Stuart Ford Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me) and Greg Kinnear (Shining Vale) will topline the family comedy The Present, from director Christian Ditter (How to Be Single), which has entered production in Los Angeles.

Tom Hanks, Jodie Comer, Olivia Colman, David Cronenberg and Richard Linklater head projects at a Cannes 2022 pre-sales market that looks like the most buoyant in recent years, while also ushering in what is being hailed as a new era in global rights licensing.“We’re very optimistic, expecting a pretty busy market with a lot of titles, the first real market after the pandemic,” said Constantin Film’s Martin Moszkowicz.“Several distributors have told me that this Cannes will be the biggest market for projects in several years — in volume and quality,” said Cecile Gaget at Anton, which is selling Jodie Comer-led apocalyptic thriller “The End We Start From.”Multiple larger packages hit the market late last week. “People are conscious there could still be quite a lot to come in,” said Anne Cherel at Studiocanal, which over the weekend unveiled one hot project, comedy “Wicked Little Letters,” re-teaming Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.

EXCLUSIVE: Stuart Ford’s AGC is launching international sales at the upcoming Cannes market on Anna Kendrick true-crime thriller The Dating Game, which was previously set up at Netflix but has now shaken free from the streamer.

Manori Ravindran International EditorA four-part documentary series from “Tindler Swindler” producers AGC Television will delve into the world of renowned chef and hotelier Nobu Matsuhisa.Titled “Nobu,” the series is co-produced with Gianni Nunnari’s Hollywood Gang and Altimeter, and is in pre-production. It will be directed by documentarian Matt Tyrnauer (“Valentino: The Last Emperor,” “Studio 54”).Matsuhisa is a pioneering restauranteur and businessman with 47 restaurants and 27 hotels bearing the ‘Nobu’ name.

Troppo” will premiere on Amazon Freevee May 20, as one of the first originals to launch on the newly renamed streaming platform.Based on the novel “Crimson Lake” by Cameron Fox, “Troppo” stars Thomas Jane as Ted Conkaffey, an ex-cop accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Hiding out in the Far North Queensland, he’s recruited by private investigator Amanda Pharrell (Nicole Chamoun) into helping her investigate a bizarre murder case and track down a missing person. In addition to Jane and Chamoun, the cast also includes David Lyons, Yerin Ha, Sun Park, Ling Cooper Tang, Kate Beahan, Cramer Cain, Peta Wilson, Angela Punch McGregor, Damien Garvey, Josh Helman and Radha Mitchell.

Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios has named industry veteran Jill Jones as EVP of Marketing and Publicity.

BAFTA TV-winning actress Lydia West (It’s A Sin) has been set to star alongside Patricia Clarkson in Gray, the espionage thriller series from AGC Studios.

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a hot one that’ll spice up the virtual EFM this week. Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios is launching sales on Chris Pine’s directorial debut Poolman, which the Star Trek actor will star in alongside Oscar nominees Annette Being and Danny DeVito.

Manori Ravindran International EditorEvan Rachel Wood, Eliza Scanlen, Rufus Sewell and Vanessa Redgrave are set to lead an adaptation of World War II-era book “All That I Am,” Variety can reveal.AGC Studios is fully financing the film, which will be shot in Berlin and Sydney in late summer. The studio, led by Stuart Ford, introduced the project to buyers this week as part of the virtual European Film Market, which generally runs alongside the Berlin Film Festival.

EXCLUSIVE: F9: The Fast Saga and The Suicide Squad star John Cena is in negotiations to star in Pierre Morel (Taken) action-comedy film Freelance, which Stuart Ford’s AGC will be selling at the upcoming virtual AFM.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAGC Television, the TV unit of Stuart Ford’s independent content studio AGC Studios, and Lionsgate have teamed on espionage thriller series “Gray,” based on an original concept by best-selling novelist David Baldacci.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAGC International, the sales arm of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, and Image Nation Abu Dhabi, which is the UAE’s top production entity, have unveiled the first trailer for upcoming action film, “Al Kameen” (The Ambush), touted as the largest Arabic-language feature film production ever shot in the Gulf.“The Ambush,” which reconstructs the true story of an attempt to rescue a small group of Emirati soldiers trapped by rebel fighters in a mountainous valley,

Manori Ravindran International EditorAGC Studios has hired Solstice Studios executive Crystal Bourbeau as its new president of worldwide sales and distribution.Bourbeau will oversee the domestic and international sales and distribution activity of the “Moonfall” sales firm’s film and television slate, including sales to domestic studios, international distributors, broadcasters and global and regional streaming platforms.

