Dark Horse and TNT Team Up on DreamWork's "Falling Skies"

DARK HORSE AND TNT TEAM UP ON COMIC BOOK PREQUEL "TO FALLING SKIES"

THE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED NEW SERIES STARRING NOAH WYLE, PRODUCED BY DREAMWORKS TELEVISION AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCER STEVEN SPIELBERG WILL APPEAR IN COMIC FORM ONLINE AND IN PRINT!

TNT is teaming up with publisher Dark Horse Comics to create a comic book and webcomic prequel to FALLING SKIES, the eagerly anticipated new series starring Noah Wyle (ER, TNT’s The Librarian movies) and produced by DreamWorks Television and executive producer Steven Spielberg. The comic book and webcomic are slated to be unveiled at New York Comic Con in October. FALLING SKIES, which is set to premiere on TNT in summer 2011, is a gripping drama that envisions a world where aliens have invaded, and the fate of humanity lies in the hands of a few survivors.

During New York Comic Con (Oct. 8-10), TNT and Dark Horse will distribute an exclusive, special-edition 12-14 page comic book that tells the harrowing backstory of the alien invasion. Beginning Nov. 1, fans will be able to download an extended webcomic version through tnt.tv, darkhorse.com and iTunes, with new installments posted every two weeks.

“The FALLING SKIES comic book and webcomic provide a great way for TNT to ramp up excitement for FALLING SKIES, while also providing a thrilling backstory to the series’ intriguing premise and characters,” said Tricia Melton, senior vice president of entertainment marketing for TNT, TBS and Turner Classic Movies (TCM). “We look forward to working with Dark Horse Comics as we begin the FALLING SKIES invasion.”

In addition to the comic book and webcomic, Dark Horse is collaborating with TNT on the FALLING SKIES presence at this month’s Comic-Con International in San Diego. The event will include appearances and autograph sessions with series stars Wyle and Moon Bloodgood (Terminator Salvation), along with co-executive producer and writer Mark Verheiden (Heroes, Battlestar Galactica). On Friday, July 23, from 2-3 p.m. (PT), the three will appear at Dark Horse’s Comic-Con International booth, where they will sign exclusive FALLING SKIES posters. Then from 4:45 p.m. – 5:45 p.m. (PT), Wyle, Bloodgood and Verheiden will participate in a Q&A panel session in Room 6A.

In FALLING SKIES, Wyle stars as a former college professor who becomes the leader of a group of soldiers and civilians struggling against an occupying alien force. Bloodgood co-stars as Anne Glass, a therapist who works with the surviving children to help them cope with the traumatic situation. The series also stars Drew Roy (Lincoln Heights) as Hal and Maxim Knight (Brothers & Sisters) as Matt, Tom’s two sons; and Seychelle Gabriel (Weeds) as Lourdes, an orphaned teenager who helps run the group’s commissary. Will Patton (Armageddon, TNT’s Into the West) plays a fierce leader of the resistance.

FALLING SKIES is executive-produced by Steven Spielberg, along with DreamWorks Television heads Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank and screenwriter Robert Rodat. Rodat, who earned an Oscar® nomination for his screenplay for Saving Private Ryan, wrote the pilot from an idea he co-conceived with Spielberg. Verheiden and Greg Beeman (Heroes, Smallville) are co-executive producers. The pilot was directed by Carl Franklin (One False Move, Out of Time).


About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, Will Eisner, and bestselling prose author, Janet Evanovich, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as The Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Additionally, their highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Mass Effect, Tim Burton, Serenity and Domo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic-book publisher in the United States and is recognized as both an innovator in the cause of creator rights and the comics industry's leading publisher of licensed material.

