By Justin Kroll
Senior Film Reporter
September 20, 2021 3:30pm

EXCLUSIVE: Ashton Sanders has joined the cast of the biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody, the upcoming feature about the late musical icon Whitney Houston. Sanders will play Bobby Brown, and sources also tell Deadline that Black Label Media is coming on board to co-finance the film with Compelling Pictures and Primary Wave Music.

Naomi Ackie is set to play Houston in the Kasi Lemmons-directed film. The screenplay is written by Academy Award nominee Anthony McCarten, and will take audiences on an emotional, energetic journey through Houston’s career and music.

Alongside McCarten’s Muse of Fire Productions, the film is being produced by Pat Houston on behalf of the Houston Estate, Grammy-winning music producer Clive Davis, Larry Mestel on behalf of Primary Wave Music, Denis O’Sullivan and Jeff Kalligheri of Compelling Pictures, and Matt Jackson of Jackson Pictures. Molly Smith, Trent and Thad Luckinbill will produce for Black Label Media, with Black Label’s Rachel Smith and Seth Spector executive producing. Primary Wave Music is a partner of the Houston estate. Stella Meghie will also exec produce.

Houston is the most awarded female music artist of all time and is one of the bestselling recording artists of all time, selling more than 200 million records worldwide. Houston won six Grammys, 16 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards and two Emmys, among other honors. Houston made her acting debut with the romantic thriller film The Bodyguard and recorded six songs for the film’s soundtrack, including “I Will Always Love You.” The song won the Grammy for Record of the Year and became the bestselling physical single by a woman in music history. The soundtrack album won the Grammy for Album of the Year and remains the bestelsling soundtrack album in history. In 2020, Whitney was posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and became the first Black artist to have 3 RIAA Diamond Awards.

Sony and TriStar Pictures will release the film in theaters on December 23, 2022.

Best known for his breakout role in Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, Sanders will soon reprise his role as RZA in Season 2 of Wu-Tang: An American Saga. Most recently, Sanders appeared in the Oscar-nominated film Judas and the Black Messiah, and he is also set to produce and star in A More Unbending Battle under his 1237 Production banner.

Sanders is represented by Hyperion, and Felker Toczek Suddleson Abramson.

Next on the Black Label slate JD Dillard’s Devotion starring Glen Powell and Jonathan Majors, Derek Kolstad’s Time Agent and Grant Singer’s Reptile starring Benicio Del Toro and Justin Timberlake.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

By Matt Grobar
August 26, 2021 2:44pm

Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Black Label Media’s Reptile, setting Oscar nominee Justin Timberlake (Palmer, The Social Network) to star opposite Oscar winner Benicio Del Toro (Sicario, Traffic), whose casting had already been announced.

The film picks up following the brutal murder of a young real estate agent, following a hardened detective (Del Toro) as he attempts to uncover the truth in a case where nothing is as it seems. In doing so, he finds himself dismantling the illusions in his own life.

Prolific music video director Grant Singer is helming the pic in his feature directorial debut. He wrote the script with Benjamin Brewer (The Trust, Beneath Contempt).

Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill are producing for Black Label Media, with Black Label’s Seth Spector co-producing. Del Toro and Rachel Smith are exec producing.

Timberlake most recently played the title role in the Apple Original Film Palmer. He’s also appeared on the film side in DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls films, the Coen brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis, Clint Eastwood-starrer Trouble with the Curve, Andrew Niccol’s action thriller In Time, Will Gluck’s Friends with Benefits, Jake Kasdan’s Bad Teacher and David Fincher’s The Social Network among other titles.

Timberlake is repped by WME, LBI and Ziffren Brittenham. Singer is repped by CAA, Anonymous Content and Ziffren Brittenham. Del Toro is repped by LBI, Range Media and Hansen Jacobson.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

By Pete Hammond
July 20, 2021 4:15pm

If there was any question Ben Platt is the real deal, the Dear Evan Hansen Tony winner and star of Netflix’s quirky The Politician, proves he has the acting chops to stand next to the best of his generation in the new indie dramedy, Broken Diamonds.

