STXfilms Re-Teams With Ric Roman Waugh for Sports Drama ‘National Champions’ — Film News in Brief
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STXfilms Re-Teams with Ric Roman Waugh for Sports Drama ‘National Champions’
STXfilms has acquired the rights to Thunder Road and Game1’s sports drama “National Champions.”
“Greenland” director Ric Roman Waugh will helm the film and Adam Mervis will pen the screenplay. Stephan James (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) and J. K. Simmons (“Whiplash”) are on board to star.
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The film is produced by Basil Iwanyk and Brendon Boyea of Thunder Road (“John Wick”) and Greg Economou of Game1. Jonathan Fuhrman of Thunder Road, Matthew Helderman and Luke Taylor of Bondit Media Capital, Christian Mercuri of The Capstone Group, Michael Smith and Adam Mervis are on board as executive producers.
The film is set to shoot in New Orleans this May and is being fully financed by BondIt Media Capital and The Capstone Group. CAA Media Finance Group and Range Media Partners brokered the deal.
“Our experience with Ric on ‘Greenland’ was nothing short of extraordinary,” said Adam Fogelson, Chairman of the STXfilms Motion Picture Group. “When we had the opportunity to work with him and our friends at Thunder Road and Game1 on ‘National Champions,’ we jumped at the chance. This is a film that taps into important issues and does it with compelling, authentic and memorable characters. In the best tradition of sports dramas, they will leave audiences rooting for victory and perhaps considering the competitive nature of college sports and athletics in a different way.”
Waugh is represented by Range MP; James is represented by Norbert Abrams of Noble Caplan Abrams, Range MP and CAA; Simmons is represented by Gersh and Wolf Kasteler; Mervis is represented by Grandview and A3.
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions Sets ‘The Black Phone’ for Jan 2022 Release
Universal Pictures and Blumhouse Productions has set a release date for “The Black Phone.” The Scott Derrickson helmed film will be released on Friday, January 28, 2022.
“The Black Phone” follows Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy who is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
Ethan Hawke stars alongside Mason Thames who makes his feature film debut.
“The Black Phone” is produced, directed, and co-written by Derrickson, the writer-director of “Sinister,” “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” and Marvel’s “Doctor Strange.”
The film’s screenplay is by Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill (“Doctor Strange”) and based on the award-winning short story by Joe Hill from his New York Times bestseller 20th Century Ghosts.
The film is produced by Derrickson & Cargill’s Crooked Highway and presented by Universal and Blumhouse. Jason Blum, Scott Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill are producers on the film, which is executive produced by Joe Hill, Christopher H. Warner and Ryan Turek.
DC FanDome Will be Back Oct. 16
DC has announced its hugely popular DC FanDome will be back later this year on Oct. 16.
DC announced the date today via its social media platforms and a YouTube video, with the promise of additional updates to come. The video also linked to a website landing page, with a promise of more to come.
Last year, the global experience was held online due to the pandemic and while no other details have been released fans may get an insight into the upcoming DC movies, “Black Adam” (July 29, 2022), “The Flash” (November 4, 2022), “Aquaman 2” (December 16, 2022) and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” all slated for 2022 releases.
Fans got to hear from cast and creators of the DC universe via a 24-hour live stream that included more information on “Justice League: The Snyder Cut” and “Wonder Woman: 1984.”
Watch the announcement below:
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