Stuart Ford’s indie AGC Studios has hired Crystal Bourbeau as President of Worldwide Sales and Distribution.

Manori Ravindran International EditorJena Malone (“Neon Demon”), Danny Huston (“Wonder Woman”) and Dame Janet Suzman (“Nicholas and Alexandra”) are among the cast of AGC Studios’ supernatural horror-thriller “Consecration,” Variety can reveal.The film, first reported by Variety back in July, is currently shooting in London and Scotland.

AGC Studios has hired industry veteran B.J. Levin as EVP Non-Fiction to lead the company’s development and production of nonfiction content for film and television.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterAGC Studios has hired industry veteran B.J. Levin as executive VP of non-fiction.In his new role, he will oversee the indie company’s development production for film and television.

Also Read: Zack Snyder's 'Army of the Dead' Sics a Zombie Tiger on Dave Bautista in New Trailer (Video)Peyton is directing and producing the film through his ASAP Entertainment alongside Jeff Fierson, and Bautista will also produce through his banner Dream Bros Entertainment alongside Jonathan Meisner. The film will also be produced by AGC Studios’ Stuart Ford.

Also Read: St. Vincent Meta-Documentary 'The Nowhere Inn' Acquired by IFC Films“Demonic” was co-financed and and co-produced by AGC Studios and STABILITi Studios last summer.

Jamie Lang Once seen as niche or nerdy, science fiction, fantasy and horror fare have moved into a dominant position on the film and TV landscape. Platforms are starving for it, theaters can fill up when it’s playing and producers are always on the lookout for opportunities to back the right project.“Genre filmmaking presents a climate of opportunity for producers,” says AGC Studios chairman and CEO Stuart Ford.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorRon Howard, Imagine Entertainment, AGC Studios and CAA are teaming up for the movie biopic of virtuoso Chinese pianist Lang Lang.Two-time Oscar-winner Howard will direct the currently untitled film with Oscar-winner Brian Grazer producing alongside Imagine’s President of Features Karen Lunder, and AGC Studios’ Stuart Ford.The project plans to shoot in China and the U.S. and will feature both Mandarin and English.

Also Read: Ron Howard's Thai Cave Rescue Drama 'Thirteen Lives' Lands at MGMHoward plans to shoot the untitled Lang Lang biopic in China and the U.S. and will feature both Mandarin and English.

Donnie Yen is set to star in the action thriller “The Father” alongside Alec Baldwin and Frank Grillo. The movie will be presented to buyers at the virtual TIFF market by AGC International, AGC chairman and CEO Stuart Ford announced Wednesday.Tommy Wirkola (“Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters” will direct the film from a script by P.

Also Read: 'Umbrella Academy' Star Emmy Raver-Lampman to Voice Mixed-Race Character on 'Central Park'Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly wrote “Queenpins” and will direct, and STX will distribute the film in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland, with the studio handling international distribution through its global partners.The film is produced by AGC Studios, Marquee Entertainment and Red Hour Films.

Manori Ravindran International EditorAGC Studios’ actioner “The Blacksmith” will feature actor-singer Nick Jonas as a “very modern and updated” MacGyver, according to the film’s director, “Taken” helmer Pierre Morel.The studio’s pre-recorded Cannes market presentation featured a conversation between AGC boss Stuart Ford and Morel, who discussed the action thriller’s international potential, particularly with its young lead now cast.

By John Hopewell

By Andreas Wiseman

Ridley Scott will executive produce a thriller called “Panopticon” that is based on a script that landed on the Black List in 2017, and AGC Studios will finance and co-produce the film, the studio’s chairman and CEO Stuart Ford announced Thursday.

By John Hopewell