In the film inspired by the real-life experience of its screenwriter Steve Waverly, Platt plays Scott Weaver, who, like Waverly, was an aspiring writer moving to Paris to live out his dreams. With the day quickly coming for his trip, we meet Scott as he intently listens to French lessons in his car. Unfortunately, life gets in the way when he gets word from his stepmother, Cookie (Yvette Nicole Brown), that his father has died. Before removing the body she wants to give Scott and his sister, Cindy (Lola Kirke), the opportunity to say goodbye.

After picking up his sister, we see that she isn’t not exactly a normal sibling but more than a little “off.” She suffers from schizophrenia, and that mental illness always has been something her brother has tried to put in the background. But now with his dad’s death, it is up to Scott to look after her well-being, and that includes moving into his apartment and away from the not-so-cool housing she has been living in.

As he is determined not to let all this crash his dreams and his sojourn to the City of Lights, he quickly tries to get her settled and even find a job so she can take care of herself. Not an easy task, as her mental state keeps getting in the way of filling out job applications and going on interviews, which is why her brother makes sure he is there for support, and to assure potential employers she is the right one for them. In another key scene she runs into an old high school rival (Debs Howard) and ends up taking Scott with her to a party she is having, one with some other old friends. As the evening goes on, Cindy freaks out — it doesn’t go well. But through all these ordeals for him, Scott proves he is a good soul and a guy who is going to help her find her way even before he can start to find his.

Directed by Peter Sattler, Broken Diamonds walks a tightrope of tonal shifts but never makes light of mental illness or what Cindy suffers from. In fact, they have put real-life families dealing with this in the focus group Scott joins. One big reason this works as well as it does is the exceptional casting of Platt and Kirke, who are wholly believable as siblings. Platt runs the gamut from a guy wanting to get to a new life to someone who knows he can’t abandon family responsibilities. Kirke, best known as Hailey on Amazon’s Mozart in the Jungle, is exceptional in a role that could be a real breakout for her. She never takes the easy path but is never less than authentic. Brown also is a welcome presence.

The film comes from Black Label Media, which was responsible for the likes of Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Only the Brave, Demolition and was a key financier on La La Land. Producers are Molly Smith, Thad Luckinbill, Trent Luckinbill, Rachel Smith and Trina Wyatt. FilmRise opens it Friday in theaters.

Source: DEADLINE

By Justin Kroll
Senior Film Reporter
May 17, 2021 11:30am

EXCLUSIVE: The Bleav Podcast Network is launching the new dark comedy podcast The Bystanders starring Jane Lynch and Emmy and Tony Winner Kristin Chenoweth. It will also mark the first scripted podcast from Black Label Media. Heather Morris will also co-star and produce the show with Jaclyn Hales and Ash Lendzion writing, directing and producing the show.

The star-studded cast also includes Oscar Nunez, Ed Westwick, Ki Hong Lee, Michael Hitchcock, Karen Huie, Matt Mattson and Jim Lau.

The Bystanders is the twisted tale about a group of neighbors who witness one of their own get brutally murdered in the courtyard of their apartment complex and do absolutely nothing to stop it, or so we think. As the tenants become suspects themselves, the whodunnit will keep audiences guessing the identity of the real murderer until the very end.

The series also takes a closer look at The Bystander Effect, which states that individuals are less likely to offer help to a victim when there are other people present.

“We’re thrilled to be teaming with Bleav Podcast Network and Kristin Chenoweth to bring The Bystanders to life. The Bystanders is a hilarious and timely cautionary tale about what can happen when we ignore those around us and resort to our worst selves. Jaclyn, Ash, and Heather are a talented trio who have assembled a stellar cast and crafted a series to remind us that sometimes the worst thing you can do is nothing,” said Black Label Media.

The first two episodes of the eight-episode series will debut May 25th. One show per week will follow until the stunning conclusion on June 29th. In addition to the eight episodes, each week an after show featuring interviews with the cast will premiere on the RSS feed. The Bystanders will be available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever you get your podcasts.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

By Anthony D’Alessandro
April 29, 2021 12:15pm

Filmmaker Siân Heder, whose Sundance hit CODA was recently sold to Apple for a festival record of $25M, is set to direct and write a feature take of Sarah Lotz’s upcoming 2022 novel Impossible.

