Exclusive: Solstice Studios has acquired worldwide rights to The Plane, an elevated action thriller that stars Gerard Butler. The film is currently booked for takeoff on June 28, 2021, shooting in Southeast Asia.
Deadline revealed earlier this week that Lionsgate exited the film because the production could not get Covid insurance and the risk became too great for the indie studio on the $50 million budget film. The picture was the hottest package at 2019 AFM that sold out every territory, and it was originally supposed to be shooting now in Malaysia but stalled because of a Covid spike there. Same thing happened when an attempt was made to move production to the Dominican Republic and then the U.S. The Plane illustrates the troubles facing any indie distributors and producer/financiers trying to mount pictures because insurance companies aren’t writing Covid policies now or are doing it for Covid and “civil authority” clauses at prohibitively high rates.
Deadline revealed earlier this week that Lionsgate exited the film because the production could not get Covid insurance and the risk became too great for the indie studio on the $50 million budget film. The picture was the hottest package at 2019 AFM that sold out every territory, and it was originally supposed to be shooting now in Malaysia but stalled because of a Covid spike there. Same thing happened when an attempt was made to move production to the Dominican Republic and then the U.S. The Plane illustrates the troubles facing any indie distributors and producer/financiers trying to mount pictures because insurance companies aren’t writing Covid policies now or are doing it for Covid and “civil authority” clauses at prohibitively high rates.
- 11/13/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Veteran Hollywood executive Terry Curtin has joined Solstice Studios as executive vice president of communications.
Curtin, who has previously held top jobs at Disney, Universal and Fox, will report directly to Vincent Bruzzese, head of marketing and strategy at the upstart studio. All of film publicity and corporate communications will fall on her desk.
Curtin replaces Elissa Greer, who is transitioning to a consultant role.
“Terry is a world-class executive who is respected across the industry,” Bruzzese said. “We’re fortunate to have her join the company on a full-time basis. Terry and Elissa worked extremely well together and delivered an excellent publicity and promotion campaign for ‘Unhinged,’ under difficult circumstances: launching the first new movie back in U.S. theaters this summer was no easy task. I look forward to their teaming up to achieve similarly striking results on ‘Good Joe Bell.’”
Curtin last oversaw a boutique consulting agency,...
Curtin, who has previously held top jobs at Disney, Universal and Fox, will report directly to Vincent Bruzzese, head of marketing and strategy at the upstart studio. All of film publicity and corporate communications will fall on her desk.
Curtin replaces Elissa Greer, who is transitioning to a consultant role.
“Terry is a world-class executive who is respected across the industry,” Bruzzese said. “We’re fortunate to have her join the company on a full-time basis. Terry and Elissa worked extremely well together and delivered an excellent publicity and promotion campaign for ‘Unhinged,’ under difficult circumstances: launching the first new movie back in U.S. theaters this summer was no easy task. I look forward to their teaming up to achieve similarly striking results on ‘Good Joe Bell.’”
Curtin last oversaw a boutique consulting agency,...
- 9/24/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Solstice Studios has acquired rights to “Bomb Squad,” an original pitch from Greg Kwedar and Clint Bentley, who previously collaborated on “Transpecos.”
“Bomb Squad” is an action-thriller about two unlikely partners who team up to stop a serial bomber whose escalating attacks are building to a catastrophic event that will kill millions and destroy America’s energy supply.
This project is the first feature film pitch Solstice Studios has purchased since it was founded in fall 2018. The pitch was brought in by senior vice president Beth Bruckner O’Brien and director of development Isabelle London, who will work with Kwedar and Bentley to develop the film for the studio.
Solstice Studios was launched with $400 million in capital, and a goal of producing three to five movies a year that are aimed at global audiences. These will usually have budgets ranging between $20 million to $80 million, an arena that major studios, most of...
“Bomb Squad” is an action-thriller about two unlikely partners who team up to stop a serial bomber whose escalating attacks are building to a catastrophic event that will kill millions and destroy America’s energy supply.
This project is the first feature film pitch Solstice Studios has purchased since it was founded in fall 2018. The pitch was brought in by senior vice president Beth Bruckner O’Brien and director of development Isabelle London, who will work with Kwedar and Bentley to develop the film for the studio.
