News

Exclusive: Monarch Media has optioned Leah Kunnath’s comedy script Foreign and Familiar, and are currently setting it up as a film, which Steve Barnett and Alan Powell will produce for the company.

Loosely based on Kunnath’s own teen years, Foreign and Familiar tells the story of a rebellious first-generation Indian-American teen who embarrasses her traditional Indian family, resulting in her parents sending her to high school in India to learn more about her culture.

Monarch’s Vicky Patel will executive produce the project with Adam Goldworm of Aperture Entertainment.

Kunnath’s first comedy feature script earned her a fellowship position with the Blacklist’s Minority Report initiative, and was also a semifinalist at the Austin Film Festival.

Other projects in the works at Monarch, from Barnett, Powell and Patel, include Chris Pratt starrer The Black Belt, which Paul Briganti is directing from the Black List script by Randall Green,...

Saturday Night Live director Paul Briganti will helm Monarch Media’s Chris Pratt indie feature comedy The Black Belt.

The 2020 Black List script by Randall Green follows a shy, unassuming teen boy on a quest for an expertise in karate, and the unorthodox uncle who guides him along the way.

Pratt, as we previously told you, will produce and star in the movie via his Indivisible Productions, with producing partner Jon Schumacher, and Monarch Media principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell. Monarch principal Vicky Patel will serve as EP. UTA Independent Film Group will oversee film sales and distribution.

Briganti has directed some of the most viral segments and shorts over the past few seasons, including Melissa McCarthy as former White House press secretary Sean Spicer, Donald Glover in the rap video “Friendos,” Brad Pitt as Dr. Anthony Fauci and David Harbour as “The Grouch.”

“I’m so excited to...

Paul Briganti, one of the key directors for Saturday Night Live, has boarded Chris Pratt’s indie comedy, The Black Belt.

Pratt is starring and producing the project through his banner, Indivisible Productions, with producing partner Jon Schumacher. Monarch Media and its principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell are also producing, with the company’s Vicky Patel exec producing.

Written as a spec by Randall Green, Black Belt is described as a comedic coming-of-age story about a shy, unassuming teen boy on a quest for expertise in karate, and the unorthodox uncle who guides him along the way. Pratt will play the uncle.

The ...

Paul Briganti, one of the key directors for Saturday Night Live, has boarded Chris Pratt’s indie comedy, The Black Belt.

Pratt is starring and producing the project through his banner, Indivisible Productions, with producing partner Jon Schumacher. Monarch Media and its principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell are also producing, with the company’s Vicky Patel exec producing.

Written as a spec by Randall Green, Black Belt is described as a comedic coming-of-age story about a shy, unassuming teen boy on a quest for expertise in karate, and the unorthodox uncle who guides him along the way. Pratt will play the uncle.

The ...

Rounding up the best unproduced screenplays in Hollywood, as voted on by hundreds of film executives, The Black List has been a strong resource to clue one in on projects to potentially anticipate, but first, to kickstart Hollywood on bringing them to screen. Today we have this year’s edition.

Topping the 2020 list is Sophie Dawson’s social media satire cannibal film Headhunter, while others include Cat Wilkins’ comedy Two-Faced, which Taraji P. Henson is set to make as her directorial debut, as well as the sci-fi scripts If You Were the Last and Bring Me Back, and much more.

As an early look for some potential upcoming films to keep on your radar, take a look at the top scripts below, and the full list here.

Headhunter (29 votes)

Sophie Dawson

A high-functioning cannibal selects his victims based on their Instagram popularity, but finds his habits shaken by a man who wants to be eaten.

The 16th annual The Black List was announced this morning by Desus Nice and The Kid Mero, and below are the rankings of the year’s hot unproduced (or on the verge of being produced) screenplays. Leading this year’s list with 29 votes is Sophie Dawson’s Headhunter, which follows a high-functioning cannibal who selects his victims based on their Instagram popularity. However, he finds his habits shaken by a man who wants to be eaten.

