Project X, Radio Silence Enter Joint Venture With MRC For Production, Financing Of Genre Features

Matt Grobar
·3 min read
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After teaming on forthcoming Uni monster thriller Abigail, both of the newest films in the Scream franchise, and Searchlight horror comedy Ready or Not, Project X and Radio Silence have entered into a new joint venture with MRC (Knives Out, Saltburn) for the production and financing of modestly budgeted genre features.

Under the pact, the companies will pool their resources, expertise, and creativity, with an eye toward producing 2-3 new films per year. Levering both original scripts and untapped IP, the collaboration will allow the companies to move toward generating inventive and engaging horror and thriller projects, from both up-and-coming and established writers and directors. They’re currently sourcing and developing projects to kickstart the initiative and will be announcing their initial slate soon.

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“Our partnership with Radio Silence, combined with MRC’s stellar track-record, innovative deal-making and creative and production support, will enable us to explore new horizons in this type of filmmaking and become a one-stop shop for creative talent in this space,” said Project X co-founders James Vanderbilt, William Sherak and Paul Neinstein in a joint statement. “Not only have we been fortunate to work together on a number of films, but we have become a family who enjoys making movies together in a business which otherwise likes to throw you a challenge at every turn.”

Radio Silence members Chad Villella, Tyler Gillett and Matt Bettinelli-Olpin stated that being able to “formalize” its alliance with Project X, while working with another champion of “original and fresh films” in MRC, “couldn’t be more exciting” to the team. “We look forward to championing original movies for a global horror and thriller audience and hope to create new franchises for genre enthusiasts for years to come,” the trio added.

Remarked MRC Film Co-Presidents Brye Adler and Jonathan Golfman, “We are thrilled and honored to join forces with these two companies who share a love of fun and distinctive films. It is rare to find partners so like-minded and entrepreneurial and we are excited to make a bunch of movies together!”

Since its launch in 2019, Project X has also produced Michael Bay’s Ambulance for Universal and Shawn Ryan’s smash hit Netflix series, The Night Agent, heading into its second season. In addition to Abigail, its upcoming slate includes Bloom County, an animated sitcom based on the Pulitzer Prize winning comic strip that is in development at Fox, among other projects.

Radio X’s Bettinelli-Olpin and Gillett helmed both the Scream reboot of 2022 and last year’s follow-up Scream VI, prior to that directing Searchlight’s hit horror comedy Ready or Not. Up next for the company is Abigail, the monster horror pic helmed by the same duo, which is slated for release via Universal on April 19.

On the feature side, MRC’s most recent projects include Chloe Domont’s Netflix breakout Fair Play, Jake Johnson’s comedic thriller Self Reliance, and current Oscar contenders Saltburn and American Fiction.

UTA negotiated the deal between Project X, Radio Silence and MRC. Radio Silence is repped by UTA, Brad Petrigala at Brillstein Entertainment Partners and Tara Kole.

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