Solstice Studios was launched with $400 million in capital, and a goal of producing three to five movies a year that are aimed at global audiences. These will usually have budgets ranging between $20 million to $80 million, an arena that major studios, most of...
- 2/11/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Solstice Studios has hired former 20th Century Fox, Alcon Entertainment and New Line Cinema executive Dana Belcastro as Head of Physical Production. She will report to President & CEO Mark Gill. Belcastro is the latest move by Solstice to build its infrastructure in anticipation of becoming a major generator of film content.
Belcastro, whose production experience and relationships include working with Denis Villeneuve, James Cameron, Terrence Malick, and Alexander Payne among others, was most recently Executive Vice President, Feature Production at 20th Century Fox. She worked on Avatar 2 & 3, The Post, Call of the Wild, Fruit Loops and The True Maze.
Her previous experience includes serving as Executive Vice President, Feature Film Production at Alcon Entertainment and Evergreen Studios, as well as Co-Producer on the Villenueve-directed Blade Runner 2049, and the Laurence Sher-directed Father Figures.
At New Line Cinema, Belcastro supervised physical production on over thirty films including: the Final Destination franchise,...
Belcastro, whose production experience and relationships include working with Denis Villeneuve, James Cameron, Terrence Malick, and Alexander Payne among others, was most recently Executive Vice President, Feature Production at 20th Century Fox. She worked on Avatar 2 & 3, The Post, Call of the Wild, Fruit Loops and The True Maze.
Her previous experience includes serving as Executive Vice President, Feature Film Production at Alcon Entertainment and Evergreen Studios, as well as Co-Producer on the Villenueve-directed Blade Runner 2049, and the Laurence Sher-directed Father Figures.
At New Line Cinema, Belcastro supervised physical production on over thirty films including: the Final Destination franchise,...
- 2/3/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Solstice Studios has hired Mark Mulcahy to be Senior Vice President, In-Theatre Marketing, and Tom Sweetser to be Vice President, Operations. Both will report to Shari Hardison, Head of Us Distribution. The company continues to staff up in anticipation of its first theatrical release, the road rage thriller Unhinged with Russell Crowe, which is set for August 28, 2020 release.
Mulcahy comes to Solstice after has worked in the film business for 38 years at Paramount Pictures, The Weinstein Company and Stx Entertainment, as well as in exhibition, with Mann Theatres, Movie Tavern and Syfy. He was instrumental in the U.S. launch of iPic (Gold Class Cinemas) the Australian based concept, and worked with exhibition to develop theatrical digital smart marketing that pinpoints niche audiences and saves studios millions of dollars.
Sweetser most recently was an executive at Comscore Movies Group, where he led the global roadmap and day-to-day operations for Swift,...
Mulcahy comes to Solstice after has worked in the film business for 38 years at Paramount Pictures, The Weinstein Company and Stx Entertainment, as well as in exhibition, with Mann Theatres, Movie Tavern and Syfy. He was instrumental in the U.S. launch of iPic (Gold Class Cinemas) the Australian based concept, and worked with exhibition to develop theatrical digital smart marketing that pinpoints niche audiences and saves studios millions of dollars.
Sweetser most recently was an executive at Comscore Movies Group, where he led the global roadmap and day-to-day operations for Swift,...
- 12/12/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Solstice will distribute in Us and represent international rights.
Heading into Afm, Studio 8 and Solstice Studios have struck a strategic partnership and set their first film, the Robert Rodriguez action thriller Hypnotic.
Studio 8 and Solstice Studios will produce and Solstice will distribute in the Us and represent international rights, and has planned a cocktail event at the market to introduce the partnership, with Rodriguez scheduled to attend. Studio 8 retains the option to co-finance the film. The partners plan to make more films together.
Hypnotic is based on a screenplay by Rodriguez and Max Borenstein about a detective who becomes...
Heading into Afm, Studio 8 and Solstice Studios have struck a strategic partnership and set their first film, the Robert Rodriguez action thriller Hypnotic.
Studio 8 and Solstice Studios will produce and Solstice will distribute in the Us and represent international rights, and has planned a cocktail event at the market to introduce the partnership, with Rodriguez scheduled to attend. Studio 8 retains the option to co-finance the film. The partners plan to make more films together.
