“Adam Shipley had given up on love. Art was to be his mistress. And so it was that in the summer of 1924, he took a sabbatical from Andover to write, if not the Great American Novel, certainly something that would make the world sit up and take notice.”
Alex Sheldon (LUKE WILSON) is an author whose writer’s block is the least of his problems — he also happens to be flat broke and owes Cuban loan sharks $100,000. After hanging him out the window and destroying his laptop computer, the thugs give Alex an ultimatum: pay up in 30 days or wind up dead. The only way Alex is going to get that kind of money is by finishing his novel, which is currently less than one sentence long. He’s got some idea of what he wants the story to be; as he puts it, “It’s about the powerlessness of being in love, how it devours the insides of a person like a deadly virus. It’s a comedy.” He just can’t seem to get it out onto paper. Now lacking both inspiration and a laptop, Alex secures the services of opinionated stenographer Emma Dinsmore (KATE HUDSON) to help him complete the novel and get paid by his publisher in time to save his skin.
The story of Adam Shipley (also portrayed by LUKE WILSON) soon begins to emerge. The fictional Adam is a romantic young writer who has been hired to tutor the children of Polina Delacroix (SOPHIE MARCEAU), a chic, gorgeous French woman in dire financial straits. The story that reveals itself is of the obsessive love that Adam develops for Polina while ignoring the potential for true love with Polina’s au pair, known in successive incarnations as the stern Swede Ylva, Elsa the bawdy German, Eldora the Spanish beauty and down-to-earth American Anna, (all played by KATE HUDSON).
Meanwhile, Alex and Emma spend their days and nights working together on the novel. Emma challenges his ideas at every turn, and her initially irritating but undeniably intriguing input begins to influence Alex and his story. Soon, real life begins to imitate art, and art, to imitate life.
Franchise Pictures presents an Escape Artists / Reiner-Greisman production, Alex & Emma, a romantic comedy directed by ROB REINER and starring KATE HUDSON and LUKE WILSON. The film also stars SOPHIE MARCEAU and DAVID PAYMER.
Alex & Emma is produced by ROB REINER, JEREMY LEVEN, ALAN GREISMAN, TODD BLACK and ELIE SAMAHA, and executive produced by PETER GUBER, JEFFREY STOTT, JASON BLUMENTHAL and STEVE TISCH. The film is written by JEREMY LEVEN.
The key craftspeople include cinematographer GAVIN FINNEY, production designer JOHN LARENA, co-editors ROBERT LEIGHTON and ALAN EDWARD BELL and costume designer SHAY CUNLIFFE.
Alex & Emma will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.
This movie has not yet been rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
www.alexandemmamovie.com / AOL Keyword: Alex & Emma
Chapter One
“It’s been said that life is what happens while you’re making other plans. To support himself while he worked on what he hoped would be The Great American Novel, Alex accepted a position as an English tutor for a French family vacationing on the island of St. Charles.”
Director/Producer Rob Reiner has always been an innovator, pushing the boundaries of any genre he touches — or in the case of his seminal “mockumentary,” This is Spinal Tap, inventing an entirely new genre. His universally beloved films Stand by Me, The Princess Bride and When Harry Met Sally have all been called classics. Reiner is always on the lookout for projects that offer something new for his audience, and when he first read Jeremy Leven’s script for Alex & Emma, he was immediately struck by its imaginative take on the traditional romantic comedy.
Alex & Emma is loosely based on the story behind the creation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s short novel The Gambler. The book was rooted in Dostoevsky’s own compulsion: in devastating debt due to his gambling addiction, the author owed his publisher a book within thirty days or he would have to hand over all rights to his past and future works. In a panic, Dostoevsky hired a stenographer to take dictation of the novel. With her help, he managed to finish the novel in time, and in the process, fell in love with her.
“I feel the best work is taken from a writer’s real life as they examine what’s happening to them, interpret their own emotions, thoughts and ideas, and put it all into their writing,” says Reiner.
Terrified novelist Alex Sheldon is up to his ears in gambling debts owed to a particularly unforgiving creditor — the Cuban mafia. There’s only one way he can get the $100,000 he needs in time to save his life: he must deliver a book to his publisher, who is refusing to advance Alex any more money until a completed manuscript hits his desk.
