News

Exclusive: Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite) has wrapped production on Trouble Man!, an action comedy that he directed and stars in for Samuel Goldwyn Films. Those starring alongside him are Method Man (Power Book II: Ghost), Gillian White (Take Back), Mike Epps (The Upshaws), Orlando Jones (Drumline) and La La Anthony (Power).

Filmed under the Georgia Production Program, the film stars White as Jaxen, a former cop turned private detective living in Atlanta. When famed R&b singer Jahari goes missing, Jaxen is hired to find and save her. As he investigates, he realizes her disappearance is tied to a much larger conspiracy of lies and deceit, which makes him question everyone around him and confront his own past.

White and Michael Stratford penned the script, with Craig Baumgarten producing. Samuel Goldwyn Films financed the pic and will release it next year, following past collaborations with White on the actioner...

Lance Bass guest stars as himself on ABC’s The Rookie season five episode 18, “Double Trouble.” After taking a three week break between new episodes, “Double Trouble” is set to air on Tuesday, March 21, 2023 at 8pm Et/Pt.

Nathan Fillion leads the cast as John Nolan. Eric Winter plays Tim Bradford, Melissa O’Neil is Lucy Chen, Alyssa Diaz plays Angela Lopez, and Richard T. Jones is Wade Grey. Mekia Cox is Nyla Harper, Shawn Ashmore plays Wesley Evers, Tru Valentino is Aaron Thorsen, and Jenna Dewan is Bailey Nune.

“Double Trouble” Plot: When Dim goes missing, Officer Chen and Sergeant Bradford, along with the CIA, set out to find him and enlist the help of Juicy.

The Rookie Season 5 Episode 1 “Double Down” Preview Season 5 Episode 2 “Labor Day” Preview Season 5 Episode 3 “Dye Hard” Preview Season 5 Episode 4 “The Choice” Preview Season 5 Episode 5 “The Fugitive” Preview Season 5 Episode 7 “Crossfire” Preview Season 5 Episode 9 “Take Back...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to Famm Films’ topical drama I’m Charlie Walker, starring Mike Colter, following a competitive bidding situation. Shout! Factory’s multi-platform entertainment distribution and production arm plans to release the film across all major entertainment platforms, beginning with a theatrical day-and-date launch later this year.

The film based on a true story picks up in 1971, as two oil tankers violently collide off the San Francisco coast, spilling millions of gallons of crude oil and creating an environmental disaster. Against all odds, trucking and construction entrepreneur Charlie Walker (Colter) is then able to secure one of the most lucrative contracts to clean the coastline threatening much of the San Francisco Bay, with only three trucks, an incredible work ethic and a whole lot of heart. Pic recounts the racial discrimination Walker endured as he tries to save the coastline,...

Exclusive: Cinedigm has acquired North American rights to the horror film Incarnation starring Taye Diggs, Jessica Uberuaga (Take Back) and Michael Madsen, with plans to release it in theaters and on VOD on February 18.

The first feature from director Isaac Walsh picks up with the young couple of Brad (Diggs) and Jess (Uberuaga) as they move to Los Angeles in search of a better life. When they stumble upon a hidden real estate gem, managed by the laid-back landlord Peter (Madsen), they are elated by their turn of fortune. But their ideal home is hiding a secret far more sinister than they could have ever imagined, for the very walls are alive with an ancient evil, and they soon learn that greed comes with a hefty price.

In the film written by Walsh and Tyler Clair Smith, Madsen takes over a...

International sales agent and distribution company 101 Films Intl. has entered into a multi-picture deal with Mike Hatton’s production company Ton of Hats, which calls for the delivery of four films over the next 18 months. The slate will be backed by Head Gear Films and BondIt Media Capital.

The deal builds on the co-production between 101 Films Intl. and Ton of Hats on “Take Back,” starring Michael Jai White and Mickey Rourke, and “Every Last One of Them,” starring Richard Dreyfuss, Taryn Manning, Jake Weber and Michael Madsen.

The first film in the new slate is an action thriller, currently in casting with details to be announced shortly, which is scheduled to begin shooting this summer.

Andy Lyon, managing director of 101 Films Intl., said: “We look forward to building a long-term partnership with Mike and collaborating with the Ton of Hats team to bring exciting films to our distribution partners and audiences around the world.

For some of us, over lockdown we’re spent a little too long with our spouses. Working in the same room. Eating all the same meals. Spending every minute of every day with those we have chosen to spend the rest of our lives with. Meanwhile, Gillian and Michael Jai White have been our kickin’ ass, collaborating together on action flick Take Back. What a power couple.

To celebrate the film’s release – which also stars Mickey Rourke – we had the pleasure of speaking to the married duo, as we ask about the joys and challenges of working together on this production. They speak about their shared passion for martial arts, and we ask them about their love. Corny that may seem, but they’re unapologetically open about it, and to be completely honest, it’s a breath of fresh air. They also talk about the very real themes explored in the film,...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios will team with 101 Films International to distribute Christian Sesma’s new action thriller Take Back. Directed by Sesma and written by Zach Zerries, the film stars Mickey Rourke, Michael Jai White, Gillian White and James Russo.

Take Back follows Zara (Gillian White) and Brian (Michael Jai), a couple enjoying their perfect small town life until a mysterious stranger from Zara’s secret past kidnaps their daughter. Now the two must race against the clock to save her life.

