Graham King, who won the Best Picture Oscar for 2006’s “The Departed, ” has signed a three-year first look deal with Paramount Pictures.
In today’s film news roundup, Graham King signs a first-look deal at Paramount and Samuel Goldwyn picks up horror film “Psychopaths.”
FIRST-LOOK DEAL
Graham King, who won the best picture Oscar for 2006’s “The Departed, ” has signed a three-year first-look deal with Paramount Pictures.
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Under the non-exclusive deal, King will develop and produce films through his GK Films shingle. The company will relocate offices to the Paramount lot as part of the new deal. He previously produced “Rango, ” “World War Z, ” and “Hugo” for Paramount.
Paramount chairman/CEO Jim Gianopulos said, “Graham not only has keen artistic and commercial tastes, but he also is one of the most prolific producers in this industry. It’s my pleasure to welcome him to our Paramount family and we all look forward to many successful collaborations for years to come.”
King is in post-production on the reboot of “Tomb Raider, ” starring Alicia Vikander, and in pre-production on the Freddie Mercury story “Bohemian Rhapsody, ” starring Rami Malek with Bryan Singer directing.
ACQUISITIONS
Samuel Goldwyn Films has bought North American rights to the horror/thriller “Psychopaths” from Glass Eye Pix and plans a theatrical and digital release in January.
The film, written and directed by Mickey Keating, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and stars Ashley Bell, James Landry Hébert, Mark Kassen, Angela Trimbur, Ivana Shein, Jeremy Gardner, and Sam Zimmerman. The story follows multiple serial killers as they cross over on one single, blood-soaked night.
“It’s the most visually stunning array of cinematic brutality I’ ve ever seen, ” said Peter Goldwyn, president of Samuel Goldwyn Films.
The film is produced by Cam McLellan, Al Lewison, Jenn Wexler, William Day Frank, and Keating. It’s executive produced by Larry Fessenden and co-produced by Sean Fowler. The deal was negotiated by Peter Goldwyn and Miles Fineburg of Samuel Goldwyn Films and Nick Ogiony of CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.
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Super LTD, the newly announced boutique division and incubator from Neon, has bought Anna Chai and Nari Kye’s documentary “Wasted! The Story of Food Waste.”
The film is executive produced by Anthony Bourdain, who makes several cameos in the film. The documentary, which had its world premiere on Earth Day at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, is produced by Zero Point Zero Films with support from the Rockefeller Foundation as part of the Foundation’s YieldWise program to cut food waste in half.
“This is an important and informative film and a project I’ m proud to be part of, ” Bourdain said. “Chefs have been at the cutting edge of efforts to contend responsibly with the problem of food waste, perhaps because they, more than others, are painfully aware of the egregious volume of perfectly usable, nutritious food that could otherwise feed people in need, being thrown out in our restaurants.”
Along with Bourdain, the feature-length film was executive produced by Joe Caterini, Christopher Collins, Kye, and Lydia Tenaglia.
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Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American distribution rights to “ Against the Night, ” a psychological horror film written and directed by Brian Cavallaro, Variety has learned exclusively.
The film, produced by Cavallaro and Arielle Brachfeld, under the Ball Four Productions banner, will open in 10 markets on Sept. 15. The film tests the boundaries of trust as nine friends sneak into an abandoned prison to film a ghost hunting video. When their friend disappears, everyone is pointing fingers and placing blame until they realize they may not be alone.
The film stars newcomers Hannah Kleeman and Tim Torre, and features Frank Whaley. The deal was handled by Gravitas Ventures’ Zach Hamby.