Now Alex is only a month away from the one-year deadline the mafia gave him to pay up, and he hasn’t been able to finish a single sentence. When he’s visited by two large thugs who illustrate their seriousness by dangling him out a window and torching his laptop, Alex is suddenly bereft of the means to complete his book; even if he could come up with some idea of what the story might be about (which he can’t), there’s no way he could write the whole thing in time.
At the end of his rope, Alex manages to lure unsuspecting stenographer Emma Dinsmore to his apartment and convinces her (largely by literally fainting on her feet) to help him.
“Emma’s first impression of Alex is not so good,” says Academy Award-nominated actress Kate Hudson, who was cast as the straight-talking, down-to-earth stenographer. “She shows up to this disheveled apartment owned by a disheveled tenant who got her there under false pretences, and so of course she’s weirded out by him — but at the same time she’s very curious and maybe a little bit attracted.”
After an initially rocky start, the no-nonsense Emma puts away her pepper spray (for the time being) and goads Alex into finally spitting out a beginning to the novel that may or may not save his life.
Alex very quickly learns that Emma is, as Hudson puts it, “a bit of a smartypants.” As he dictates his story to her, she can’t help but inject her opinion on a regular basis, and the story begins to reflect some of her input — as when Emma expresses her frustration that Alex’s physical description of his characters never matches her own inner vision…
As Emma’s input begins to creep its way into Alex’s story, the intriguing stenographer begins to creep into his mind as well. She challenges, infuriates and motivates him in turns, and she certainly keeps him on schedule — and on his toes — but who is she? They spend every day together, but Alex doesn’t know anything about Emma beyond the fact that she peels the skin off of every individual piece of tomato on her pizza and has something to say about everything he writes. As Emma’s influence on both Alex and the story grows, the novel subtly begins to mirror their changing relationship.
“This story reveals a little bit about the creative process and the influence of people on that process,” says producer Alan Greisman.
“What’s fun is that the characters in the book start to tell you about what’s happening to the people in real life,” explains Reiner. “And what happens to them in real life starts informing what happens to the characters in the book. That’s the way creative people work; it’s life, imitating art, imitating life.”
Chapter Two
“There is no accounting for love — for why one look, one casual touch, one breath of perfumed air, can ignite feelings so strong, it’s almost painful.”
Reiner feels strongly about the importance of achieving the proper chemistry between his lead actors. “It’s always a matter of finding the right match,” he says. “In my romantic comedies, the guy is always a little rough around the edges, the girl is a little bit more centered and together, and the story is in how they influence each other.”
With Hudson cast as Emma, versatile actor Luke Wilson became her imperfect match as sloppy romantic Alex Shelton. “I had seen Luke in Bottle Rocket and The Royal Tenenbaums and thought the guy was really funny,” Reiner recollects. “He’s got this great quirky personality; he’s likable and attractive, and I knew he’d be an appealing lead opposite Kate.”
Reiner was thrilled with the combination. “Kate is incredibly versatile, funny and attractive, and Luke is charming, sexy and a little bit rough hewn — they complement each other perfectly.”
“There’s a really fantastic chemistry between them,” Greisman states emphatically. “They go far beyond what’s on the written page. Simply put, the two best people wound up in front of the camera.”
Wilson had the unique opportunity to play both writer Alex Sheldon and Alex’s fictional 1920s counterpart, struggling tutor Adam Shipley. “Adam is the period version of Alex,” explains Wilson, “but his story is the same. He gets caught up in loving an image, and makes the mistake of passing over the nice girl with substance who really does care about him. Alex is a gambler, and he’s been taking risks that he shouldn’t have, living beyond his means. He’s a good person, but he’s not as good a person as he could be.”
Wilson and Hudson have been friends for several years, and had always hoped that they might find a project to work on together. As soon as he read the script, Wilson knew Alex & Emma was it. “It had intelligent dialogue, good jokes and good clear cut characters,” he says. “The project included the three key elements I look for: a great script, an excellent director, and an actor that I really wanted to work with.”
Hudson was similarly excited at the opportunity to finally work with Wilson. “We would always say, ‘wouldn’t it be funny if we could work together someday?’ Now that we have, I can say that the experience has exceeded my expectations of what Luke is like to work with as an actor.”
Hudson was also drawn to the project by the story’s originality and Reiner’s imaginative take on it. “Rob isn’t making the typical romantic comedy, all passion and lust; he plays on that with the other characters, but the relationship between Alex and Emma is one of two slightly eccentric characters finding comfort and understanding together.”
