Demarest Films and
E Stars Board Paranoia
Principal Photography Begins on Robert Luketic’s Thriller
(Beverly Hills, Calif.) July 19, 2012 – Principal photography begins Saturday (July 21, 2012) on Robert Luketic’s (21) currently-titled Paranoia, Reliance Entertainment and IM Global announced today. In addition Demarest Films, a financing and production company which was launched in April by Lambert Media Group’s Michael Lambert and Sam Englebardt and William D. Johnson have joined the $40 million picture as co-financier and co-producer, while Beijing’s E Stars Entertainment will co-finance. Paranoia will be distributed in the U.S. by Relativity Media.
This high-tech corporate espionage thriller is directed by Robert Luketic (21) and stars Liam Hemsworth (The Hunger Games), Oscar®-nominee Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight), Oscar®-nominee Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones), Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class), Amber Heard (The Rum Diary), Embeth Davidtz (The Amazing Spider-Man), Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), Josh Holloway (Lost) and Oscar®-winner Richard Dreyfuss (Red).
Paranoia is being produced by Alexandra Milchan of Emjag Productions, William D. Johnson of Demarest Films and Deepak Nayar of Kintop Reliance, Reliance’s joint production venture with Kintop Pictures. IM Global CEO Stuart Ford, Scott Lambert of Film 360, Sam Englebardt of Demarest Films, Allen Liu of E Stars, Douglas Urbanski, Christophe Riandee of Gaumont, Ryan Kavanaugh and Tucker Tooley of Relativity Media will serve as executive producers.
Said IM Global CEO Ford, “Reliance and IM Global are delighted that Demarest Films and E Stars have joined us as partners on the eve of what promises to be an exciting project for all of us.”
Producer William D. Johnson of Demarest Films said, “The creative team behind Paranoia as well as our producing partners at IM Global and Kintop Reliance will no doubt bring this thriller to life on the big screen. This is the type of film Demarestis looking to get involved in – commercially viable projects which will evoke audiences in the U.S. and abroad.”
Relativity acquired U.S. rights to market and distribute Paranoia on the eve of Cannes Film Festival, with IM Global handling international distribution. The film is set to debut in U.S. theatres on September 27, 2013.
Collaborating with Luketic behind the scenes is a top-notch below-the-line creative team including: director of photography David Tattersall (The Green Mile), production designer David Brisbin (Sinister), art director Scott Anderson (Win Win), costume designer Luca Mosca (21), editor Dany Cooper (Queen of the Damned), and stunt coordinator Stephen Pope (Secrets, Dreams, Faith and Wonder: Mass for the New Millennium). Filming will take place on location in Philadelphia and New York City.
In this high-stakes thriller, Adam Cassidy (Liam Hemsworth) is an ambitious junior technologist trying to climb the ranks of telecom giant Wyatt Corporation. But after one costly mistake, Adam is blackmailed by ruthless CEO Nicholas Wyatt (Gary Oldman) to turn corporate spy by going to work for the firm’s top competitor, which is run by Wyatt’s old mentor, Jock Goddard (Harrison Ford). Adam soon finds himself delivered into prepackaged success, living his fantasy life of old-world boardrooms, private clubs, exotic cars, and all the spoils of Manhattan bachelorhood. However, behind the scenes, he is merely a pawn in Wyatt’s power play, and must search for a way out from under his boss, who will stop at nothing, even murder, to gain a multi-billion dollar advantage.
The screenplay, based on the novel Paranoia by Joseph Finder, was written by Jason Dean Hall (Spread) from a previous draft by Barry Levy (Vantage Point).
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ABOUT RELIANCE ENTERTAINMENTReliance Entertainment (
www.relianceentertainment.net) is the flagship motion picture arm of India's Reliance Group with a significant presence in filmed entertainment (film production, distribution, and exhibition). Reliance Group also has key interests in broadcasting and new media ventures. Reliance Entertainment has built an impressive film production slate in Hindi, English & other Indian languages, which it markets and distributes worldwide. Following its association with IM Global, the company now benefits from an international sales team with an excellent reputation and global presence dedicated to selling its Bollywood and regional language slate. In Hollywood, Reliance Entertainment has partnered with Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider on the formation of DreamWorks Studios. The Reliance Group (
www.relianceadagroup.com) is amongst India's top 3 business houses and has interests in telecommunications, energy, financial services, infrastructure and media and entertainment.
