Screenwriter Peter Craig, who co-wrote the upcoming film Gladiator IIand producer Bryan Unkeless, known for films such as I, Tonya AND Power of the projectcollaborated to launch the Night Owl film and television production banner.
It's no small flexibility to launch a title in the current Hollywood climate, but the two actors have an extremely enviable track record and, more importantly, they come with several projects already underway along the development tracks.
There is the adaptation of the hugely popular novel by Shelby Van Pelt Extraordinarily bright creatureswhich is set to Netflix with Where the Crawdads Sing director Olivia Newman will direct and Sally Field will star. (Fun fact: Craig is Field's son.)
There is Tropical underground worlda crime series set in Hawaii and based on a Bloomberg article written by Chris Pomorski. The project was sold in a competitive bidding war to Fifth Season, which beat out companies including A24, FX, Apple and MRC. Craig will write while Night Owl will produce.
The MRC may have lost Tropical underground worldbut he made sure not to lose Head countan original pilot script by Craig that Night Owl will produce. That acquisition quietly led to MRC signing a first-look TV deal with Night Owl. Head count It's meant to be a darkly comedic crime series centered around a wedding planner who works on big event days for some of the most ruthless people in the world.
The projects in development show the ambition, productivity and range that Night Owl hopes to expand.
“We fantasized about starting a company that not only specialized in character-based action, but also protected writers and directors and gave them the space to take risks and try new things,” Craig said in a statement to The Hollywood journalist.
Unkeless agrees, adding, “We plan to make high-octane, genre-bending action thrillers that feel singular in their approach in a way that will surprise and delight audiences. We want to join together with other artists who believe in telling the stories we love, and then we will fight like crazy to make those stories happen. And we plan to have fun doing it!”
The two men have been friends for ten years and met for the first time during the making of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 AND Part 2. Craig was one of the authors of the successful films Unkeless, who made his name by identifying the original book by Suzanne Collins and leading the development at the production company Color Force, he was a co-producer.
“Over the last couple of years, we found ourselves collaborating more and more and finally saw an opportunity to do so,” noted Craig, who is one of Hollywood's top screenwriters and whose film credits include the Ben Affleck thriller. The cityMatt Reeve The BatmanAND Top Gun: nonconformistwhich earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Unkeless raves about his partner, “He's a rock-solid human being, an artist who supports and protects other artists and their vision, and the perfect person to be in the trenches with to build a company.”
Craig is currently in post-production on his first television project, a crime drama Sinking springhe created and broadcast for Apple with Ridley Scott directing the pilot.
Unkeless previously ran Clubhouse Pictures, a prolific label that made the Oscar-winning drama I, Tonya, with Margot Robbie, as well as a series of genre films. Among the titles were revenge thriller Katewith Mary-Elizabeth Winstead and Woody Harrelson, fantasy action film Lightwith Will Smith, thriller about superpowers Power of the projectwith Jamie Foxx and a DC movie Birds of preywith Robbie.