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Exclusive: Stampede Ventures and Wattpad Webtoon Studios will team for a feature adaptation of Chasing Red, the YA romance webnovel by Isabelle Ronin that has garnered huge attention on the digital publishing platform, Wattpad.

Jessika Borsiczky (Sex/Life) has been set to direct from a screenplay by Lauren Schacher (Hooking Up), and casting is now underway.

Chasing Red tells the story of straight-a student Veronica, who refuses to be college heartthrob Caleb’s next “conquest,” even after a chance encounter sparks an undeniable attraction between them. But with nowhere to stay and on the run from a recent tragedy, Veronica finds herself in need of Caleb’s help, despite the secrets of their pasts threatening to tear them apart. Wattpad’s #2 English-language property, following the massively popular After series from Anna Todd, the webnovel has garnered over 260 million reads since its publication in 2017. It’s been published in print in seven languages,...

An elementary school classroom may seem an odd place to launch a romantic comedy that soon finds its protagonists coupling with abandon in a slew of quasi-public spaces. But in the rom-com “Hooking Up” — available digitally and on demand — that’s precisely where magazine writer Darla emerges from, having had an afterschool special with a stranger on a teeny desk.

Then again, a school proves perhaps too apt a location. There’s a rudimentary feel to “Hooking Up,” which stars Brittany Snow and Sam Richardson as a twosome who embark on a road trip with benefits. Genres often provide refuge to first-time feature filmmakers. Director Nico Raineau and co-writer Lauren Schacher hug the familiar beats of the form while rubbing up against its conventions with some naughty, sometimes endearing tweaks.

That school turns out to be a busy one. There’s a sex addiction group in one room and a cancer survivors’ gathering in another.

Even in trying times, a great movie can do wonders for you. The prospect of watching Sam Richardson and Brittany Snow in a romantic comedy already offered up some glowing potential, but nothing will prepare you for how wonderful this film is. A charming, funny, and sexy rom-com, Hooking Up even manages to get serious at times in a way that never betrays its core entertainment value. With terrific performances by Richardson and Snow, who display absolutely phenomenal chemistry, this is one of the year’s most pleasant surprises. Coming to VOD on Friday (an initially theatrical run is obviously out of the question right now), it deserves to find a place in your hearts. The film is a romantic comedy couched around a road trip. When Bailey (Richardson) and Darla (Snow) first meet, they’re in a school entering very different support groups. He’s a survivor of testicular...

More premieres and more acquisitions were the name of the game at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, with Amazon Studios and Paramount making big movie deals and Pedro Almodóvar‘s “Pain & Glory” showing to acclaim.

Plus, a surprise performance from Mariah Carey!

See below for the highlights of Cannes, day four:

Les Miserables 2019

Amazon Acquires ‘Les Miserables’ for $1.5 Million

Amazon Studios on Friday acquired U.S. rights to writer and director Ladj Ly’s French-language “Les Misérables,” following the film’s world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.

“Les Misérables” is Ly’s first feature and the only debut in the competition section at the festival. The film premiered Wednesday evening to great fanfare. An individual with knowledge of the deal said it was likely around $1.5 million.

Inspired by the 2005 Paris riots, and Ly’s César-nominated short film of the same name, “Les Misérables” takes a provocative look into...

Exclusive: Alita: Battle Angel star Rosa Salazar has been set to star in and executive produce The Bang Bang Girls, a dramedy written and to be directed by Lauren Schacher in her feature helming debut. The pic is being produced by Bronwyn Cornelius and Stefan Nowicki, and Paradigm is repping world rights at the Cannes film market.

The plot follows a high school valedictorian and her two best friends who recruit their new chemistry teacher (Salazar) to form a secret after-school sex-ed club. A fall production start is in the works.

Salazar most recently starred in Alita, the sweeping sci-fi pic from Robert Rodriguez and James Cameron that has grossed $404.8 million worldwide since its February bow. She’s also voicing the lead in Amazon Studios’ upcoming Undone, the streaming service’s first adult animation series which hails from BoJack Horseman‘s Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy. Her previous film credits...