Many of the scripts on the list have moved forward and are in the works including Randall Green’s coming-of-age comedy The Black Belt (15 votes), which has Chris Pratt starring and producing, for Monarch Media. Meanwhile, Taraji P. Henson is set to star in and direct Cat Wilkins’ Two-Faced (25 votes) for Bron Studios. This will mark the Oscar nominee’s first time in the director’s chair for a feature.

Apple landed Brian Gatewood...

Chris Pratt has signed on to star in and produce the karate and coming-of-age comedy ‘The Black Belt’.

The feature focuses on a shy, unassuming teen boy on a quest for an expertise in karate and his unorthodox uncle who guides him along the way.

Randall Green wrote the comedy which will see Pratt produce the film through his banner Indivisible Productions, with producing partner Jon Schumacher, and Monarch Media and its principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell. Monarch principal Vicky Patel will executive produce.

Also in news – Glasgow Film Festival 2021 Announce Opening & Closing Gala Films

After starring in Marvel’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies as Star-Lord/Peter Quill and the ‘Jurassic World’ films Pratt has become a household name. He has been keeping himself busy of late filming ‘The Tomorrow War’ and the upcoming ‘Jurassic World: Dominion’. He is also attached to ‘Saigon Bodyguards,’ the TV series ‘The Terminal List...

Indie studio Monarch Media announced on Wednesday that Chris Pratt is set to star and produce their upcoming comedy “The Black Belt,” with Randall Green (“Space Jam: A New Legacy”) writing the screenplay.

The coming-of-age film will star Pratt as an eccentric uncle who trains his shy teenage nephew in the ways of karate. Pratt will produce the film through his banner Indivisible Productions, alongside producing partner Jon Schumache, and Monarch Media’s Steve Barnett and Alan Powell. Monarch principal Vicky Patel will executive produce and UTA Independent Film Group will oversee film sales and distribution.

Pratt and Indivisible Productions have a first look deal with Universal Pictures, which has worked with Pratt on the “Jurassic World” trilogy. Among the projects being developed by the studio is the action film “Saigon Bodyguards,” which will be produced by “Avengers: Endgame” directors Joe and Anthony Russo.

Monarch Media is developing an original...

Chris Pratt has signed on to produce and is attached to star in the coming-of-age independent comedy “The Black Belt.”

The film centers on a shy, unassuming teen boy on a quest for an expertise in karate and his unorthodox uncle who guides him along the way.

Pratt will produce the film through his banner Indivisible Productions, with producing partner Jon Schumacher, and Monarch Media and its principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell. Monarch principal Vicky Patel will executive produce. Randall Green wrote the spec script. UTA Independent Film Group will oversee film sales and distribution.

Pratt became a worldwide star after headlining Disney-Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies as Star-Lord/Peter Quill and the “Jurassic World” films as dinosaur handler Owen Grady. He founded Indivisible Productions to tell stories across all platforms including film, television, and digital technologies.

Indivisible has a first-look deal with Universal Pictures, and the companies announced on Nov.

Chris Pratt has boarded the Monarch Media indie comedy The Black Belt which he will produce through his Indivisible Productions label and star.

The Black Belt is a coming-of-age story about a shy, unassuming teen boy on a quest for an expertise in karate, and the unorthodox uncle who guides him along the way. Randall Green wrote the spec script.

Pratt will produce with his producing partner Jon Schumacher, and Monarch Media principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell. Monarch principal Vicky Patel will serve as EP. UTA Independent Film Group will oversee film sales and distribution.

Green wrote the Netflix feature The Perfect Date, starring Noah Centineo and Laura Marano. Presently, he is adapting Christopher McDougall’s Running with Sherman, also for Netflix, and worked on Warner Brothers’ upcoming Space Jam: A New Legacy. Previously, he was a writer on the hit Showtime series Billions.

Pratt’s Indivisible Productions has...

Platt and Jon Schumacher producing coming-of-age tale through Indivisible Productions.