Hypnotic is based on a screenplay by Rodriguez and Max Borenstein about a detective who becomes...
- 11/1/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Solstice will distribute in Us and represent international rights.
Heading into Afm, Studio 8 and Solstice Studios have struck a strategic partnership and set their first film, the Robert Rodriguez action thriller Hypnotic.
Studio 8 and Solstice Studios will produce and Solstice will distribute in the Us and represent international rights, and has set a cocktail event at the market that Rodriguez is scheduled to attend. Studio 8 retains the option to co-finance the film. The partners plan to make more films together.
Hypnotic is based on a screenplay by Rodriguez and Max Borenstein about a detective who becomes entangled in a...
Heading into Afm, Studio 8 and Solstice Studios have struck a strategic partnership and set their first film, the Robert Rodriguez action thriller Hypnotic.
Studio 8 and Solstice Studios will produce and Solstice will distribute in the Us and represent international rights, and has set a cocktail event at the market that Rodriguez is scheduled to attend. Studio 8 retains the option to co-finance the film. The partners plan to make more films together.
Hypnotic is based on a screenplay by Rodriguez and Max Borenstein about a detective who becomes entangled in a...
- 11/1/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Elissa Greer is joining Solstice Studios as Evp Communications, a post in which she’ll oversee corporate and domestic publicity and promotions, reporting to Marketing/Strategy Head Vincent Bruzzese.
Greer led the publicity and marketing teams at New Line Cinema, FilmDistrict, Focus Features and Blumhouse’s Bh Tilt and launched some of the film industry’s most profitable franchises and box office successes, including The Lord of the Rings (winning 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture for The Return of the King), Austin Powers, Wedding Crashers, Insidious, Olympus Has Fallen, as well as critically acclaimed independent films A History of Violence, Precious, Bully, among others. Greer has also consulted for companies such as Lionsgate, Es Entertainment, and Roadside Attractions, while remaining committed to the intersection of social impact and media, serving as the Director of the Conscious Good’s Humanitarian Film Festival in partnership with the Un.
Solstice Studios is...
Greer led the publicity and marketing teams at New Line Cinema, FilmDistrict, Focus Features and Blumhouse’s Bh Tilt and launched some of the film industry’s most profitable franchises and box office successes, including The Lord of the Rings (winning 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture for The Return of the King), Austin Powers, Wedding Crashers, Insidious, Olympus Has Fallen, as well as critically acclaimed independent films A History of Violence, Precious, Bully, among others. Greer has also consulted for companies such as Lionsgate, Es Entertainment, and Roadside Attractions, while remaining committed to the intersection of social impact and media, serving as the Director of the Conscious Good’s Humanitarian Film Festival in partnership with the Un.
Solstice Studios is...
- 8/21/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Production on Russell Crowe thriller Unhinged set to start in New Orleans next month.
Solstice Studios has added a key member to the sales team, bringing on Nicholas Sherry from Sierra/Affinity to serve as vice-president of international sales.
Sherry will focus on Asia and emerging markets, and reports to acquisitions and international head Crystal Bourbeau.
The Australian executive was vice-president of international sales and distribution at Sierra/Affinity, where he worked on such films as Hell Or High Water, Manchester By The Sea, Molly’s Game, I, Tonya, and the upcoming Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.
President and CEO Mark Gill,...
Solstice Studios has added a key member to the sales team, bringing on Nicholas Sherry from Sierra/Affinity to serve as vice-president of international sales.
Sherry will focus on Asia and emerging markets, and reports to acquisitions and international head Crystal Bourbeau.
The Australian executive was vice-president of international sales and distribution at Sierra/Affinity, where he worked on such films as Hell Or High Water, Manchester By The Sea, Molly’s Game, I, Tonya, and the upcoming Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark.
President and CEO Mark Gill,...
- 6/27/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Academy Award winner Russell Crowe will star in “Unhinged,” a psychological thriller which will start production July 15 in New Orleans, Solstice Studios announced on Friday.
The film, which is the first Solstice Studios movie to go into production, is directed by Derrick Borte (“American Dreamer”), written by Carl Ellsworth and produced by Lisa Ellzey.