Working with the seasoned director was a gratifying experience for the actress. “I trust Rob completely, so I feel like the pressure is off of me and I’m able to just have fun and enjoy the process of making the film. With Rob, you don’t have to worry about, ‘Oh God, was this funny?’ — because he’ll tell you. He’ll come right up and say, ‘Nah, nah, that wasn’t so funny,’ or ‘That was great!’ It’s inspiring to work with people who know exactly what they want.”
Hudson has another good reason for appreciating Reiner: “Stand by Me is one of my all-time favorite movies,” she reveals. “I think that was when I first started having crushes on boys — it was Keifer and River, the two bad boys.”
Upon his arrival in St. Charles, Adam immediately falls in love at first sight with his gorgeous and sophisticated employer, Polina Delacroix. (Emma finds this plot development to be a bit shallow and suspect, but Alex forges on nonetheless.)
Joining the cast as glamorous French heartbreaker Polina is Sophie Marceau, luminous star of French cinema. Alex & Emma is Marceau’s second foray into American comedy, and the actress felt very comfortable with Reiner directing. “Comedy is a difficult genre, and if it’s not funny it is a disaster, but Rob knows how to make it work very well,” she says. “He focuses on exactly what he wants and it’s a real pleasure, because it is easygoing and yet very controlled on the set.”
“We had Sophie in mind from the very beginning,” asserts Greisman. “She’s ideal as a beautiful, jet-setting woman who enjoys the finer things in life.”
“Polina is looking for money, because that’s what she knows — she’s always lived a wonderful life in a beautiful house,” Marceau reflects. “Unfortunately, the family fortune is getting dry, so she’s looking for a kind of bank husband. She’s very much a character of the ‘20s. She is not conscious of her frivolity.”
As the summer goes by, Adam grows ever more obsessed with Polina. For her part, Polina enjoys toying with the penniless author, but knows that in the end she will wind up marrying John Shaw, the man who lent her $500,000 — a debt he would be willing to forgive a woman who would become his wife.
“Shaw is an extremely wealthy man,” says David Paymer, who plays the moneyed businessman who competes with Adam for Polina’s hand in marriage, “and Polina is a woman of very expensive tastes, so he has a considerable advantage over Adam.”
Prior to Alex & Emma, Paymer had worked with Reiner on his film The American President. “Rob always lets me play these really unique roles,” says Paymer. “He gives me incredible lines, and helps me deliver them with the utmost zing.”
Reiner himself joins the cast as Wirtschafter, Alex’s heartless publisher. The director enjoyed the experience of working with himself. “I’m easy to direct,” he compliments. “I don’t give myself a lot of back talk.”
Chapter Three
“There was something in Anna’s eyes that Adam, until now blinded by his love for Polina, saw for the first time — a deep sadness combined with a quiet strength that made her seem incredibly beautiful.”
The novel that Alex is dictating to Emma includes the initially inconsequential character of an “au pair,” but as the story develops, she moves to the forefront — reflecting Alex’s developing real-world perceptions of Emma.
First, he writes her as Ylva, a stern Swedish woman. Then Ylva becomes Elsa the bawdy German, before transforming momentarily into Eldora the black-haired Spanish beauty. Finally, she becomes Anna, the American girl from Philadelphia that Adam finds himself spending more and more time with as the summer goes on.
Anna is everything that Polina is not — caring, honest, and very down-to-earth. Not surprisingly, of all the incarnations of the mutable au pair, Anna is the most similar to Emma. Soon life begins to truly imitate art as both Alex and Adam find that love may be closer than they’d thought.
The role of Emma called for Hudson to play all four of the au pairs who parade through the story; while they are all essentially offshoots of Emma, each has a different look and accent. “The role was an unbelievable challenge, but so much fun for me,” Hudson enthuses. “Rob is a very quick shooter, and when you’re playing so many different characters, you find you’re asking yourself, ‘Am I Swedish today?’”
Luckily, the world of Alex’s novel isn’t grounded in reality — Hudson refers to it as “The Great Gatsby meets The Princess Bride. It’s not about actually being Swedish,” she points out. “It’s about Emma suddenly being Swedish in the version of the ‘20s that Alex invents for his book; it’s part of the joke.” Verbal anachronisms abound, and the actors were allowed to take liberties in playing their literary characters very broadly.