Jurassic World and Guardians Of The Galaxy star Chris Pratt will star in comedy The Black Belt, which UTA Independent Film Group represents for sales.

Randall Green wrote the spec script about a shy teen who wants to become a karate expert and the unorthodox uncle who guides him.

Platt and Jon Schumacher are producing through their Indivisible Productions alongside Monarch Media and principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell. Monarch principal Vicky Patel is executive producer.

Indivisible Productions has a first-look deal with Universal Pictures and has assembled a slate that includes Saigon Bodyguards,...

Chris Pratt is becoming an indie sensei.

The star of mega studio movies Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World has signed on to star in and produce The Black Belt, an indie comedy from Monarch Media.

Pratt will produce the film through his banner, Indivisible Productions, with producing partner Jon Schumacher. Monarch Media and its principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell are also producing, with the company’s Vicky Patel exec producing.

Written as a spec by Randall Green, Black Belt is described as a comedic coming-of-age story about a shy, unassuming teen boy on a quest for expertise in karate, and the unorthodox ...

Chris Pratt is becoming an indie sensei.

The star of mega studio movies Guardians of the Galaxy and Jurassic World has signed on to star in and produce The Black Belt, an indie comedy from Monarch Media.

Pratt will produce the film through his banner, Indivisible Productions, with producing partner Jon Schumacher. Monarch Media and its principals Steve Barnett and Alan Powell are also producing, with the company’s Vicky Patel exec producing.

Written as a spec by Randall Green, Black Belt is described as a comedic coming-of-age story about a shy, unassuming teen boy on a quest for an expertise in karate, and ...

We have a brand-new look at Scoob in the form of an international poster. Warner Bros. announced earlier this week that they were forced to push the release date back, along with a ton of their other projects. However, the studio is far from finished promoting the highly anticipated animated movie. This is Scooby-Doo we're talking about here, and this is the first time that an animated movie from the franchise is hitting the big screen, so it's a pretty big deal. Once everything gets back to some point of normalcy, the studio will figure out a proper release date.

Like the last Scoob! trailer released a few weeks ago, we have Mark Wahlberg's Blue Falcon and his sidekick Dynomutt alongside the Mystery, Inc. gang in the new poster. Dee Dee Sykes is also featured on the poster, which teases some mystery. All of the characters seem to be placing their attention on Scooby,...

Exclusive: Oakhurst Entertainment has secured the rights to Cartoon Girl, a Randall Green-written dramatic comedy from the 2014 Black List. In addition, Amanda Marsalis, who has directed episodes for The Umbrella Academy, Westworld, and Ozark, is in talks to direct this pic. Jai Khanna and Marina Grasic will produce for Oakhurst with Booksmart and Hustlers producers Jessica Elbaum and Will Ferrell for Gloria Sanchez.

The film, which is said to be on a fast track, is about a young boy who discovers that the cartoon character he’s in love with is based on a real girl. With his single father in tow, he embarks on a road trip adventure to find her and profess his love.

Green will serve as an executive producer alongside George Heller of Brillstein Entertainment Partners . Productivity Media, which set a $2M annual development funding deal with Oakhurst last year, will finance and also serve as producers.

Exclusive: We hear that Christopher McDougall’s next book, Running with Sherman: The Donkey with the Heart of a Hero out on Oct. 15 from Knopf, has been scooped up by Netflix. Randall Green, who writes on Showtime’s Billions, has been tapped to adapt.

Book follows McDougall’s family adopting a rescue donkey that had been kept isolated and unattended in an animal hoarder’s barn in rural western Pennsylvania. When a mutual friend delivered Sherman to the McDougall’s farm, the donkey was on death’s door: He had infected sores all over his bloated body and hooves grown as long and curled as witch’s nails. The McDougalls taught Sherman how to be a donkey again, how to run, and then how to race. The story culminates in Sherman competing with his human and donkey buddies in a race in the Rockies that’s both grueling and hysterical.

Narco shows are filled with blood, guns, violence, and death but Queen of the South Season 4 Episode 9 proved that they can also be suffused with a lot of heart.

