Film News Roundup: ‘Fist Fight’ Director Richie Keen Boards ‘Imagine Agents’ for Fox
In today’s film news roundup, “Fist Fight” director Richie Keen boards “Imagine Agents,” Caitlin Carver and Nick Bateman are the leads in “Matchmaker’s Playbook,” and the Orchard dates Zoey Deutch’s “Flower.”
DIRECTOR ATTACHMENT
Fox has tapped “Fist Fight” director Richie Keen to helm fantasy actioner “Imagine Agents,” based on the Boom! Studios comic.
Simon Rich has written the screenplay. “Stranger Things” producer Shawn Levy, is producing through his 21 Laps Entertainment along with Michael Keaton, Michael Sugar, and Boom!’s Ross Richie. 21 Laps exec Dan Cohen is exec producing with Stephen Christy and Ashley Zalta. Adam Yoelin is co-producing and overseeing the project for Boom!
The comic, published in 2013, was created by writer Brian Joines with Bachan illustrating. The story is centered on an organization (I.M.A.G.I.N.E.) to combat the uncontrollable imaginary friends that children create. Two agents find themselves pushed to the limit when one of the baddest “figments” draws two friends into a plot to change the status quo for figments around the world.
Keen’s directing credits include “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “The Mick,” “The Goldbergs,” and “Disjointed.” He is repped by CAA, Lonestar Entertainment, and attorney Adam Kaller.
PRODUCTION START
Caitlin Carver (“Paper Towns”) and Nick Bateman (“Originals”) have been tapped to star in the independent movie “The Matchmaker’s Playbook,” Variety has learned exclusively.
The project is based on the novel of the same name by Rachel Van Dyken, in which a former NFL recruit forms Wingmen, Inc., as a secretive word-of-mouth dating service for women. But he’s stymied by a particularly hopeless female client.
Tosca Musk is set to direct from a script by Joany Kane. Jina Panebianco will produce through her Passionflix company.
RELEASE DATE
The Orchard has set a March 16 release date for Max Winkler’s dark teenage comedy, “Flower,” starring Zoey Deutch.
The Orchard acquired the film earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival. Deutch portrays a 17-year-old girl in the San Fernando Valley who has to deal with her mother’s new boyfriend (Tim Heidecker) and his estranged son (Joey Morgan) while making money with her friends as a makeshift vigilante group. Kathryn Hahn and Adam Scott round out the cast.
Winkler co-wrote the script with Alex McAulay and Matt Spicer (“Ingrid Goes West”). Producers are Spicer, Eric B. Fleischman, Brandon James and Sean Tabibian. Exec producers are Danny McBride, Jody Hill and David Gordon Green of Rough House Pictures along with Andrew Levitas.
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