Rosa Salazar, who was most recently seen in Alita: Battle Angel, will star in and executive produce dramedy The Bang Bang Girls.

Lauren Schacher wrote the script and will make her feature directorial debut with the project, which follows a high-school valedictorian and her two best friends, who recruit their new chemistry teacher (Salazar) to form a secret after-school sex-ed club.

Bronwyn Cornelius (Clemency) and Stefan Nowicki (Obvious Child) will produce, and Paradigm is handling sales for the film in Cannes. A fall production start is being eyed.

Salazar is best known for starring in Bird Box, The Maze Runner franchise and ...

Rosa Salazar, who was most recently seen in Alita: Battle Angel, will star in and executive produce dramedy The Bang Bang Girls.

Lauren Schacher wrote the script and will make her feature directorial debut with the project, which follows a high-school valedictorian and her two best friends, who recruit their new chemistry teacher (Salazar) to form a secret after-school sex-ed club.

Bronwyn Cornelius (Clemency) and Stefan Nowicki (Obvious Child) will produce, and Paradigm is handling sales for the film in Cannes. A fall production start is being eyed.

Salazar is best known for starring in Bird Box, The Maze Runner franchise and ...

Exclusive: Jordana Brewster, Vivica A. Fox, and Anna Akana are set for supporting roles in the indie film Bailey and Darla, which stars Brittany Snow and Sam Richardson. First-time feature helmer Nico Raineau directed the pic from a screenplay he wrote with Lauren Schacher.

The plot centers on Darla (Snow), a cynical reporter whose sex addiction is getting in the way of her sex column, and her evolving relationship with Bailey, a well-meaning sweetheart who’s been dumped by his fiancé Elizabeth (Akana) and learns he has testicular cancer (again). Together they embark on an impromptu cross country road trip, recreating Darla’s myriad trysts from state to state. She’s looking for a story and he’s looking for a last hurrah; what they find is something neither expected.

Exclusive: Pitch Perfect alum Brittany Snow and Veep actor Sam Richardson have been tapped to lead the cast of Bailey and Darla, an indie film which is being directed by first-time helmer Nico Raineau. Raineau co-wrote the screenplay with Lauren Schacher. Snow will also produce the project alongside Yale Productions’ Jordan Yale Levine and Jordan Beckerman, and Highland Myst’s Jon Keeyes.

The film, which is currently in production, follows Darla (Snow), a cynical reporter whose sex addiction is getting in the way of her sex column, and her evolving relationship with Bailey, a well-meaning sweetheart who’s been dumped by his fiancé and learns he has testicular cancer (again). Together they embark on an impromptu cross country road trip, recreating Darla’s myriad trysts from state to state. She’s looking for a story and he’s looking for a last hurrah; what they find is something neither expected.

Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress, as presented by the creators themselves. At the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.

In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.

F*ck Yes

Logline: “F*ck Yes” is a modern sex ed series focused on improving communication (and sex) between consenting adults.

Elevator Pitch:

If you’re like us, you feel like modern sex ed leaves a lot to be desired. That’s why we created the series “F*ck Yes.” Our fictional scenarios share options for how people can communicate not only their consent, but their wants and needs before, during, and after sex. We released 4 episodes in the spring of 2016 (which was lauded by Bustle, Refinery29, and Mashable), and now we’re planning 10 more,...

Sneak Peek all the footage released to date from the upcoming 'neo-noir' thriller "The Canyons", directed by Paul Schrader ("American Gigolo") starring Lindsay Lohan.

Cast also includes Nolan Gerard Funk, Nik Tyler, Lauren Schacher, Amanda Brooks, Tenille Houston and director Gus Van Sant :

"...'The Canyons' is a contemporary L.A. noir about the dangers of sexual obsession and ambition, both personally and professionally, among a group of young people in their 20's and how one chance meeting connected to the past unravels all of their lives, resulting in deceit, paranoia, cruel mind games and ultimately violence..."

It was reported that Lohan would not perform  nude unless all of the crew on set stripped down as well.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Canyons"...