Solstice is targeting a third-quarter 2020 wide U.S. theatrical release. The company’s international team, led by Acquisitions & International Head Crystal Bourbeau, will be selling the film in Cannes this month.
Also Read: Isla Fisher, Matt Walsh to Star in Comedy 'Unplugging'
“Unhinged” takes an ordinary, everyday incident to its most terrifying conclusion in telling the story of a mother who leans on her horn at the wrong time, to the wrong guy (played by Crowe). “Road rage” doesn’t begin to describe what he’s about to do to her and everyone she knows.
Crowe...
The film, which is the first Solstice Studios movie to go into production, is directed by Derrick Borte (“American Dreamer”), written by Carl Ellsworth and produced by Lisa Ellzey.
Solstice is targeting a third-quarter 2020 wide U.S. theatrical release. The company’s international team, led by Acquisitions & International Head Crystal Bourbeau, will be selling the film in Cannes this month.
Also Read: Isla Fisher, Matt Walsh to Star in Comedy 'Unplugging'
“Unhinged” takes an ordinary, everyday incident to its most terrifying conclusion in telling the story of a mother who leans on her horn at the wrong time, to the wrong guy (played by Crowe). “Road rage” doesn’t begin to describe what he’s about to do to her and everyone she knows.
Crowe...
- 5/11/2019
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Oscar winner Russell Crowe will star in Unhinged, a psychological thriller that will start production July 15 in New Orleans. The film, which is the first Solstice Studios movie to go into production, is directed by Derrick Borte (American Dreamer), written by Carl Ellsworth and produced by Lisa Ellzey.
Solstice is targeting a wide U.S. theatrical release in Q3 2020. The company’s international team, led by acquisitions and international head Crystal Bourbeau, will be selling the film in Cannes this month.
Unhinged takes an ordinary, everyday incident to its most terrifying conclusion in telling the story of a mother who leans on her horn at the wrong time, to the wrong guy (Crowe).
Crowe was nominated for three consecutive Best Actor Oscars for his work in The Insider, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, winning for Gladiator. He recently starred in Boy Erased and...
Solstice is targeting a wide U.S. theatrical release in Q3 2020. The company’s international team, led by acquisitions and international head Crystal Bourbeau, will be selling the film in Cannes this month.
Unhinged takes an ordinary, everyday incident to its most terrifying conclusion in telling the story of a mother who leans on her horn at the wrong time, to the wrong guy (Crowe).
Crowe was nominated for three consecutive Best Actor Oscars for his work in The Insider, Gladiator and A Beautiful Mind, winning for Gladiator. He recently starred in Boy Erased and...
- 5/10/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Solstice Studios, the upstart which opened its doors last month with Mark Gill as president/CEO and a $400 million capitalization, is crewing up. Karen Barna has been hired as Head of Business Affairs, Kristen Simmons as Evp Marketing, Aaron Hoffman as Evp Statistics and Rebecca Rheiner to the Director of Business & Legal Affairs post.
Solstice will ramp up over the next few months to a staff of 65 in its first year.
Barna has 20 years of entertainment industry experience, most recently she was Legal Affairs exec veep at Bold Films and before that at Summit. She will report to Gill.
Simmons also has over 20 year in, most recently at Stx and her job will be to use data to bridge the gap between studios and filmgoers. She has worked for startups to multi-billion-dollar global firms, where she analyzed moviegoer response to thousands of studio films and marketing campaigns. She will...
Solstice will ramp up over the next few months to a staff of 65 in its first year.
Barna has 20 years of entertainment industry experience, most recently she was Legal Affairs exec veep at Bold Films and before that at Summit. She will report to Gill.
Simmons also has over 20 year in, most recently at Stx and her job will be to use data to bridge the gap between studios and filmgoers. She has worked for startups to multi-billion-dollar global firms, where she analyzed moviegoer response to thousands of studio films and marketing campaigns. She will...
- 11/1/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
The Los Angeles-based producer-financier has struck a first-look production deal with its Nightcrawler star.