“We weren’t doing a full-on period piece, so we had fun with the ‘20s stuff,” says Wilson. “People carried themselves differently back then. Everybody in that day and age seems so well put together, much more prim and proper and polite. But Adam talks like he would in the present day — for instance, instead of saying ‘Good evening,’ I say, ‘How ya doin’?’ But just putting on that period wardrobe puts you in a different frame of mind.”
As Alex begins to recognize his growing feelings for Emma, Adam finds himself torn between the dazzling Polina and sweet, affectionate Anna. But Polina’s hold on him is undeniable, and her imminent wedding to Shaw puts added pressure on his already muddled judgment regarding the situation.
Indeed, Adam’s fate is in question: can he let go of the insubstantial fantasy life he dreams of living with Polina in time to win the heart of the woman he truly loves? Or will he fall into the same trap as Alex, gambling away his only chance at happiness?
Of course, Adam’s fate is inextricably tied to that of his creator, and Alex is truly a gambler at heart.
Chapter Four
“Though he had always considered himself a member in good standing of that great army of destitute artists, upon arriving at the Delacroix estate, Adam began to consider that he may have been a bit hasty in condemning the acquisition of large sums of money.”
The film is set on the East Coast — Alex and Emma live and work in Boston and Alex’s book is set on the fictional New England island of St. Charles. Production designer John Larena created the interiors of Alex and Emma’s apartments, the Delacroix kitchen and its guest quarters entirely at the Sunland Soundstages. With the exception of one day of shooting on location in Boston, the city’s exteriors were shot on the Universal Backlot and all other scenes were shot on location in and around greater Los Angeles.
The stately summer home of the Delacroix family was played by the Langton House, located in historic South Pasadena. St. Charles’ ferry dock and boardwalk were shot at Ports O’ Call Village in the coastal town of San Pedro, and the beach picnic was shot at nearby Cabrillo Beach. The beautifully preserved Victorian Doheny Mansion served as multiple locations for the film, including the St. Charles Casino interiors and exteriors, as well as the ornate interior of the Orantes Mansion Ballroom.
Great care was taken to make sure that all of the locations were dressed to look the part. The most dramatic transformation was seen at Ports O’Call Village. Hundreds of 1920s-garbed extras were brought in, and the docks were adorned with naval antiquities and period floral and vegetable carts. This was one of the first scenes depicting Alex’s story and it was very important to set the stage for the time period and the look of his tale.
Costume designer Shay Cunliffe found the project to be an exciting change of pace, having most recently worked on films set in the present day. Although Alex & Emma is set in contemporary Boston, Cunliffe was tasked with creating wardrobe for Alex’s fantasy world of 1920s New England. While she enjoyed searching out ‘20s-era clothes, she soon found how difficult it is to find authentic clothes from that time that are in good condition.
Cunliffe went to numerous outlets and private collectors to put together her wardrobe palette. The dresses and aprons worn by each of the au pairs represent the fruits of her labor, as all were original ‘20s-era. The designer had to find a way to express each of the au pairs’ individual personalities, and at the same time, communicate that they are all based on the same person. “I tried to maintain some continuity between their clothes, while still underscoring the humor of their different nationalities.”
Polina is wealthy and extravagant, and her wardrobe needed to reflect this. Cunliffe was able to find a surprising number of original dresses that were perfect for Polina, but in the end her gowns were a mix of new and old.
“When you look at yourself being transformed into somebody very different, you believe what you see in the mirror,” says Marceau. “And the ‘20s have a lot of personality. They came just after women were wearing corsets, and were very cooped up in their clothes. The twenties liberated women. It was a great moment of liberation, of freedom, of life and of happiness.”
Cunliffe designed John Shaw’s suits to reflect his wealth and stature and Adam’s wardrobe to reflect his penniless state. She felt that as a writer, Adam would have a very small amount of clothes, and chose to use fabrics that wrinkle very easily such as linen and cotton. “We wanted to give him the look and feel of a struggling writer living out of a suitcase.” She also wanted to convey Adam as an outsider in this world of money — “there is always a contrast between Adam’s wardrobe and everyone else. He is always a little out of step.”
Cunliffe designed very distinct looks for Alex and Emma as well. Their wardrobe was meant to convey the fact that the two have extremely limited resources. Cunliffe wanted to use “clothes that didn’t look trendy — that were timeless but totally lived in.” Alex, as a stressed-out writer, dressed very casual and rumpled. “We tried to make his clothes look as worn as possible, to wash them as little as possible and most importantly — never iron them. He needed to look like he just picked his clothes up off the floor and put them on.”
