, and by David Alpert and Britton Rizzio for Circle of Confusion. Executive producers are Kevin Frakes of PalmStar Media Capital and Raj Brinder Singh of Merced Media Partners.
AMERICAN ULTRA is about an unmotivated stoner named Mike (Eisenberg), who lives with his girlfriend Phoebe (Stewart), in a small, sleepy town. One night, their lives take an unexpected turn when Mike's past comes back to haunt him, and he becomes the target of a government operation set to wipe him out.
Producer Anthony Bregman said, “Simply put, American Ultra will be the most fun you can possibly have in a movie theater without the use of drugs, fireworks, or canola oil.”
FilmNation CEO Glen Basner said, “Nima and Max have created a film that is entirely fresh, fun and action-packed. American Ultra is going to be a blast!”
AMERICAN ULTRA is set to begin shooting in April 2014.
The deal was negotiated by Kevin Frakes for Likely Story and by CAA.
Nourizadeh and Eisenberg are repped by CAA. Stewart is repped by the Gersh Agency. Landis is repped by WME. CAA will represent domestic rights on the film.
FilmNation Entertainment will bring several new titles to sell at the upcoming American Film Market in Santa Monica including: Alejandro Amenábar’s elevated genre REGRESSION starring Ethan Hawke; Bill Condon’s Sherlock Holmes tale A SLIGHT TRICK OF THE MIND, starring Ian McKellen; and Anton Corbijn’s James Dean-centered LIFE, starring Dane DeHaan and Robert Pattinson; among others.
ABOUT LIKELY STORY Likely Story is a bi-coastal production company founded by Anthony Bregman in 2006. The company recently released Nicole Holofcener’s “Enough Said” (starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini), and upcoming releases include John Carney’s “Can A Song Save Your Life?” (starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, and Adam Levine), Bennett Miller’s “Foxcatcher” (starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo) and Amy Berg’s “Every Secret Thing” (starring Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, and Dakota Fanning). Anthony Bregman’s past films include the Academy Award-winning “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “Friends With Money,” “Our Idiot Brother,” “Synecdoche, New York,” “Please Give,” “The Tao of Steve,” “Lovely & Amazing,” “Human Nature,” “The Extra Man,” “Thumbsucker,” “The Savages,” “The Ice Storm,” “The Brothers McMullen,” “Trick,” “Darling Companion,” “The Oranges,” and "Lay the Favorite." The company also has a first look deal with graphic novel and comic book publisher Top Shelf Productions.
ABOUT CIRCLE OF CONFUSION Circle of Confusion, a feature film & television production and management company, was founded in 1990. The production division is currently wrapping season four of AMC/Fox International series The Walking Dead, the most watched drama series in basic cable history and now airing internationally in over 120 countries. They are also currently in principal photography on La Vida Robot (with George Lopez, Jamie Lee Curtis and Marisa Tomei) at Pantelion/Lionsgate. Circle has successfully set up more than thirty feature projects on studio development slates. These include projects such as: Inherit the Earth at Sony (with Michael Bay); Lore at Warner Brothers (with Dwayne Johnson starring and David Green directing; Fire at Universal (with Zac Effron attached to star); Antwerp at Paramount (with J.J. Abrams); Straight Outta Compton at Universal (with Ice Cube & Dr. Dre). Circle represents actors, writers and directors specializing in a variety of genres, in 2012 alone Circle clients’ fingerprints were all over the modern zeitgeist: To name a few in the hit feature films Prometheus, Think Like A Man, Chronicle, and Cloud Atlas; on television, Circle’s clients are writing, directing, starring in, and producing some of the biggest shows on the air including Dallas, Dexter, Hawaii 5-O, Smash, Longmire, Psych, Parenthood, Private Practice, True Blood, Game of Thrones, and many more.
ABOUT PALMSTAR MEDIA CAPITAL PalmStar Media Capital is a Los Angeles-based specialty finances services company owned and operated by partners Kevin Frakes and Peggy Taylor. PalmStar invests senior and mezzanine debt, production equity and distribution funding in motion pictures. PalmStar is a strategic partner and media advisor to Merced Media Partners. PalmStar also develops and produces films through its production arm, PalmStar Entertainment. PalmStar’s recent projects include the Roger Donaldson- helmed spy-thriller November Man, starring Pierce Brosnan and Olga Kurylenko; Amy Berg’s Every Secret Thing, starring Diane Lane, Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Banks; and the romantic comedy How to Make Love Like an Englishman, starring Pierce Brosnan, Salma Hayek and Jessica Alba.
ABOUT MERCED MEDIA PARTNERS Merced Media Partners is the film investment vehicle of EBF & Associates. EBF is a privately held registered investment advisor specializing in alternative investment strategies. The firm was founded in 1988 and manages $2.0B of limited partner capital.
ABOUT FILMNATION ENTERTAINMENT Founded in 2008 by veteran international film executive Glen Basner, FilmNation Entertainment is a new kind of film company – global, versatile and full-service; and is a go-to destination for many of the world’s most renowned filmmakers. FilmNation can board a project in a myriad of ways (as a producer, financier, sales agent, international distributor or marketer) and at any stage in a film’s lifespan including development.
FilmNation’s impressive sales line-up showcases the work of many of today’s most exciting, established and up-and-coming filmmakers. Released this year were Steven Soderbergh’s Side Effects starring Jude Law and Rooney Mara; Terrence Malick’s To The Wonder starring Ben Affleck and Rachel McAdams; Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ring, an Un Certain Regard title at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, starring Emma Watson; and Pedro Almodovar’s Los Amantes Pasajeros (I’m So Excited!); among others.
To be released this year are two 2013 Cannes Official Selections: Alexander Payne’s Nebraska starring Bruce Dern, winner of this year’s Best Actor award in Cannes; and J.C. Chandor’s critically acclaimed All Is Lost starring Robert Redford.
The upcoming sales line-up also includes: Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin with Scarlett Johansson, an In Competition film at this year’s Venice Film Festival and an Official Selection of the Toronto International Film Festival; Terrence Malick’s Knight of Cups and an untitled project; David Michôd’s The Rover starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson; Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams; the untitled Marc Lawrence romantic comedy starring Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei; Solace starring Sir Anthony Hopkins; Tracers starring Taylor Lautner; Selfless starring Ryan Reynolds; The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch; among others.
Sales titles currently in pre-production include: JC Chandor’s A Most Violent Year; Genius starring Colin Firth; Bill Condon’s Sherlock Holmes tale A Slight Trick Of The Mind; and Anton Corbijn’s Life, a true story about the friendship between James Dean and Life Magazine photographer Dennis Stock.
Production vet Aaron Ryder heads up FilmNation’s production arm. Previously released this year was Jeff Nichols’ critically acclaimed Mud, a 2012 Cannes competition selection, starring Matthew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Michael Shannon and Reese Witherspoon. FilmNation is in development on Nic Mathieu’s Story Of Your Life; The Rules of Inheritance starring Jennifer Lawrence; The Good House starring Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro; among others.
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PRESS CONTACT Selena Saldana, FilmNation Entertainment, 917-484-8914, [email protected]