About TNT
TNT, one of cable’s top-rated networks, is television’s destination for drama. Seen in 99.6 million households, the network is home to such original series as The Closer, starring Kyra Sedgwick; Leverage, starring Timothy Hutton; and Dark Blue, starring Dylan McDermott; Rizzoli & Isles, starring Angie Harmon and Sasha Alexander; Memphis Beat, with Jason Lee; Men of a Certain Age, with Ray Romano, Andre Braugher and Scott Bakula; and Southland, from Emmy®-winning producer John Wells (ER). TNT also presents such powerful dramas as Bones, Supernatural, Las Vegas, Law & Order, CSI: NY, Cold Case and Numb3rs; broadcast premiere movies; compelling primetime specials, such as the Screen Actors Guild Awards®; and championship sports coverage, including NASCAR and the NBA. The NCAA men’s basketball tournament will appear on TNT beginning in 2011. TNT is available in high-definition.

Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.

"United 93" Excellent Docudrama and Thriller

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 257 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

United 93 (2006)
Running time: 111 minutes (1 hour, 51 minutes)
MPAA – R for language, and some intense sequences of terror and violence
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
PRODUCERS: Tim Bevan & Eric Fellner, Lloyd Levin, and Paul Greengrass
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Barry Akroyd, BSC
EDITOR: Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse, and Richard Pearson
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA/THRILLER/HISTORICAL

Starring: Opal Alladin, David Alan Basche, Christian Clemenson, Gary Commock, Cheyenne Jackson, Corey Johnson, JJ Johnson, and Khalid Abdalla, Lewis Alsamari, Omar Berdouni, and Jamie Harding

Directed by Paul Greengrass (Bloody Sunday, The Bourne Supremacy), United 93 is a fictional account of the incidents aboard United Airlines Flight 93, the fourth hijacked plane on September 11, 2001, the day of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil. This docu-drama follows the boarding of a Boeing 757 – United Flight 93 – for an ordinary flight to San Francisco. Then, it moves back and forth from flight control centers in Boston, Cleveland, and New York and the Herndon Command Centers back to 93 as the 9/11 attacks begin. The second half of the film finds the crew and passengers of United 93 realizing with dawning horror that America is under attack and that their flight, which has been hijacked by four men, is part of that attack. Some of the passengers and crew resolve to fight in a desperate attempt to take back control of the plane.

Quality action thrillers reward their viewers with exhilarating highs and even the occasional wallop to the old midsection. United 93 (2006 New York Film Critics Circle Award for “Best Picture”) does just that. This film, however, is really more than just an action movie; it is a memorial to the real events of 9/11. That it also manages to be a harrowing, heartbreaking, and ultimately masterful bit of filmmaking is a triple bonus.

Still, as director Paul Greengrass (2006 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards winner for “Best Director”) has admitted, no one really knows what happened aboard United 93 from the time it left Boston until it crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Phone calls from the passengers and crew are all that the public and storytellers have to piece together a probable timeline of the events. For the best storytellers, that is just enough material to tell a story that captures the popular imagination the way real history does.

This lean, mean fighting machine of movie can be harsh at times, but Greengrass makes us care no matter how desperate the situation is for the passengers and crew. Too bad, the first 50 minutes of this story is so antiseptic. Greengrass switches back and forth from United flight 93 to several command centers as various officials, bureaucrats, and authority types try to figure out what’s going on the day passengers planes were used to terrorize America. He’s clinical and occasionally bland in his attempt to nail down the technical details and reproduce history via digital photography. Why then is the first half so dull? It’s like watching an ordinary TV documentary on the Discovery or History Channels. It’s downright anal the way Greengrass creates verisimilitude in the first half, and his fidelity to what alleged facts he has about the real United 93 is admirable, although that all makes for a great dullness.

It’s in the second half of the film when Greengrass has to deal with speculation, myth, and a lack of facts that United 93 flirts with being a truly great film. As harsh as it is at times, United 93 makes us care about the characters, the place, and the situation no matter how painful it might be to watch. It’s as if we’re there with the characters and rooting for them – maybe, even begging that they survive. No one knows what happened when hijackers took over United Airlines Flight 93, but Paul Greengrass makes a darn good yarn out of speculation. United 93 is the art of making film myth out of history just as Oliver Stone did 15 years earlier with JFK.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

NOTES:
2007 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Achievement in Directing” (Paul Greengrass) and “Best Achievement in Editing” (Clare Douglas, Richard Pearson, and Christopher Rouse)