And sometimes, those hearts get broken.

With the threat of a witness giving testimony against her and her entire organization, Teresa had some difficult decisions to make.

She could pack up everything she's worked so hard to build in New Orleans and run to Belize with Tony in tow, or she could fight.

It was clear that Detective Green thought she wouldn't hesitate to kill Cheo's family and the way he said it irked me.

I’ll trust that you can keep Judge Lafayette’s honorable name out of your dirty little mouth.

Det. Green Permalink: I’ll trust that you can keep Judge Lafayette’s honorable name out of your dirty little mouth. Added: August 01, 2019

He and Lafayette look down...

Netflix has released the first trailer for their upcoming rom-com ‘The Perfect Date’ in which Noah Centineo hires himself out as an escort.

Based on the novel ‘The Stand-In’ by Steve Bloom the film is directed by Chris Nelson from a screenplay by Steve Bloom and Randall Green. The cast includes Laura Marano, Camila Mendes, Odiseas Georgiadis and Matt Walsh alongside Centineo.

Also in trailers – Trailer for Brie Larson’s ‘Unicorn Store’ reunites her with Samuel L. Jackson

The film is released on the streaming giant April 12th.

The Perfect Date Synopsis

To save up for college, Brooks Rattigan (Noah Centineo) creates an app where anyone can pay him to play the perfect stand-in boyfriend for any occasion.

The post Noah Centineo provides the service of ‘The Perfect Date’ in new trailer appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Like studios of old in the golden era of Hollywood, Netflix has found its own leading man, and are staking a claim in his future stock. After breaking out in the Netflix original phenomenon To All the Boys I've Loved Before, Noah Centineo is back for his third original romantic comedy for the streaming giant, and it's sure to be another big hit. Today, we have the trailer and poster for The Perfect Date.

The Perfect Date is directed by Chris Nelson. With a tagline proclaiming, "He's whoever you want him to be," Noah Centineo is being paired up on screen with Laura Marano, Odiseas Georgiadis, with Matt Walsh and Camila Mendes. The romantic comedy will launch globally on April 12, 2019.

In Netflix original The Perfect Date, Brooks Rattigan (Noah Centineo) has the academic chops to get into his dream Ivy League school, but what he's missing is an outstanding extracurricular - and the money.

Netflix has released the first trailer, images, and poster for the upcoming teen romantic comedy film The Perfect Date. Directed by Chris Nelson (Date and Switch) from a screenplay by Steve Bloom (The Winning Season) and Randall Green (Billions), the film stars To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before breakout Young Mark Ruffalo Noah Centineo as a high school student who dreams of something more. Brooks Rattigan has great grades, but lacks the funds necessary to attend his dream Ivy League college. After agreeing to pose as the boyfriend of a self-assured girl named Celia (Laura Marano) in …...

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency alum Hannah Marks will direct The Swimsuit Issue for Ld Entertainment and American High.

The script, which was on 2014's Black List, follows a nerdy high schooler who fancies himself an amateur photographer and attempts to create a "Swimsuit Issue" featuring his high school classmates in hopes of raising enough money to go to summer camp. The script comes from Randall Green, one of the writers behind Awesomeness title The Stand-In, starring Noah Centineo.

George Heller will produce alongside Will Phelps and Jeremy Garelick's American High banner, a partnership with Mickey Liddell's Ld Entertainment ...

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency alum Hannah Marks will direct The Swimsuit Issue for Ld Entertainment and American High.

The script, which was on 2014's Black List, follows a nerdy high schooler who fancies himself an amateur photographer and attempts to create a "Swimsuit Issue" featuring his high school classmates in hopes of raising enough money to go to summer camp. The script comes from Randall Green, one of the writers behind Awesomeness title The Stand-In, starring Noah Centineo.

George Heller will produce alongside Will Phelps and Jeremy Garelick's American High banner, a partnership with Mickey Liddell's Ld Entertainment ...