The Penguin Group Berkley Books novel tells the story of Nick, a ghostwriter who is a disappointment to himself and his soon-to-be-ex-wife, and Bee, a commitment-phobe content on repurposing wedding dresses rather than finding a reason to wear one herself. The two are meant to be together, but fate has other plans. They have an instant connection after a misdirected email lands in Bee’s inbox, and over time they develop real feelings for each other. Eventually, Nick and Bee come to the conclusion that they have to meet in person, yet when they both arrive at their planned destination, they discover it’s love at the right time, but in the completely wrong place.

“I am pleased to once again work with the incredibly talented Siân Heder, one of the world’s most promising writer-directors,” said Wachsberger. “Along with Ashley, we look forward to developing and producing a romantic comedy for our time with Molly, Trent, and Thad of Black Label as well as Sherry on board to produce.”

In a joint statement, the producers of Black Label Media added, “We are so excited to re-team with Patrick Wachsberger who we have worked with for many years and collaborated with on such films as Sicario and La La Land. Impossible is an incredible novel and we are thrilled to be working with the wonderfully talented Sian Heder on the adaptation.”

Heder added, “Impossible takes an inventive and surprising look at the choices we make and how they have a butterfly effect in shaping who we are. It’s a funny, captivating novel and I’m thrilled to be working with this team to adapt it.”

Heder wrote and directed CODA which follows Ruby who is a child of deaf adults (CODA) and the only hearing person in her family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. Wachsberger produced CODA with Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi, and Jérôme Seydoux. Heder also directed Tallulah, starring Elliot Page and Allison Janney, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2016 and was picked up by Netflix. Her other credits include serving as showrunner on Apple’s Little America and writing on Netflix’s Orange is the New Black.

Impossible will also be published by HarperCollins in the UK, and Rowholt in Germany. Lotz is the author of five thrillers including The Three and The White Road.

Heder is represented by ICM Partners. Alan Grodin of Weintraub Tobin and Suzanne Rosencrans represented the deal on behalf Picture Perfect Federation and Black Label Media, respectively. Lotz is repped by APA and Blake Friedmann Literary Agency / A.M. Heath Literary Agency.

Source: DEADLINE

By Andreas Wiseman
International Editor
March 31, 2021 9:20am

EXCLUSIVE: New York-based firm FilmRise has picked up global distribution rights to drama Broken Diamonds, starring Tony and Grammy-winner Benjamin Platt (Dear Evan Hansen), Lola Kirke (Mozart In The Jungle) and Yvette Nicole Brown (Community).

Produced by La La Land and Sicario backers Black Label Media, the film will get its world premiere tomorrow at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Pitch Perfect and Dear Evan Hansen star Platt plays a twenty-something writer who, in the wake of his father’s death, sees his dream of moving to Paris put on hold when he must temporarily take care of his mentally ill sister. Above, we can reveal an image from the film.

Written by Steve Waverly, the movie is based on his true-life story about taking care of his older sister who suffers from schizophrenia. Director is Peter Sattler (Camp X-Ray).

FilmRise will handle all broadcast and digital distribution, both domestically and internationally. The deal was negotiated by Katie Carroll, Manager, Independent Film Acquisitions at FilmRise with Joseph Cohen at American Entertainment Investors and Suzanne Rosencrans and Molly Smith at Black Label Media.

Trina Wyatt produced the film with Black Label Media. For Black Label, producers are Molly Smith, Rachel Smith, Thad Luckinbill and Trent Luckinbill.

FilmRise CEO Danny Fisher said: “Written with humor and irony, Broken Diamonds shines a light on a mental illness that affects millions of people and their families. The film presents schizophrenia in a real and tangible way without being too heavy. We hope it opens up a national dialogue about how we as a community can be more sensitive to those who are affected by it and struggling with it.”

Black Label is in production on JD Dillard’s Devotion starring Glen Powell and Jonathan Majors, and has Derek Kolstad’s Time Agent and Grant Singer’s Reptile, starring Benicio Del Toro, in the pipeline.

FilmRise’s recent acquisitions include TIFF and Berlin title Beans, 2020 Spirit Award-nominee Driveways and 2020 SXSW comedy Drunk Bus.

Source: DEADLINE