2007 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Best Editing” (Clare Douglas, Christopher Rouse, and Richard Pearson) and “David Lean Award for Direction” (Paul Greengrass); 4 nominations: “Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film” (Tim Bevan, Lloyd Levin, and Paul Greengrass), “Best Cinematography” (Barry Ackroyd), “Best Screenplay – Original” (Paul Greengrass), and “Best Sound” (Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Doug Cooper, Oliver Tarney, and Eddy Joseph)

Sam Raimi Adapting "Earp" Comic Book to Film

SAM RAIMI TO DIRECT RADICAL’S EARP

Radical Publishing is proud to announce that director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) has signed on to produce and direct the film adaptation of EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS, based on Radical Publishing’s miniseries created by Matt Cirulnick and David Manpearl and written by Matt Cirulnick and M. Zachary Sherman. EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS will be produced by Mandeville Films partners David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman for DreamWorks with Matt Cirulnick attached to write the screenplay. Radical’s President and Publisher, Barry Levine, and Raimi’s partner at Star Road Entertainment, Josh Donen, will also produce with Radical Studios’ Executive Vice President Jesse Berger, Cirulnick and Manpearl signed on as Executive Producers.

In a world where the American economy has all but collapsed to the levels of the Great Depression, infamous bandits roam the country and the law is as corrupt as the criminals its sworn to stop. Yet one lawman remains a steadfast moral compass for the people: WYATT EARP. Earp has collared more most-wanted men than anyone in history – but after a violent assignment claims the life of his brother, Wyatt sets out to forge a simple life in the only boomtown left: Las Vegas. With gorgeous women and free-flowing money on endless tap, Sin City attracts more people than a modern gold rush. Though Earp no longer wears a U.S. Marshall’s badge, his past is about to catch up to him. With nearly everything to lose, Earp will have to beat the odds stacked against him in order to bring old-fashioned justice to Sin City.

“This is amazing news going into San Diego Comic-Con,” states Levine. “Both Cirulnick and Manpearl have created an exciting setting of Las Vegas in the near future to reinvent the Wyatt Earp legend that will excite fans around the world.”

EARP: SAINTS FOR SINNERS #0 is currently available to purchase for the premiere price of $1.00. A deluxe-sized issue #1 will go on sale in late 2010. Keep checking www.radicalpublishing.com for updates.

Cirulnick will unveil artwork and story details at Radical's creators panel at Comic-Con on Thursday, July 22nd at 2:00 P.M. in room 32AB.

Radical Publishing will also be having a special EARP signing at San Diego Comic-Con booth #3725 on Thursday, July 22nd starting at 5:00 P.M.

Fans are encouraged to visit the Radical Publishing website www.radicalpublishing.com to check out special webisodes and for more information.


About Radical Publishing
Radical Publishing is founded by Barry Levine (producer for Hercules, Caliber, Freedom Formula, Shrapnel, Abattoir, Oblivion, The Last Days of American Crime, Legends, Damaged, Earp: Saints for Sinners and executive producer for the in-development Rex Mundi movie for Warner Bros., written by Jim Uhls and starring Johnny Depp) and entrepreneur Jesse Berger (executive producer for Hercules, Caliber, Freedom Formula, Shrapnel, Abattoir, Oblivion, The Last Days of American Crime, Legends, Damaged and Earp: Saints for Sinners).

