Team Wave Entertainment has launched production in Waco, Texas on psychological thriller “Grace” with actor, producer and filmmaker Malcolm Goodwin set to direct. Written by Victor Hawks, the film stars Jessica Harmon (“iZombie), David Anders (“Alias”), David Blue (“Stargate Universe”) and Taylor Aronson. The ensemble also includes Lele Pons, Krause Cruz, Isabelle Hahn, Elliot Guess, and Renes Rivera.
According to the official synopsis, “Grace” follows a devoted wife and mother whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when she is thrust into a high-stakes, real-time crisis that forces her to confront devastating secrets hidden within her marriage.
Team Wave Entertainment partners Malcolm Goodwin, Victor Hawks, Vanessa Goodwin, Brennan Karem, Shelby Karem, and Krause Cruz produce with Pete Groetzinger, Michele Groetzinger, Catherine Carpenter Cox and Dillon Short executive producing.
Goodwin is known for his performances as Detective Clive Babineaux in “iZombie” and as Oscar Finlay in Amazon’s “Reacher.”
Wednesday, July 8
Nat Wolff and Austin Cauldwell’s L.A. Wildfire Doc ‘Where We Played: Voices From the Fire’ to Screen at Oscar-Qualifying Festival
Nat Wolff and Austin Cauldwell’s short doc “Where We Played: Voices From the Fire,” which follows the devastating Los Angeles wildfires from the perspective of young children, will screen at Heartland’s Indy Shorts Film Festival.
Screening on Saturday, July 25 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar-qualifying festival in Indiana, “Where We Played” features first-hand interviews with kids in California personally affected by the tragedy.
“In the wake of the fires, much of the conversation focused on what had been lost: homes, schools, and a sense of stability. What felt missing were the voices of the children living through it. Rather than speaking about them, we wanted to listen to them,” Wolff and Cauldwell said in a joint statement.
Wolff is known for his performances in YA adaptations of “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Paper Towns,” while Cauldwell appeared in “Switched at Birth” and “NCIS.” “Where We Played” was produced by Mina Sundwall, who previously acted in “Maggie’s Plan” and “Lost in Space,” for her company Zenosyne Media. Eliza Paprin and cinematographer Julia Pitch also produced.
Tuesday, July 7
Sycamore Studios Acquires Exclusive Animated Motion Picture Rights to ‘Investigators’
Sycamore Studios has acquired the exclusive animated motion picture rights to the “InvestiGators” graphic novel franchise and will develop an animated feature for theatrical release.
John Patrick Green’s crime-fighting alligators series has printed more than 5 million copies since its 2020 debut. The ninth installment, “InvestiGators: Weather or Not,” debuted at No. 1 on “The New York Times” Best Seller List this week.
“Great family franchises don’t come along very often, and when they do, they have a way of capturing the imagination of an entire generation. ‘InvestiGators’ is one of those rare properties,” said Christian McGuigan, co-founder and CEO of Sycamore Studios. “John Patrick Green has created something incredibly rare: a wholly original world that children genuinely love. As a father of four, I’ve had the privilege of watching my own kids devour these books, recommend them to friends, and eagerly count down the days until each new release. Seeing that enthusiasm firsthand has made it impossible to ignore just how special this franchise has become. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with John and bring Mango and Brash to audiences around the world.”
The graphic novel adaptation is the latest addition to Sycamore Studios’ portfolio of kid-friendly entertainment and book adaptations. The studio just began production on “Doctor Dolittle: King of the Wild” and has worked on the “Madeline” franchise and “Zita the Spacegirl” trilogy, based on graphic novels by Ben Hatke.
Monday, July 6
Orbital Studios Moving to Television City Lot
Orbital Studios has relocated its LED walls to Television City, the former CBS studio on Los Angeles’ Fairfax Avenue.
The virtual production company moved its headquarters from the L.A. Arts District to the historic lot once home to “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Price Is Right.”
The move provides LED volume possibilities for Television City, supported by Orbital Studios’s virtual production and research and development lab. Virtual production uses technology like CGI, LED screens or augmented reality to create effects and backdrops on a physical set. For Netflix’s “Nemesis,” Orbital Studios rebuilt portions of downtown Los Angeles using digital scans.
Orbital Studios is currently in production on “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga” series for FX and has previously worked on “Justified: City Primeval,” “History’s Greatest Heists” and “World War II with Tom Hanks.”
Horror Satire ‘Namaslay’ to Open in Theaters on Aug. 6
The genre-bending horror yoga satire “Namaslay” from Junghal Studios will open in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Aug. 6, and expand nationwide on Aug. 13. Written and directed by Rish and Kanish, the story revolves around a woman who arrives in Los Angeles, where she’s invited to join a yoga instructor program at an upscale studio. When she’s invited to the instructor’s retreat, she “discovers the ulterior nature of her invitation,” according to the synopsis. It “turns the wellness industry upside down in a blood-soaked cultural reckoning,” according to the producers.
Produced by Venk Potula alongside Rish and Kanish, it stars Kirunthuja Srikanth-Talim, Angela Sant’Albano, Alicia Mitchell-Mangual, Usha Krishnan and Christina Moore.