Emma’s style, on the other hand, is very neat and business-like. She wears suits that are nice, but “were likely purchased at a bargain store like Filene’s Basement. They were meant to have a dreary modesty to them in the beginning,” adds Cunliffe, “but as time passes, they very subtly move away from Emma’s straight-laced rigid persona and we tried to show someone who is opening up. We didn’t radically alter the clothes but we allowed them to fit her body in a different way.”
Cunliffe’s biggest challenge was finding ‘20s-era clothes for the over two hundred extras in the boardwalk, ferry boat and casino scenes. She soon found that local thrift stores were the perfect creative tool. “It turns out that many ‘70s and early ‘80s-era skirts or cardigan jackets, if you accessorize them right, will work quite well,” she reveals. She was able to find a number of beautifully preserved beaded dresses and vintage tuxedos for the casino scene.
Setting and costumes were integral in creating the alluring atmosphere of Alex & Emma’s fantasy world. “There’s such a romantic feel to the twenties,” says Reiner. “It was a wilder time, and a more romantic time. It’s a nice juxtaposition to the modern day.”
~ The End ~
ABOUT THE ACTORS
KATE HUDSON (Emma Dinsmore/Eulva/Elsa/Eldora/Anna) most recently starred opposite Matthew McConaughey in the romantic comedy How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and has just completed work on Le Divorce, a contemporary comedy for Merchant-Ivory.
Hudson won a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress as well as numerous other honors and recognition for her memorable performance as Penny Lane in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous.
Hudson made her studio film debut in Risa Bramon Garcia’s offbeat comedy 200 Cigarettes, co-starring Ben Affleck, Courtney Love, Christina Ricci, Jay Mohr, Dave Chappelle, Martha Plimpton, Paul Rudd and Gaby Hoffman. Critics throughout the country singled out her performance. Next she co-starred in director Morgan J. Freeman’s Desert Blue and in the psychological drama Gossip.
Hudson’s additional feature film credits include a starring role opposite Heath Ledger and Wes Bentley for director Shekhar Kapur in the period epic The Four Feathers; Dr. T and the Women; and About Adam.
Next up, Hudson will star in director Garry Marshall’s Raising Helen.
LUKE WILSON (Alex Sheldon/Adam Shipley) can currently be seen co-starring with Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell in DreamWorks Films’ Old School. The hit comedy is about three men in their 30s who become disenchanted with life and try to recapture their college days.
Wilson made his feature debut in the critically acclaimed independent film, Bottle Rocket. The film was the first written and directed by Wes Anderson and co-written by his brother, Owen, who also co-starred.
Following Bottle Rocket, Wilson went on to appear in various cameo and supporting roles before winning lead roles in Bruce McCulloch’s Dog Park and in Home Fries opposite Drew Barrymore.
Luke re-teamed with Owen Wilson and Wes Anderson for 1998’s Rushmore, which appeared on many critic’s Top Ten Lists, and then most recently in Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums, in which Wilson appeared with an all-star cast that included Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, and Bill Murray.
Wilson also appeared with Martin Lawrence in the hit comedy, Blue Streak, and opposite Heather Graham in Committed, which was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. He appeared in the smash hit, Charlie’s Angels, and starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in Legally Blonde, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.
In addition to Alex & Emma, Wilson has no less than 3 films coming up: he will also reprise his roles in the sequels to Charlie’s Angels and Legally Blonde, as well as appear in Masked & Anonymous opposite Bob Dylan, Penelope Cruz, and Jessica Lange.
One of France’s most recognizable film stars, SOPHIE MARCEAU (Polina) is possibly best known in the U.S. for her debut performance as Princess Isabel in Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, and for her part as Bond girl Elektra King in The World is Not Enough. She was also featured as Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream opposite Kevin Kline and Michelle Pfeiffer and in the lighthearted Lost and Found opposite comedian David Spade.
Marceau became a star in France with her debut film, La Boum; two years later the sequel brought her a Cesar Award for Female Performer of the Year. Since then, she has gone on to star in more than twenty feature films, including Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karina, directed by Bernard Rose; Firelight, directed by William Nicholson; La note bleue, Mes nuits sont plus belles que vos jours and L’amour braque, directed by Andrzej Zulawski. Marceau’s stage debut in Jean Anouilh’s Euridyce brought her a Moliere Award for Female Revelation of the Year. She also starred as Eliza Dolittle in Pygmalion at the Theatre des Arts Hebertot in 1993.