For their quality and excellence in 2008, Radical Publishing was granted the Gem Award for “Best New Publisher of the Year” from Diamond Comic Distributors. Radical brings the best writing, storytelling, and fully painted cover and interior art to the global comic book market, from prominent international talents such as Yoshitaka Amano, Keith Arem, Rain Beredo, Marc Bernardin, John Bolton, Darren Lynn Bousman, Ron L. Brinkerhoff, Bing Cansino, Matt Cirulnick, Tomm Coker, Clayton Crain, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Flint Dille, Marko Djurdjevic, Ian Edginton, Warren Ellis, James Farr, Adam Freeman, E. Max Frye, Antoine Fuqua, Justin Gray, Paul Gulacy, David Hine, Taka Ichise, Joseph Kosinski, Clint Langley, Adam Lawson, David Lapham, Richard Lee, Rob Levin, David Liss, Alex Maleev, Leonardo Manco, David Manpearl, Stephan Martinière, Francesco "Matt" Mattina, Peter Milligan, Steve Moore, Arvid Nelson, Wayne Nichols, Steve Niles, Jimmy Palmiotti, Nick Percival, Troy Peteri, Vincent Proce, Steve Pugh, Patrick Reilly, Rick Remender, Terry Rossio, Luis Royo, Nick Sagan, Kirsi Salonen, Sam Sarkar, Stjepan Sejic, M. Zachary Sherman, Bill Sienkiewicz, Wesley Snipes, Jim Steranko, Arthur Suydam, Patrick Tatopoulos, J.P. Targete, Greg Tocchini, Andree Wallin, Rich Wilkes, Dave Wilkins, Concept Art House, Haberlin Studios, Meduzarts Digital Environment Studio, Weta Workshop, Zombie Studios, and many more.

Currently, Radical Publishing has production deals with Spyglass Entertainment and Peter Berg’s Film 44 for Hercules, with Johnny Depp's Infinitum Nihil for Caliber, New Regency and Bryan Singer’s Bad Hat Harry Productions for Freedom Formula, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment for Legends as well as Dreamworks, Sam Raimi’s Star Road Entertainment and Mandeville Films for Earp: Saints for Sinners. .

Review: "The Bourne Ultimaturm" is Ultimate

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 114 (of 2007) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
Running time: 111 minutes (1 hour, 51 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for violence and intense sequences of action
DIRECTOR: Paul Greengrass
WRITERS: Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, and George Nolfi; from a screen story by Tony Gilroy (based upon the novel by Robert Ludlum)
PRODUCERS: Frank Marshall and Paul Sandberg
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Oliver Wood
EDITOR: Christopher Rouse
Academy Award winner

DRAMA/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring: Matt Damon, Julia Stiles, David Strathairn, Scott Glenn, Paddy Considine, Edgar Ramirez, Albert Finney, Joan Allen, Chris Cooper, and Corey Johnson

In The Bourne Identity, he fought to answer the question, “Who am I?” In The Bourne Supremacy, he wanted to know, “Who killed my girlfriend,” and he killed for what was done to him. In The Bourne Ultimatum, Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) remembers everything, and his journey takes him from Europe and North Africa to a trip home to New York City where all the answers will be found.

After he got his revenge for the killing of Marie, Bourne planned to disappear and forget the life that was stolen from him, but a front-page story in a London newspaper speculates about his existence. Bourne sets up a meeting with Simon Ross (Paddy Considine), the journalist who wrote the story, but that meeting makes Bourne a target again. The journalist does give him a lead on two top-secret black operations or black-ops programs, Treadstone and its successor Blackbriar, which may hold the key to Bourne’s past. Bourne’s reemergence also gets him marked for death by Noah Vosen (David Strathairn), the head of a new covert wing of the CIA and the director of Blackbriar. Bourne gains the trust of conflicted agent Nicky Parsons (Julia Stiles) and CIA operative/internal investigator and spy hunter Pamela Landy (Joan Allen), and with their help, he will have his day of reckoning.

Like his previous effort in the Jason Bourne series, The Bourne Supremacy, Oscar-nominated director Paul Greengrass (United 93) delivers mind blowing action, whiplash-paced fighting, and thoughtful plotting. Greengrass does this picture with equal parts humor and brutality, and makes it is as smart as it is stylish.

Matt Damon is Jason Bourne, and he leaves no doubt that it would be nearly impossible for anyone to take his place. His acting chops and screen charisma combined with his physical training for the role invents Bourne as a supernatural covert operative who can kick any ass, go anywhere, break into the most secure locations, and be invisible in a crowd.