ABOUT IM GLOBAL
Stuart Ford founded IM Global in 2007. The company is one of the leading film financing, sales and distribution companies in the world, championing a wide variety of cinema, including mainstream commercial, art house, foreign language and genre fare. The company is now comprised of six divisions: IM Global Opus, for mainstream, commercial cinema; IM Global Acclaim, for critically acclaimed arthouse and specialty cinema; IM Global Anthem, for the best of non-English language cinema from around the world; IM Global Octane, for branded genre fare; IM Global Apsara, a rights acquisition and distribution vehicle that serves the rapidly evolving Asian markets across growing theatrical, digital and VOD distribution platforms; and Automatik Entertainment, a production and financing joint venture with Alliance Films focused on films in the $5 million - $15 million range. In May 2010, Reliance Entertainment, part of Indian conglomerate Reliance ADA Group, acquired a majority shareholding in the company.
ABOUT DEMAREST FILMS
Demarest Films is a specialty financing and production company which was launched in April 2012 by Lambert Media Group’s Michael Lambert and Sam Englebardt and William D. Johnson, a private investor and the son of Franklin Templeton Investments’ founder Charles B. Johnson. Funded with private capital, Demarest Films provides equity and debt financing to film and television productions.
The venture’s broad investment mandate allows it to move more quickly and aggressively, investing across the film capital structure, assuming more risk, and ultimately helping producers secure a larger portion of their budget from one reliable source. Further, as the principals are seasoned producers themselves, they plan to provide the most informed and collaborative environment possible to their filmmaker partners.
Demarest Films’ film slate includes: Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, which is currently in post-production and stars Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Arterton, Jonny Lee Miller and Sam Riley; David Rosenthal’s A Single Shot, currently filming, starring Sam Rockwell, Melissa Leo, and Jeffrey Wright; and Penthouse North, a psychological thriller directed by Joseph Ruben which stars Michelle Monaghan and Michael Keaton which will be released by The Weinstein Company.
ABOUT RELATIVITY MEDIA, LLC
Relativity Media is a next-generation studio engaged in multiple aspects of entertainment, including full-scale film and television production and distribution, the co-financing of major studio film slates, music publishing, sports management and digital media. Additionally, the company makes strategic partnerships with, and investments in, media and entertainment-related companies and assets.
To date, Relativity has produced, distributed, and/or structured financing for more than 200 motion pictures. Released films have accumulated more than $17 billion in worldwide box office receipts. Relativity’s recent films include: The Raven, Mirror Mirror, Act of Valor, Haywire, Immortals, Tower Heist, Bridesmaids, Limitless, Hop, Cowboys & Aliens, Battle: Los Angeles, Little Fockers, The Fighter, The Social Network, Salt, Despicable Me, Grown Ups, Dear John,It’s Complicated, Couples Retreat and Zombieland. Upcoming films for Relativity include: The Bourne Legacy, House at the End of the Street and 21 and Over. Thirty-nine of the company’s films have opened to No. 1 at the box office. Relativity films have earned 60 Oscar® nominations, including nods for The Fighter, The Social Network, The Wolfman, A Serious Man, Frost/Nixon, Atonement, American Gangster and 3:10 to Yuma. Sixty-two of Relativity’s films have each generated more than $100 million in worldwide box-office receipts.
RelativityREAL, Relativity’s television arm, has nearly 70 projects in production, including 21 original series that are currently airing or will air in the upcoming television season including
Police Women for TLC,
Coming Home for Lifetime and
The Great Food Truck Race for Food Network. Relativity also owns and operates RogueLife, Relativity’s digital content studio which is developing original content for the web and creating sustainable online platforms and communities. Relativity Music Group, a music division of Relativity, provides music supervision, music publishing catalogues and soundtrack services for films produced and/or distributed by Relativity Media and other major Hollywood studios. Relativity Sports is a fast-growing sports management company dedicated to providing high-profile athletes with a full-range of professional development services. For additional information, please visit
www.relativitymedia.com.