Shout! has secured all North American distribution rights and seeks to launch the movie across all major entertainment platforms in 2021. A 101 Films International, Ton of Hats and Seskri Film Inc. production, Take Back is produced by Mike Hatton, Christian Sesma, and Michael Walker. Executive producers are Stefan Colson, Tom Conigliaro, Kimberly Hines, Martin Andrew Lyon, Mickey Rourke, James Russo, and Gillian White.

The movie deal was negotiated by...

Exclusive: CMA Entertainment, a boutique management firm with over 20 years’ experience in developing and managing talent, will acquire Prevail Artist Management, with Prevail principal Lori Kay joining as a talent manager and producer. With the move, CMA continues to grow its management team and expand its production arm.

Kay, a principal at Prevail since 2015, brings with her a talent roster which includes Jeremy Holm, Reema Sampat, Leah Kreitz (Dash & Lily), Aimé Donna Kelly, Michael Oloyede, Paul Rolfes, as well as indie film favorite Katelyn Pearce and Broadway’s Michael Andreaus. She will be based in CMA’s New York City office.

“This expansion will greatly benefit our clients as we continue...

Exclusive: The Goodbye Girl Oscar winner Richard Dreyfuss and 3x SAG ensemble winner Taryn Manning are joining the Mike Hatton action thriller production Every Last One of Them, which Green Book actor Hatton will also star in with Paul Sloan. Cameras are set to roll before the end of this year in Southern California adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols.

Christian Sesma is directing from a screenplay co-written with Chee Keong Cheung, Alistair Cave, Edward Thomas.

Hatton will produce under his Ton of Hats banner along with Michael Walker of 101 Films International, as well as Christian Sesma. EPs are Andy Lyon, Phil Hunt, Compton Ross, Tom Conigliaro, Kimberly Hines, Rick Morse, and Sheila Legette. 101 Films International, an Amcomri Media Group company will handle international sales.

Brian Hayes Currie and Nick Vallelonga of Green Book will also appear in the cast as well as Mary Christina Brown and Claire Kniaz.

Ton...

101 has also recorded sales on another Rourke title, ‘Take Back’.

The UK’s 101 Films International has acquired worldwide rights to horror title Mammon, starring Mickey Rourke, now in pre-production in Los Angeles.

Mammon is the directorial debut of US filmmaker Isaac Walsh, who also wrote the script with Tyle Claire Smith. It follows a struggling young couple chasing the ’American Dream’, who realise their worst nightmare when they discover a demonic spirit in their new home.

Rourke plays the demonic spirit, with Taye Diggs and Jessica Uberuaga also attached to star.

Mammon is prdouced by Mike Hatton for his Ton of Hats outfits.

Exclusive: Mickey Rourke, Taye Diggs and Jessica Uberuaga have join the horror thriller Mammon which Isaac Walsh will make his feature directorial debut with.

The movie, penned by Walsh and Tyler Clair Smith, follows a struggling young couple who are chasing the American dream, and soon realize that their worst nightmare is the demonic spirit in their new home. Mammon is the biblical word for the worship of wealth, and the couple discover that getting rich can come at a hefty price. The feature is in pre-production and will shoot in Southern California next month.

Mike Hatton is producing under his production company, Ton of Hats. Executive Producers are Glen D. Smith, Gary Smith, and Gary Smith Jr. of Mhi Investments, along with Kimberly Hines of Framework Entertainment, Michael Walker, Garrett Zinke, Ryan McDonald, and Asko Akopyan.

Rourke was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 2009 for Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler,...

Producer/actor Mike Hatton’s production shingle, Ton of Hats, Inc. in partnership with 101 Films International have announced the surprise completion of principal photography on director Christian Sesma’s Take Back, a martial-arts action saga starring Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler); Michael Jai White; Gillian White and James Russo (Django Unchained).

The producers believe Take Back is among the first independent films to successfully wrap principal photography following California’s (and most other states’) shutdown order, which effectively shut down film production nationwide.

Written by Zach Zerries in his feature-film penning debut, Take Back, shot in nearly complete secrecy in The Coachella Valley in Riverside County California, took place at breakneck speed under strict Covid-19 guidelines set forth by city, county, and state regulations, the industry’s white sheet, “The Safe Way Forward,” as guidance, SAG-AFTRA’s requirements, and the production’s own mandatory “Covid Playbook,” created by Hatton and director Sesma.

Hart died in an accident in a live televised wrestling stunt.

UK-based sales agency Kaleidoscope Film Distribution has topped up its Cannes virtual market slate with Owen, a new documentary about tragic wrestling star Owen Hart.

The film is currently in production ahead of delivery late in Q1 2021. Kaleidoscope will handle worldwide sales, with initial materials available for viewing during the Marché du Film Online.

Hart was the golden boy of the World Wrestling Foundation in the 1990s, with a promising career as one of the franchise’s biggest names.

However, an accident on May 23, 1999 saw him fall eight stories...

The company has also picked up ‘The Complex – Lockdown’.

UK-based sales agent 101 Films International has added two projects to its slate ahead of the Cannes virtual market, including Mickey Rourke action thriller Take Back.

The film will commence principal photography on a five-week shoot in California in early July, produced by Mike Hatton for Ton Of Hats with 101 Films’ Andy Lyon and Michael Walker.

101 Films is executive producing the title with Head Gear Films.

Directed by Christian Sesma and written by Zach Zerries, it centres on a couple living the perfect small-town life when a mysterious stranger from the past kidnaps their daughter.