M8 Entertainment Inc. (TSX: MEE.MV.A and MEE.SV.B), a leading film entertainment company engaged in the production, financing, acquisition, and worldwide licensing of theatrical feature films in a variety of genres, and Odd Lot Entertainment jointly announced today that they have entered into a distribution deal under which M8 Entertainment will handle all international sales for a slate of five Odd Lot produced films, including Odd Lot's upcoming adaptation of the international best seller, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing starring Sarah Michelle Gellar. M8 will introduce these films to international distributors at the upcoming American Film Market in November.
Under the agreement, M8 Entertainment will handle international distribution and licensing for Odd Lot's sophisticated romantic comedy, which is based on selected short stories from Melissa Banks' critically-acclaimed novel, and will mark the feature directing debut of writer Marc Klein (A Good Year, Serendipity). The agreement also includes four films which Odd Lot is producing under its Dark Lot genre label. The Dark Lot films include The Horror Chronicles, a three-picture anthology which will be sold as a package, and which will feature the directorial debuts of three established horror genre scribes. The Horror Chronicles is comprised of supernatural thriller The Crevice by Neal Marshall Stevens (Thirteen Ghosts); the science fiction based horror film Living Hell written by Richard Jeffries (Cold Creek Manor), and Buried Alive, a modern take on the classic teen horror film by Art Monterastelli (The Hunted). The fourth Dark Lot picture under the agreement is Undead or Alive, a zombie western comedy which is a send-up of both genres, written and to be directed by South Park scribe Glasgow Phillips.
Said Del Prete and Pritzker, "We are pleased to have a multi-picture deal with an impressive organization like M8 Entertainment. Their track record and broad network of relationships are a perfect compliment to a finance and production company like ours."
"Odd Lot has a dynamic and innovative slate of films going into production, and we know they will deliver top quality pictures," said Jenna Sanz-Agero, president of M8 Entertainment. "We are excited to have forged this alliance with Odd Lot to bring their films to the international marketplace."
Production on all films is slated to begin in the first half of 2006. The Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing will be produced by Odd Lot principals Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker, along with Darryl Taja. The Horror Chronicles will be produced by Deborah Del Prete, Gigi Pritzker, and David Greathouse. Odd Lot's Linda McDonough will serve as a co-producer on all.
Odd Lot Entertainment was founded in 2001 by partners Deborah Del Prete and Gigi Pritzker. The company recently produced and financed the award- winning GREEN STREET HOOLIGANS starring Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam; executive produced the Independent Spirit Award-winner MEAN CREEK written and directed by Jacob Estes; and produced the commercial success THE WEDDING PLANNER starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey. The company is currently in various stages of production on a number of feature film projects including TRAP FOR CINDERELLA based on Sebastian Japrisot's novel and to be directed by Iain Softley (THE SKELETON KEY); WILL EISNER'S THE SPIRIT to be written by Jeph Loeb ("Smallville"); THE VEIL written by Irving Belateche and to be produced with Lawrence Bender and Karen Barber; and RETURN TO SENDER written by Morgan Upton Ward (RIDING IN CARS WITH BOYS).
M8 Entertainment is a leading film entertainment company engaged in the production, financing, acquisition, and worldwide licensing of theatrical feature films in a variety of genres. M8's most recent release is The Upside of Anger starring Academy Award winner Kevin Costner and Academy Award nominee Joan Allen, and previous M8 Entertainment releases include the critically acclaimed drama Monster. Upcoming M8 Entertainment releases include the action- drama Running Scared, written and directed by Wayne Kramer and starring Paul Walker, which will be released by New Line Cinema in January 2006. Other upcoming M8 Entertainment films include Lovewrecked, starring Amanda Bynes and directed by Randal Kleiser and Man About Town, a dramatic comedy written and directed by Mike Binder, and starring Ben Affleck and Rebecca Romijn. |