The partnership offers the in-demand Gyllenhaal the opportunity to acquire and develop new material. It will also offer an enticing pipeline for Sierra Films,
Gyllenhaal currently stars in Southpaw for TWC in what is likely to fuel another awards season campaign. When Harvey Weinstein showed a Cannes audience first footage of Gyllenhaal in his role as a troubled boxer in May, he paid tribute to the actor’s performance in Nightcrawler and said it had been deserving of an Oscar nomination.
Riva Marker, who most recently served as president of production and a producer for Red Crown Productions, has been assigned as a production executive at Gyllenhaal’s new company.
Bold Films chairman Michel Litvak hailed the Oscar-nominated star’s “impeccable taste” and ability as a “formidable producer.”
“I admire greatly Jake’s dedication to his craft and support his desire to further...
The partnership offers the in-demand Gyllenhaal the opportunity to acquire and develop new material. It will also offer an enticing pipeline for Sierra Films,
Gyllenhaal currently stars in Southpaw for TWC in what is likely to fuel another awards season campaign. When Harvey Weinstein showed a Cannes audience first footage of Gyllenhaal in his role as a troubled boxer in May, he paid tribute to the actor’s performance in Nightcrawler and said it had been deserving of an Oscar nomination.
Riva Marker, who most recently served as president of production and a producer for Red Crown Productions, has been assigned as a production executive at Gyllenhaal’s new company.
Bold Films chairman Michel Litvak hailed the Oscar-nominated star’s “impeccable taste” and ability as a “formidable producer.”
“I admire greatly Jake’s dedication to his craft and support his desire to further...
- 8/6/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The production and finance company has acquired the spec script by Matt Venne based on the novel by Carla Norton.
Bold’s Michel Litvak, Matthew Rhodes and Lisa Zambri are attached to produce along with Industry Entertainment’s Andrew Deane.
Bold’s Gary Michael Walters will serve as executive produce alongside Industry’s Ava Jamshidi. Bold’s Karen Barna, svp of business and legal affairs handled the negotiations.
The Edge Of Normal tells the story of the grown-up survivor of a sexual predator who is pulled into a game of cat-and-mouse when she is assigned to mentor another young survivor.
Bold Films had two films that featured prominently in the last awards season, having produced Nightcrawler (pictured) and produced and financed Whiplash.
Earlier this year Warner Bros released Lost River, Bold Films’ third collaboration with Ryan Gosling, that marked his debut as a writer and director.
The pipeline includes John Erick Dowdle’s action thriller No Escape (formerly...
Bold’s Michel Litvak, Matthew Rhodes and Lisa Zambri are attached to produce along with Industry Entertainment’s Andrew Deane.
Bold’s Gary Michael Walters will serve as executive produce alongside Industry’s Ava Jamshidi. Bold’s Karen Barna, svp of business and legal affairs handled the negotiations.
The Edge Of Normal tells the story of the grown-up survivor of a sexual predator who is pulled into a game of cat-and-mouse when she is assigned to mentor another young survivor.
Bold Films had two films that featured prominently in the last awards season, having produced Nightcrawler (pictured) and produced and financed Whiplash.
Earlier this year Warner Bros released Lost River, Bold Films’ third collaboration with Ryan Gosling, that marked his debut as a writer and director.
The pipeline includes John Erick Dowdle’s action thriller No Escape (formerly...
- 7/17/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Bold Films has hired a veteran business affairs exec and promoted two others inside its Los Angeles-based production offices. The moves come after the company expanded its senior creative team in Los Angeles by two earlier this year and opened a UK office where it hired another two executives. The company behind Nightcrawler and Whiplash is gearing up for another slate of films after the success of those movies. To that end, Karen Barna has been hired as senior…...
- 6/19/2015
- Deadline
Summit Entertainment has promoted two executives, the company announced Tuesday. Meredith Milton is now senior VP production and Karen Barna is now senior VP business affairs. They had been VPs. Milton joined Summit in 2002 as assistant to Erik Feig, president of production and acquisitions. She was promoted to director of development a year later, to senior production executive in 2006 and to VP production in 2007. Barna also joined the company in 2002. She brokered all cast deals for "Twilight," Summit's first installment of the franchise, and for all supporting cast deals...
- 3/22/2011
- by Joshua L. Weinstein
- The Wrap
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