Alex & Emma marks DAVID PAYMER’s (John Shaw) second collaboration with Rob Reiner, having co-starred in The American President. An extremely talented character actor, David Paymer earned Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations for his performance as Billy Crystal’s long-suffering brother in Mr. Saturday Night. He also received a Golden Globe nomination in 1997 for his supporting role in HBO’s dramatic film about the Lindbergh kidnapping, Crime of the Century.
Paymer has recently appeared in such films as David Mamet’s State and Main, Norman Jewison’s The Hurricane, Lawrence Kasdan’s Mumford, Steven Spielberg’s Amistad, Oliver Stone’s Nixon and Robert Redford’s Quiz Show. He has also appeared in The Burial Society for celebrated Canadian director Nicholas Racz, Get Shorty, City Hall and Mighty Joe Young. Throughout his varied and successful career, Paymer has starred in such diverse films as Payback with Mel Gibson, Arthur Miller’s Focus, Searching for Bobby Fischer, Heart and Souls and City Slickers, among many others.
He will next be seen co-starring in David Mamet’s next film (currently untitled), Saving Grace with Natasha Lyonne and Tim Blake Nelson, and School of Life for director Bill Dear.
The versatile Paymer launched his career in the hit Broadway show Grease, then starring Peter Gallagher. He won his first film role in the classic comedy The In-Laws with Peter Falk and Alan Arkin.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
ROB REINER (Director/Actor) has directed some of the most popular and influential motion pictures of the past two decades, deftly moving among many styles. He has created films that win both audience enthusiasm and critical acclaim.
The versatile filmmaker has been immersed in the entertainment business for much of his life, succeeding first as an actor, then as a director and producer. He performed in many television and feature productions (including his Emmy-winning work as a star of the long-running hit television series All in the Family) before finding success as a director with the acclaimed “rockumentary” comedy This is Spinal Tap in 1984. He followed with the road comedy The Sure Thing and the adaptation of Stephen King’s youth adventure Stand by Me. The latter film brought him his first nomination as Best Director from the Directors Guild of America. The Princess Bride, adapted by William Goldman from his book, followed in 1986 and has since become a beloved classic. Most recently, he directed and produced The Story of Us with Michelle Pfeiffer and Bruce Willis.
Reiner’s succession of box office hits include When Harry Met Sally..., Misery, A Few Good Men, The American President and Ghosts of Mississippi.
Beginning in 1997, Reiner and his wife Michele Singer Reiner formed the I Am Your Child Foundation to promote early childhood education. Materials and information about early childhood development are available on the internet at www.iamyourchild.org.
In addition, he chaired the California Children and Families Initiative for the 1998 ballot. As a result, the California Children and Families State Commission (now First 5 California) was formed, whichworks to implement a comprehensive, integrated program of early childhood health and education services. Governor Gray Davis appointed Reiner chairman of this commission, which oversees the expenditure of over $600 million annually.
JEREMY LEVEN (Producer/Writer) most recently adapted Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook for director Nick Cassevetes and actors Gena Rowland and James Garner. Previously, he wrote the critically acclaimed film The Legend of Bagger Vance for director Robert Redford and wrote and directed the offbeat romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, starring Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. Leven has also written and will direct Lovers, Liars and Thieves in the Spring of 2003.
Prior to beginning his film writing career, Leven earned a graduate degree in Child Psychology from Harvard and was a Fellow in the Department of Child Psychiatry at the Yale University Medical School. He also served on the faculty of Harvard, was a hospital psychologist in Massachusetts and was the Director of Youth, Drug Treatment and Methadone Programs for Western Massachusetts.
In 1968, he founded, wrote and directed The Proposition, a satirical revue, which ran for ten years in Boston and four off-Broadway. To put himself through graduate school, he authored the books Creator, and the critically acclaimed Satan: His Psychotherapy and Cure by the Unfortunate Dr Kassler, J.S.P.S., the latter of which has become standard reading in university contemporary fiction courses. He later adapted Creator into a screenplay for a film of the same name, directed by Ivan Passar and starring Peter O’Toole and Mariel Hemingway. Leven also co-wrote Playing For Keeps, directed by Harvey and Bob Weinstein and starring Marisa Tomei, as well as Crazy as Hell, directed by and starring Eriq La Salle.
ALAN GREISMAN (Producer) has been producing films with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars for over twenty years. Most recently, Greisman produced the Western Texas Rangers for Miramax Films and Earthly Possessions for HBO Films starring Susan Sarandon.
