Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park International is in tune with “The Female Brain,” a quirky relationship comedy that marks the directorial debut of comedian Whitney Cummings. The company has boarded the movie, which is in early post-production, and will represent it in all international territories.
Hyde Park will screen first footage to distributors in Berlin at the European Film Market, while CAA is handling North American domestic rights.
Michael Shannon is coming on strong in this year’s Oscar race for Best Supporting Actor. He earned excellent reviews for “99 Homes,” in which he plays a corrupt real estate broker taking advantage of the housing crisis. And, as awards season gets underway, he’s already racked up two key nominations: Best Actor at the Gotham Awards (which combine lead and supporting performances), and Best Supporting Actor at the Spirit Awards.
This is Shannon’s second individual acting nomination at the Spirit Awards, following a Best Actor bid for his equally intense performance as a man seeing apocalyptic visions in “Take Shelter” (2011). He also shared in the Robert Altman Award in 2013 for “Mud.” And he is also already a Gotham Award-winner as a member of the ensemble of “Before the Devil Knows Your Dead” (2007).
On a visit to the city, Hollywood star Jean-Claude Van Damme, popularly called Muscles from Brussles, shed his action hero avatar and was quick to master a few popular Bollywood dance moves.
He said that he has no reservations doing a film in India with film-makers and artistes of this country.
"I treat each film as a film, irrespective of language, country and the person making it. All I want is a serious script that has a meaty role for me. May be an emotional content that has a substantial part for me with Indian actors along with an Indian crew would be right," said Van Damme.
The actor was on a Delhi visit to launch the autobiography of his dear friend and longtime associate Ashok Amritraj.
More than three decades of action and upwards of a hundred movies later, the Indian-born tennis pro who hit his way into Hollywood and notched up many aces still follows his heart and sets his own pace. He is none the worse for it, as an upcoming autobiography is about to show.
Non-stop action, sporting and otherwise, has been a constant in 57-year-old Ashok Amritraj’s life. From his days as a successful tennis pro in Los Angeles to his over three-decade-old stint as a prolific Hollywood mogul, he has never ever encountered a slackening of pace. Only, one field of dreams has given way to another.
Starz has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Careful What You Wish For, the Nick Jonas starring thriller directed by Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum. The film will bow theatrically in June, followed by a VOD release before it moves to Starz later this year.
The project was produced by Ashok Amritraj, Michael A. Helfant, Robert L. Stein, Bradley Gallo and Kirk D’Amico. Hyde Park-ImageNation and Troika Pictures financed the film with Amasia Entertainment and Roberi Media, in association with Merced Media Partners and Myriad Pictures.
From being a tennis star to a successful Hollywood producer, Ashok Amritraj has chronicled his journey in an autobiography which he says will give an insight on how to make it big in the American film industry.
The 57-year-old movie producer says that when he decided to begin his career in Hollywood 30 years ago, people seemed to be oblivious to the existence of India.
“I entered Hollywood 30 years ago. At that time there were no Indians there. India was not fashionable. Studio executives could barely pronounce my name. So, it was a different time than what it is today. The image has changed drastically,” said Amritraj.
EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions are nearing a deal for a tag-team release of Life Of Crime, Daniel Schechter’s black comic adaptation of Elmore Leonard’s book The Switch. The deal will be for U.S. rights and it will be worth several million dollars. I will try to get more specific when it closes. The film stars Jennifer Aniston, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Isla Fisher, Will Forte, Mark Boone Junior, Tim Robbins and John Hawkes. The picture’s World Premiere at Toronto doesn’t happen until Saturday night, when it plays as the closing-night film of the Toronto Film Festival. It has screened for buyers and press and industry.
Former tennis player, and Chairman and CEO of Hyde Park Entertainment Group, Ashok Amritraj won the International Emmy Kids Award for Best TV Movie/ Mini-series for its production Lost Christmas on February 8, 2013 in New York.
"I'm thrilled that we won an International Emmy Kids Award for Lost Christmas. I want to congratulate our cast and crew and our partners," said Mr Amritraj, who has produced over 100 films during the span of his 30-year career, in a statement to the press.
Written by John Hay and David Logan, Lost Christmas is set in Manchester and revolves around a young boy who has a life-changing experience on Christmas eve. The program, a partnership between Hyde Park, the BBC, Impact Film & Television Limited, and Image Nation, was also nominated for a BAFTA and a UK Broadcast Award.
EXCLUSIVE: Ashok Amritraj continues to bulk up his Cannes sales roster and will introduce Untitled Elmore Leonard Project to star Jennifer Aniston, Dennis Quaid, John Hawkes and Ty Burrell.
Daniel Schechter is lined up to direct from his adapted screenplay of the Leonard novel The Switch – not to be confused with the unrelated 2010 rom-com of the same name that starred Aniston and Jason Bateman
The story centres on two jailbird friends serving time for grand theft auto who plot to kidnap the wife of an embezzler once they are released. However their plan falls foul when it emerges that the target does not want his wife back.
Action could trump romance post-Valentine's Day as Nicolas Cage sequel Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance looks to dominate the long Presidents Day weekend.
Domestic box-office observers believe the Sony action pic, based on the Marvel Comics character, could open to $35 million through Monday, a holiday. Sony co-financed and co-produced the film with Hyde Park Entertainment.
