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Exclusive: Independent faith-based studio The Wonder Project (Twp) has hired filmmaker Jon Gunn as its Head of Story.

Gunn, the director of the upcoming Lionsgate movies Ordinary Angels (Feb. 23) starring 2x Oscar winner Hilary Swank and The Unbreakable Boy (February 2025) starring Zachary Levi, will oversee the story development for The Wonder Project’s emerging slate of film and television programming, ensuring compelling and authentic storytelling that aligns with the company’s aspirational mission.

“It’s a rare and invaluable asset to have such dynamic storytellers, like Jon Gunn and Jon Erwin, steering the ship. They embody our mission to bring audiences the essential entertainment that speaks to their core values, and is as entertaining and meaningful as it is memorable, ” said Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten, CEO of Twp. “Here at the Wonder Project, the art of story is paramount, and our growing leadership reflects that commitment.”

“After writing and producing five films together,...

Exclusive: Tom Arnold (True Lies), Jennifer Tilly (Liar Liar), Shannyn Sossamon (Sinister 2), Robert Carradine (Justice), Asif Ali (Wrecked) and Oscar-winner Cloris Leachman (The Last Picture Show) are set to star in stoner comedy High Holiday, which Fortitude International will launch at the Cannes film market.

The film will follow the free-spirited daughter of a conservative politician who, in a bid to lighten up her uptight family’s Christmas, brings weed-infused salad dressing to their Christmas Eve dinner. Chaos ensues when everyone gets unknowingly high and a special guest arrives to reveal the family’s innermost secrets.

The picture, which is currently in production in Los Angeles, was written by Larry Postel and is directed by Brian Herzlinger (My Date With Drew). Lucas Jarach and Eric Brenner are producing.

Doug Kramer and Jim Jacobsen are executive producing through their respective companies Muddy Shoe Productions and Skyline Entertainment, which fully financed the picture.

Grease 2 has long unjustly suffered as a box office bomb and disappointing sequel. It’s actually even better than the classic Grease in many ways, at least when it comes to gender dynamics. Maxwell Caulfield plays Michael Carrington, a new student at Rydell high. He falls in love with Pink Lady Stephanie (Michelle Pfeiffer) who only dates T-Birds. So Michael creates a mysterious biker persona to woo her. Filmmaker Brian Herzlinger (My Date with Drew) assembled director Pat Birch and cast members Caulfield, Adrian Zmed, Leif Green, Christopher McDonald, Alison Price, Maureen Teefy, Liz Sagal and Jean Sagal for a […]

The post The Travolta/Newton John Cameo We Almost Got and 11 More Things We Learned From The Cast and Director Of Grease 2! appeared first on Monsters and Critics.

Stand-up star Russell Peters will take a lead role in Three for the Road, a raunchy buddy road movie comedy from writer/director Brian Herzlinger (My Date With Drew). The Canadian comedian will play Jack, a 38-year-old geek whose fiancee dumps him during their Star Wars-themed wedding for being "too immature." Looking to pick up his spirits, Jack's best friend Ben invites him to join him on a cross-country road trip with his own fiancee (and Jack's nemesis) Kara. What was supposed to be a romantic trip for two becomes a battle for Ben's affection.

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Some pretty nifty news has come in regarding who will be helming the upcoming adaptation of the Adam Gidwitz book A Tale Dark & Grimm for Kamala Pictures and FilmNation. Variety is reporting that Coraline director Henry Selick is now on board.

Jon Gunn (My Date With Drew) and John W. Mann (Mercy Streets) will write the adapted screenplay.

“I remain completely enraptured by Adam Gidwitz’ marvelous book ‘A Tale Dark & Grimm,’” Selick said in a statement. “It’s a hilarious, deeply inventive tale about survival in the world of fairytales and what it takes to forgive one’s parents. So it’s a huge thrill to be joining the team of Kamala Films and FilmNation as the director of the film based on it.”

Gidwtiz's original frightening and witty story -- inspired by the Brothers Grimm -- follows the adventures of two unsuspecting children who hold the key to breaking out of the Dark Ages.

Some pretty nifty news is coming out of Toronto as word of another adaptation has hit the interwebs with a dark and grim thud. Read on to find out what's next for you fine fiends from FilmNation. Dig it!

THR reports FilmNation Entertainment and Kamala Films are teaming to turn Adam Gidwitz's popular children's book A Tale Dark & Grimm into a live-action feature. Jon Gunn (My Date With Drew) and John W. Mann (Mercy Streets) will write the adapted screenplay.

Gidwtiz's original frightening and witty story -- inspired by the Brothers Grimm -- follows the adventures of two unsuspecting children who hold the key to breaking out of the Dark Ages. FilmNation has acquired film rights to the book and will partner with Marissa McMahon of Kamala Films in financing and producing Dark & Grimm alongside FilmNation Entertainment's Aaron Ryder and Karen Lunder.

