Justin Hardy, the son of Director Robin Hardy (Dir: original The Wicker Man), dies at 61. His recently finished Wrath of the Gods, based on a concept his father wrote as the final installment of The Wicker Man trilogy, will premiere at Frightfest in London on Aug 28.
Saban Films (Prod Co: Vivarium) acquires US rights to UK Haunted House horror film The Caged, starring Tamzin Merchant (Salem). The film follows a family terrorized by a ghostly being after they move into a cottage in an isolated English coastal town. The Coven (Prod Co: Terrifier 3) handles international sales.
Danny Ramirez (actor: Top Gun: Maverick) and Demián Bichir (Academy-Award nominated actor: A Better Life) are now EPs on Desert Angel (trailer), a documentary that took over five years to film. The powerful doc chronicles the life and work of a volunteer rescuer, Rafael Larraenza, who has dedicated his life to finding missing migrants in the U.S.-Mexico border. Releasing mid-October.
From Goodfellas to Sesame Street, the historic Queens-based Kaufman Astoria Studios is under new management by Shadowbox Studios. Consisting of 11 soundstages, Kaufman will be added to Shadowbox’s network of studios, joining their Atlanta, UK, and Australia locations.
RTVE (state-owned media broadcaster of Spain) boards the feature Blanco, directed by Félix Viscarret (Dir: Una vida no tan simple). The film follows the 1997 kidnapping and murder of Basque politician Miguel Ángel Blanco. RTVE joins Netflix and Universal Pictures International Spain on this project.
Australian production company Forte Corp Pictures (Prod Co: Better Man) hires Brendan Campbell as head of production. Campbell was previously at Matchbox Pictures (Prod Co: NBC’s Young Rock) to provide production services.
Untold Stories (VFX: The Boys) hires Adrianna Cohen as the President of Film and Episodic.