Sneak Peek new footage from the upcoming 'neo-noir' thriller "The Canyons", directed by Paul Schrader ("American Gigolo") starring Lindsay Lohan and James Deen, focusing on youth, glamour, sex and surveillance, or as director Schrader explains it, "...beautiful people doing bad things in nice rooms."

Cast also includes Nolan Gerard Funk, Nik Tyler, Lauren Schacher, Amanda Brooks, Tenille Houston and director Gus Van Sant :

"...'The Canyons' is a contemporary L.A. noir about the dangers of sexual obsession and ambition, both personally and professionally, among a group of young people in their 20's and how one chance meeting connected to the past unravels all of their lives, resulting in deceit, paranoia, cruel mind games and ultimately violence..."

It was reported that Lohan would not perform  nude unless all of the crew on set stripped down as well.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Canyons"...

There’s a new 1950s Hollywood trailer for The Canyons, the gritty story of a sensuous woman (Lindsay Lohan) torn between two men, one of whom is played by porn star James Deen.

The other love is played by Nolan Funk in the 50s melodrama which first teaser, released last month, was described as a ‘70s grindhouse-style’ trailer and 60s sex-comedy style trailer is reportedly expected next.

Canyons producer Braxton Pope recently told MTV News, revealing how he thinks tabloid queen Lohan is perfect for bad-girl Tara:

What’s kind of lost in a lot of the Lindsay discussions is the fact that Lindsay is a very talented actress. She’s very charismatic and she has a lot of acting skills. So her lifestyle and some of the things that she’s gone through have tended to kind of overwhelm the fact, but Lindsay has kind of real talent. So for this part,...

Following the teaser trailer last month, a new "1950s Teaser Trailer" for The Canyons has come online and can be watched below. The Canyons is a contemporary L.A. noir from director Paul Schrader, writer Bret Easton Ellis, and producer Braxton Pope about the dangers of sexual obsession and ambition, both personally and professionally, among a group of young people in their 20's and how one chance meeting connected to the past unravels all of their lives, resulting in deceit, paranoia, cruel mind games and ultimately violence. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, James Deen, Nolan Funk, Amanda Brooks and Lauren Schacher.

Sneak Peek the upcoming 'neo-noir' thriller "The Canyons", directed by Paul Schrader ("American Gigolo") starring Lindsay Lohan and James Deen, focusing on youth, glamour, sex and surveillance, or as director Schrader explains it, "...beautiful people doing bad things in nice rooms."

Cast also includes Nolan Gerard Funk, Nik Tyler, Lauren Schacher, Amanda Brooks, Tenille Houston and director Gus Van Sant :

"...'The Canyons' is a contemporary L.A. noir about the dangers of sexual obsession and ambition, both personally and professionally, among a group of young people in their 20's and how one chance meeting connected to the past unravels all of their lives, resulting in deceit, paranoia, cruel mind games and ultimately violence..."

It was reported that Lohan would not perform  nude unless all of the crew on set stripped down as well.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Canyons"...

A new teaser trailer for the upcoming The Canyons is now online at the film's official Facebook page and you can check it out in the player below. James Deen and Lindsay Lohan star in the Hollywood contemporary thriller from author and screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis ( Less Than Zero , American Psycho ) and director Paul Schrader ( Auto-Focus , Affliction ). The film follows five twenty-somethings' quest for power, love, sex and success in 2012 Hollywood. Nolan Funk, Amanda Brooks and Lauren Schacher also star.

Following up her overlooked drama Please Give, Nicole Holofcener is now at Fox Searchlight, where she’s wrangling together a cast for her still untitled next drama. The film is already starring Armando Iannucci collaborators Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini, but now Paranormal Activity 3 lead and star of Mira Nair‘s upcming Venice opener The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Christopher Smith has joined the lead. [Variety]

The project follows “a masseuse (Louis-Dreyfus) who falls in love with the husband (Gandolfini) of a new friend.” Smith is joining the cast as a younger man that Louis-Dreyfus meets before falling head over heals for said husband. Production starts within the next month, so hopefully we’ll see this pop up in the first half of next year.

In other casting news, Paul Schrader is deep into production on his Bret Easton Ellis-scripted sex drama The Canyons, but more actors are already being added to the ensemble.