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Toronto -- FilmNation Entertainment and Kamala Films are teaming to turn Adam Gidwitz's popular children's book A Tale Dark & Grimm into a live-action feature. Jon Gunn (My Date With Drew) and John W. Mann (Mercy Streets) will write the adapted screenplay. Story: Toronto 2012: Exclusive Media Makes Bold Foray Into U.S. Distribution Gidwtiz's original frightening and witty story -- inspired by the Brothers Grimm -- follows the adventures of two unsuspecting children who hold the key to breaking out of the Dark Ages. FilmNation has acquired film rights to the book and will partner with Marissa McMahon of Kamala Films

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FilmNation Entertainment has acquired the feature film rights to the popular children’s book A Tale Dark & Grimm by author Adam Gidwitz. FilmNation will partner with Marissa McMahon of Kamala Films to finance the development and produce alongside FilmNation Entertainment’s Aaron Ryder and Karen Lunder. Jon Gunn (Mercy Streets, My Date with Drew) and John W. Mann (Mercy Streets) are confirmed to adapt the screenplay. Currently in development, the live action feature film will be based on Gidwitz’s original frightening and witty stories. Inspired by some of Grimm’s more gruesome tales, the story follows the adventures of two unsuspecting children who hold the key to breaking out of the dark ages. FilmNation Entertainment’s Aaron Ryder said: “We have been searching for distinctive source material for our first family project. We found this in Gidwitz’s witty manuscript and look forward to nurturing the project with our partners at Kamala Films.

The course of true love never did run smooth, as demonstrated in many of the Valentine's-inspired selections to Indiewire's latest curation of Hulu's Documentaries page.  While not all of the featured films paint a negative picture of love and relationships, they all must contend with some difficulties, if not outright tragedies, along the way. Hapless romantic Brian Herzlinger decides to follow through on his nearly lifelong crush on Drew Barrymore by tracking down the Hollywood star and getting her to agree to go out on a date. "My Date With Drew" is the entertaining and likeable result of what can happen when you take on an if not impossible, at least improbable, dream. Another improbable love story is found in a most unlikely place in Jon Nealon's "Goodbye Hungaria." A Palestinian refugee and an American volunteer meet at a Hungarian refugee camp, and while wading through the quagmire of international politics,...

What would you do to get a first date with your celebrity crush? How about make a movie? Meet Albert Sam Nunez (usually goes by Sam), he’s 21 years-old and has never been on a date before. About a year ago he was inspired to make a documentary film after watching My Date with Drew, a 2004 documentary starring Brian Herzlinger who set out to get a date with his childhood crush Drew Barrymore. So Sam and his co-director Wayne T. Williams took it upon themselves to follow in Herzlinger’s footsteps, and started a project called My First Date. The goal is to try and get Sam a night out with the girl of his dreams, Emma Watson. Herzlinger eventually got his date, but Sam patiently awaits an answer and is hoping that through word of mouth, Ms. Watson may finally respond. There’s no question that My First Date,...

There are the documentaries that delve into great tragedy and triumph. There are the documentaries that dig into deeply personal tales. And then there are the documentaries that ... aren't so epic. My Date with Drew wasn't the sort of movie that would ever take the festival circuit by storm, burrowing into the public consciousness, but with earnestness and excitement it still wins a spot on the should-watch pile of films.

Director and star Brian Herzlinger is the typical struggling Hollywood hanger-on. He moved to the big city, trying to find his big break, but the farthest that he got was winning $1,100 on a pilot game show. The answer that won him the cash -- "Drew Barrymore." Taa-daa! Fate! Kismet! See, he's been in love with Drew for years, so he cooks up a scheme to try and get a date with the famous actress, and films his journey to the Barrymore,...

Paramount Pictures is setting up a film based on the classic fortune-telling toy - Mattel's Magic 8 Ball.

According to Vulture, Jon Gunn and John Mann ("My Date With Drew") are writing the script which aims to become a "National Treasure"-style action-adventure family franchise.

Brad Weston will produce. Tom Shadyac ("Liar, Liar") was originally onboard to develop the project for Universal back in 2006 but neither he or that studio is involved any longer.

In Hollywood, a magic 8-ball used to just be a vial of cocaine that allowed producers to think they're flying. But now it's also going to be a movie about an oversize billiard ball with a blue liquid-immersed 20-sided die inside it that enables indecisive people to make important life choices. For example, some exec at Paramount asked one, "should we make a movie based on the Magic 8-Ball novelty toy?" And it answered, "My reply is no." So the studio exec put the greenlight on it faster than he could snort a line.

Is the idea of a Magic 8-Ball movie surprising? To be honest, I thought this project had already been announced back when everyone was foretelling what other games and toys would follow Monopoly, Battleship, Ouija Board, Stretch Armstrong, etc., into multiplexes. Now it just seems like everyone's unveiling the appropriate 8-ball-related snark they've been working on...

88,000? Do your math; I rounded up to be safe.

The Lorax I am not, I do not speak for the trees. I however do speak for the Me-Tree, the tree that’s me (Dr. Seuss was a genius, I’m not. I know.) There is a strong difference between a person’s “favorites” and what a person thinks are the “best.” Many lists seem to forget that very important fact. Sure, I think There Will Be Blood, Let The Right One In, Pan’s Labyrinth, Requiem For A Dream, Synecdoche, New York (etc.) are probably some of the best films of the decade as far as craft, performances, and technique goes, but they might not make the list (you have to read further to find out.) They might not be flicks that I want to revisit all the time for leisure or laughs. As for the types of movies that usually gravitate toward my favorites,...

TORONTO -- Montreal's Just for Laughs comedy festival said Tuesday that its Comedia movie showcase will kick off with a screening of New Line Cinema's Wedding Crashers, a comedy starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson as divorce mediators who crash weddings to pick up women. Comedia has booked a number of American comedies, including Philip Zlotorynski's My Big Fat Independent Movie, which spoofs indie hits such as Memento and Pulp Fiction; Brian Herzlinger's My Date With Drew, a documentary about a digital filmmaker looking to date Drew Barrymore; and Jeffrey Ross' Patriot Act, a documentary about Drew Carey leading a platoon of comics into Iraq to entertain U.S. troops.