Wackness Director Jonathan Levine Keeping Busy
Jonathan Levine, whose upcoming comedy-drama “The Wackness” features an infamous kiss between Ben Kingsley and Mary-Kate Olsen, has set up two new projects.
He will write and direct “Positive,” a romantic thriller set on Martha’s Vineyard. He’s also penning the screenplay for “Echelon Vendetta,” an espionage thriller based on David Stone’s novel; the project has been set up at Sony.
“Positive” centers on a twentysomething who takes a trip to visit his fiancee’s family off the coast of Massachusetts only to be seduced by her younger sister. The indie film is aiming for a mid-2009 start date.
“Vendetta” centers on a “cleaner,” a CIA operative in charge of keeping dirty laundry from being aired in public, who after the death of a friend begins to investigate the mysterious deaths of several agents.
Levine has concentrated on indie projects, but said he’d like to strike a balance between studio and indie gigs. “I want to have a lot of the creative freedom that comes from (indie films), but I also don’t want to be broke,” he joked.
“Wackness,” which Sony Pictures Classics opens this weekend, examines a teenager coming of age in New York circa 1994. It scored audience awards at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and at the recent Los Angeles Film Festival. [via Hollywood Reporter]
L.A. Film Fest Mixes Indies and Studio Fare
This just may be the best time of year in L.A. As the Los Angeles Dodgers hit the field and the jacaranda trees bloom, Film Independent will take over Westwood Village for the Los Angeles Film Festival, June 19-29. With more than 275 screenings and events, and with attendance expected to top 100,000, the 2008 LAFF will once again be one of the biggest film events of the year in a town obsessed with movies.
“There are so many film festivals around the world and even in this city. What we try to do is create something that is very unique, that’s very L.A.,” said LAFF director Rich Raddon. The festival, which last year opened with Transformers, continues the trend of screening studio and independent films by opening June 19 with Timur Bekmambetov’s Wanted, starring Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy. Another action flick based on a comic book, Guillermo del Toro’s Hellboy II: The Golden Army, will close the festival June 28.Raddon came under fire in the press last year for featuring a blockbuster in a festival known as a platform for low-budget indies. He said it might seem LAFF is sending a mixed message by screening Wanted and Hellboy II alongside films such as The Choir, Michael Davie’s documentary about life in South Africa’s largest penitentiary (June 22 and 26). However, the festival has always made a point of offering something for everyone. Continue Reading…