The supporting cast may not be A-list actors in terms of star power, but they are A+ list in terms of screen acting. Added to Damon’s work here, they put The Bourne Ultimatum over the top. It’s not just a great espionage thriller; it’s the best thriller of the year and a great film. Whether you’re a Bourne fan, or just a friend, mother, father, etc. going along with a fan, you’ll go home impressed and happy.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, August 12, 2007

NOTES:
2008 Academy Awards: 3 wins: “Best Achievement in Editing” (Christopher Rouse), “Best Achievement in Sound” (Scott Millan, David Parker, and Kirk Francis), and “Best Achievement in Sound Editing” (Karen M. Baker and Per Hallberg)

2008 BAFTA Awards: 2 wins: “Best Editing” (Christopher Rouse) and “Best Sound” (Kirk Francis, Scott Millan, David Parker, Karen M. Baker, and Per Hallberg); 4 nominations: “Best British Film” (Frank Marshall, Patrick Crowley, Paul Sandberg, Paul Greengrass, Tony Gilroy, Scott Z. Burns, and George Nolfi), “Best Cinematography” (Oliver Wood), “Best Director” (Paul Greengrass), and “Best Special Visual Effects” (Peter Chiang, Charlie Noble, Mattias Lindahl, and Joss Williams)

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New Line Begins Production on "Horrible Bosses"

“Horrible Bosses” Shooting in Los Angeles with an All-Star Cast

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is underway on New Line Cinema’s comedy “Horrible Bosses,” starring Jason Bateman (“Couples Retreat”), Charlie Day (TV’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” upcoming “Going the Distance”), Jason Sudeikis (TV’s “Saturday Night Live,” upcoming “Going the Distance”), Jennifer Aniston (“He’s Just Not That Into You”), Colin Farrell (“Crazy Heart”), Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx (“Ray”), two-time Academy Award® winner Kevin Spacey (“American Beauty,” “The Usual Suspects”), Julie Bowen (TV’s “Modern Family”) and veteran actor Donald Sutherland. The production is filming in Los Angeles, under the direction of Seth Gordon.

For Nick, Kurt and Dale, the only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable would be to grind their intolerable bosses into dust. Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con, the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers…permanently. There’s only one problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.

Bateman, Sudeikis and Day play the three hapless workers, while Spacey, Farrell and Aniston are their unbearable bosses. Foxx appears as the con, whose street cred is priced on a sliding scale.

Seth Gordon (“Four Christmases,” “The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters”) directs “Horrible Bosses” from an original screenplay by Michael Markowitz, with revisions by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley. Brett Ratner and Jay Stern are producing the film, with Richard Brener, Michael Disco, Sam Brown and Diana Pokorny serving as executive producers. John Cheng, John Rickard and Mary Rohlich are co-producers.

Slated for a Summer 2011 release, New Line Cinema’s “Horrible Bosses,” a Rat Entertainment Production, will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.


About New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema continues to be one of the most successful independent film companies. For more than 40 years, its mission has been to produce innovative, popular, profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line produced the Oscar-winning “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which is a landmark in the history of film franchises. New Line Cinema is a division of Warner Bros.

"Black Dynamite" is Dy-No-Mite!

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 55 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux

Black Dynamite (2009)
Running time: 84 minutes (1 hour, 24 minutes)
MPAA – R for sexuality/nudity, language, some violence and drug content
DIRECTOR: Scott Sanders
WRITERS: Michael Jai White, Byron Minns, and Scott Sanders; from a story by Michael Jai White and Byron Minns
PRODUCERS: Jenny Wiener Steingart and Jon Steingart
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Shawn Maurer
COMPOSER/EDITOR: Adrian Younge

ACTION/MARTIAL ARTS

Starring: Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tommy Davidson, Kevin Chapman, Byron Minns, Richard Edson, Myketli Williamson, Kim Whitley, Tucker Smallwood, Cedric Yarbrough, John Salley, Brian McKnight, Bokeem Woodbine, Miguel Nunez, Roger Yuan, James McManus, Nicole Sullivan, and Arsenio Hall

Mel Brook’s 1974 comedy, Blazing Saddles, was a successful spoof of Hollywood Westerns because it looked and acted like a real Western. Black Dynamite, the recent parody of blaxploitation movies, ends up being brilliant because it acts like a blaxploitation movie and still manages to skewer every convention of the violent action movies featuring African-American anti-heroes that appeared in the 1970s.