Author: Zehra Phelan

John Hughes is pretty much a legend to those who grew up through the 80s. He was the man responsible for coming-of-age classics such as Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, Ferris Bueller’s Day off and many more including one of which is getting a remake, The Great Outdoors which originally starred Dan Aykroyd and John Candy.

Almost twenty years after the Howard Deutch directed original was released, it has now been confirmed that a remake is in the works with the pint-sized force of silly comedy nature, Kevin Hart well and truly attached to star. In what capacity of character, we don’t know as yet, but we dread to think which character he could possible ruin.

Related: Kevin Hart news and interviews

Hughes penned the original but Randall Green has been brought on board to give the script a 21st century make-over, the synopsis for...

Kevin Hart is set to star in a remake of the classic 1988 John Candy and Dan Aykroyd comedy The Great Outdoors. I love the original film that was written by John Hughes. For me, it's one of those timeless classics that always makes me laugh. 

The story centers on Candy taking his family on a relaxing vacation up in the woods when his annoying brother unexpectedly shows up and ruins it. I imagine the remake will follow the exact same plot.

As much as I hate seeing movies like this get remade, it seems like the kind of film that Hart would be perfect for. I can see him in this story. I have no idea if the remake will end up being better than the original, but as someone who enjoys his comedy and films, I'm sure he'll bring on the laughs. 

The studio is currently looking for a...

The Great Outdoors isn’t the greatest movie that John Hughes, Dan Aykroyd, or John Candy ever made. But it does hold a certain nostalgic appeal (especially the iconic scene where Candy pits himself against a massive 96-ounce steak, with Aykroyd as his impromptu ringside coach).

Now, Kevin Hart will step up to tackle a similarly huge challenge, with Variety reporting that the comedian will star in a remake of the 1988 film. Universal is currently looking for a director to take on the project, while Randall Green, who writes on Showtime’s Billions, will pen the script.

The biggest question, of course, is who the studio will find to star opposite Hart, a tried-and-tested veteran of buddy-dynamics movies. Assuming Hart sticks with his usual niche and steps into the relatively straight-laced Candy role, there are any number of actors who could play the irritating brother-in-law driving him to distraction ...

The Great Outdoors is one of those movies that's fine for remaking. Although it likely has fans, especially those loyal to its stars Dan Aykroyd and John Candy and screenwriter John Hughes, for the most part it's a forgotten comedy that's almost 30 years old and hasn't aged into certain classic status. There's no use in complaining, then, that there is in fact a remake in the works. Deadline is reporting that Kevin Hart will star in the new version, which is being rewritten by relative newcomer Randall Green (TV's Billions). It hasn't been revealed whether he'll be filling the part of Candy, who played a man trying to enjoy a lakeside cabin vacation with his family, or Aykroyd, the rude brother-in-law who shows up unannounced with his family...

Read More...

Universal has brought on superstar Kevin Hart to star in their comedy reboot of the 1988 comedy The Great Outdoors, which starred Dan Aykroyd and John Candy. This comes just days after news broke that Disney had actually approached Kevin Hart to play the genie in their Aladdin reboot before Will Smith. Kevin Hart will also produce through his Hartbeat Productions alongside Michael De Luca and his production company.

Deadline reports that Randall Green (Billions) has come aboard to write the script, although no details were given about this new version of the story. The original comedy centered on a Chicago family man (John Candy) who takes his wife (Stephanie Faracy) and sons (Chris Young, Ian Giatti) on a lakeshore vacation. Their trip is upended with the surprise arrival of their snobby in-laws (Dan Aykryod and Annette Benning) and their kids (Hilary Gordon and Rebecca Gordon).

The original movie was directed...

Simon Brew Apr 28, 2017

The 1988 John Candy and Dan Aykroyd comedy The Great Outdoors is getting a remake, starring Kevin Hart.

We’ve not had news of a newly-announced remake for a little while, and we’d assumed that the contents of the 1980s and 1990s had been thoroughly mined. That’s not the case, however, as Universal has settled on a new version of the 1988 comedy, The Great Outdoors.