The film focuses on the title character, Black Dynamite (Michael Jai White), a gun-toting, nunchuck-wielding street hero. This self-styled ladies man and soul brother is also a Vietnam veteran and former CIA agent. After his brother Jimmy is murdered, Black Dynamite is reinstated into the CIA to keep him from seeking revenge by himself. After learning that local orphanages for black children are being filled with heroin, he goes after the drug dealers to clean up the streets. However, Black Dynamite discovers a more diabolical conspiracy against the Black man that will take Black Dynamite from the ghetto streets to Kung Fu Island and finally to the Honky House (the White House).

Like Keenen Ivory Wayan’s I’m Gonna Get You Sucka (1988), Black Dynamite is a mock blaxploitation movie that also works as a black action movie, although Black Dynamite is the more convincing of the two as an action movie. Because he is apparently a professional martial artist and has a big muscular body, Michael Jai White can pull off the moves, attitude, and looks of an ass-kicking black superhero. Using his pumped up star, Black Dynamite director Scott Sanders constructs an action movie built on the physicality of his star, and it works. Black Dynamite is like Shaft meets Bruce Lee.

Comedy is Black Dynamite’s calling card. It minds blaxploitation films for laughs more than it makes fun of genre. The filmmakers are nostalgic for those black action movies of the 1970s. How else could they and Michael Jai White capture the language and the feel of blaxploitation so well? Plus, there are several appearances by comic actors in small and cameo roles (Arsenio Hall, Reno 911’s Cedric Yarbrough, MadTV’s Nicole Parker, among them) that add to this movie’s many delights.

Black Dynamite has also given me a new appreciation of Michael Jai White. This actor, who had the title role in the comic book movie, Spawn, and a flashy small part as a crime boss in The Dark Knight, has genuine screen charisma. Hopefully, we’ll see him more often. In the meantime, we have Black Dynamite. Maybe, many people won’t get this flick if they aren’t well versed in the characteristics of black exploitation films, which is unfortunate for them. Those of us who get it get a really good time.

7 of 10
A-

NOTES:
2010 Black Reel Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Director” (Scott Sanders) and “Best Screenplay, Original or Adapted” (Scott Sanders, Michael Jai White, and Byron Minns

2010 Image Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television)” (Scott Sanders)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

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"Arthur" Remake Begins Production in NYC

Russell Brand, Helen Mirren and Greta Gerwig to Star in Romantic Comedy “Arthur,” Now in Production in New York City

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Principal photography is now underway on location in New York City for the romantic comedy “Arthur,” starring Russell Brand (“Get Him to The Greek”), Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) and Greta Gerwig (“Greenberg”). The film will be directed by Jason Winer, a 2010 Directors Guild Award recipient for the hit ABC comedy “Modern Family.”

Brand stars as Arthur Bach, a man who has always relied on two things to get by: his limitless fortune and the good sense of lifelong nanny Hobson (Mirren) to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces his biggest challenge, choosing between an arranged marriage that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money can’t buy—Naomi (Gerwig), the only woman he has ever loved. With Naomi’s inspiration and some unconventional help from Hobson, Arthur will take the most expensive risk of his life and finally learn what it means to become a man, in this re-imagining of the 1981 classic.

“Arthur” also stars Jennifer Garner as Susan, Arthur’s appointed bride and keeper of the family fortune, and Nick Nolte as his imposing future father-in-law, Burt.

Winer will direct from a screenplay by Peter Baynham and Jared Stern. The film’s producers are Larry Brezner, Kevin McCormick, Chris Bender and Michael Tadross. J.C. Spink, Scott Kroopf, Russell Brand and Nik Linnen will serve as executive producers.

The creative behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Uta Briesewitz (“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story,” HBO’s “The Wire”), production designer Sarah Knowles (“Dan in Real Life,” “Invincible”), editor Brent White (“Knocked Up”) and costume designer Juliet Polcsa (“Brooklyn’s Finest”).

“Arthur” will film on location in Manhattan and in other areas of New York City. It will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.