The original film starred the late John Candy alongside Dan Aykroyd, and was directed by Howard Deutch. In terms of personnel on the new version, Kevin Hart has already been lined up to star, although it’s not yet clear who’ll be appearing alongside him.

Randall Green, who’s been working on a script for a Scooby Doo reboot, has been tasked with penning the screenplay for the new The Great Outdoors. No news of a director yet. We’ll keep you posted…...

Universal has brought on Kevin Hart to star in the upcoming remake of John Hughes’ 1988 comedy, “The Great Outdoors,” TheWrap has learned. Hart will also co-produce the film via Hartbeat Productions with Michael De Luca, who is producing via Michael De Luca Productions. Randall Green is attached to write the script. The original film, which was written by Hughes and directed by Howard Deutch, starred Dan Aykroyd and John Candy as the patriarchs of two families who engage in a feud while on vacation in Wisconsin. Also Read: Kevin Hart to Star, Produce, Co-Write Universal Comedy 'Night School' Green’s other work.

Exclusive: Universal Pictures has attached Kevin Hart to star in The Great Outdoors, a reboot the studio is developing based on the 1988 John Hughes-scripted comedy. Randall Green is writing the new version. Michael De Luca is producing for Michael De Luca Productions with Hart through his Hartbeat Productions banner. The original Howie Deutch-directed film starred Dan Aykroyd and John Candy and focused on a Chicago man whose plans for a relaxing outdoor camping trip is…...

Literary/talent manager George Heller has joined Brillstein Entertainment Partners. For the past five years, Heller led the Los Angeles management operations of Denis Leary and Jim Serpico’s Apostle. Before that, he was a manager at Principato-Young. Heller will bring all of his clients with him to Bep. The list includes Randall Green (Scooby Doo), Seth Owen (Peepers), Adam Perlman (The Good Wife, Billions), Johnny Rosenthal (Bad Santa 2), Rebecca Drysdale (Key & Peele, Ba…...

Read More: 20 Best & Worst Films Made From Black List Scripts Now in its eleventh year of existence, The Black List has announced its annual list of unpublished screenplays — not a "best of" list, as the survey often reminds its readers, but a "most liked" list that requires a large network of executives to pick the scripts they like the most and share them in the List's always-evovling forum — as per year-end tradition. Before announcing the official list, The Black List's Twitter account shared a variety of tidbits about best Black List entries (with a hefty emphasis on awards season reach) and some trivia about the 2015 iteration of the list. Of note: A total of 81 scripts made this year's list, and no screenwriter is represented more than once on the list (although one writer, Randall Green, had two scripts on last year's list, a pretty tidy streak). It's a compelling...

Exclusive: Universal Pictures has acquired Reunion, a pitch by writer Randall Green that will be produced by Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark through their Bluegrass Films banner. The project is an R-rated comedy, and they are keeping the specifics under wraps. Green is currently writing the live action Scooby-Doo reboot at Warner Bros, and he landed two scripts on the Black List in the past year, Swimsuit Issue and Cartoon Girl. Bluegrass exec Alexa Faigen brought the pitch…...

Updated With Full List Of Scripts, Writers, And Reps: Catherine The Great, about the rise and life of the famous (sometimes notorious) 18th-Century Russian monarch, was the top vote-getter among 70 scripts chosen for the 2014 Black List of the year’s best un-produced scripts. The screenplay, by Los Angeles writer and producer Kristina Lauren Anderson, was announced as part of an hour-plus process on Twitter and YouTube this morning.

Each of the 70 screenplays on this 10th annual list was chosen by a group of 250 development executives, agents and other Hollywood insiders as among the year’s best un-produced scripts in a process overseen by Franklin Leonard of http://www.blcklst.com. Anderson’s screenplay received 51 votes.

Other notables in the list include writer/actor/director Kenneth Lonergan with Manchester-By-The-Sea, which is being produced by Matt Damon and Chris Moore. Randall Green had two scripts make the list, The Swimsuit Issue and Cartoon Girl.