He began his career as an independent producer but soon went on to be named president of Spelling Entertainment’s movie division. During his tenure at Spelling, he produced the hit comedy Soapdish that garnered star Kevin Kline a Golden Globe nomination. He then went on to become president of Rastar productions. In this position, Greisman was involved with every aspect of production: development, casting, budgeting/finance, marketing and distribution. He also produced Mike Figgis’ romantic drama Mr. Jones starring Richard Gere.
In 1992, he was appointed president of Savoy Pictures. During his time at Savoy, the company produced and released over fifteen motion pictures. Greisman guided all of these films from conception through release. Among the highlights are Academy Award nominated Shadowlands, starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger, and Robert De Niro’s stunning directorial debut A Bronx Tale.
Additional producing credits include such films as Loose Cannons with Dan Ackroyd and Gene Hackman, Fletch and Fletch Lives with Chevy Chase, Satisfaction with Julia Roberts, Surrender with Sally Field and Michael Caine, Windy City with Kate Capshaw, and Heart Beat starring Nick Nolte and Sissy Spacek.
Alan Greisman and Rob Reiner became producing partners in the Fall of 2002. Alex & Emma is their first picture under the Reiner/Greisman banner.
TODD BLACK (Producer) most recently produced the inspirational drama Antwone Fisher, directed by and starring Denzel Washington. Through a partnership with director Randa Haines, Black produced Wrestling Ernest Hemingway for Warner Bros. Pictures and A Family Thing for United Artists. This led into his three-year tenure as President of Motion Picture Production at Sony’s Mandalay Entertainment where he managed such movies as Donnie Brasco, Seven Years in Tibet, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Les Miserables and Wild Things.
In January 2000, Black, along with his partner Jason Blumenthal, merged with the Steve Tisch Company to form Escape Artists, an independently financed company. They have secured Sony Pictures as their domestic partner. Currently, they are prepping four pictures for production starting with the Luis Mandoki thriller Need; the romantic comedy Wedlocked, starring Meg Ryan and Richard Gere; Nautica to be directed by Tarsem; and the thriller Knowing, to be directed by Donnie Darko helmer Richard Kelly. They are also concentrating on a number of other high-profile development projects.
Black attended the theatre program at the University of Southern California and began his career as a casting associate on various television shows. From there, he went on to work with Joe Wizan and produce such movies as Iron Eagle, Tough Guys with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas, Dunston Checks In and Fire in the Sky.
ELIE SAMAHA (Producer) is Chairman/CEO of Franchise Pictures, which has fast become one of the most prolific production and co-financing companies in the entertainment industry. Under his leadership, Franchise Pictures will finance and distribute over a dozen films this year alone.
In a three and a half-year period, Samaha has built Franchise into a powerful mini-studio with mainstream films populated by the industry’s biggest box-office stars. They include Michael Douglas, Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Jack Nicholson, Marlon Brando, Jennifer Lopez, Kevin Costner, Danny DeVito, John Travolta, Sylvester Stallone, Sean Penn, Cameron Diaz, Wesley Snipes, Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey.
Franchise Pictures has instituted a domestic distribution arrangement with Warner Bros. Pictures, which began with the popular comedy The Whole Nine Yards, starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry, released on February 18, 2000. Other films released through Warner Bros. Pictures include Art of War, starring Wesley Snipes; The Pledge, starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Sean Penn; Heist, starring Gene Hackman, Danny DeVito and written and directed by David Mamet; and The In-Laws, starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks. Currently in production is David Mamet’s next film (currently untitled), starring Val Kilmer and William H. Macy.
Other Franchise fare distributed domestically through Warner Bros. Pictures includes Luis Mandoki’s Angel Eyes, with Jennifer Lopez and Jim Caviezel; 3,000 Miles to Graceland, starring Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner; Driven, starring Sylvester Stallone; FearDotCom, starring Stephen Dorff, Natascha McElhone and Stephen Rea; City by the Sea, directed by Michael Caton-Jones and starring Robert De Niro, Frances McDormand and James Franco; and Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu. Slated for release in 2003 are Sound of Thunder, starring Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack, and Sir Ben Kinglsey; and The Whole Ten Yards, starring Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis.
Franchise operates a classics division which has recently produced and distributed films including The Green Dragon, starring Patrick Swayze and Forest Whitaker; Caveman’s Valentine, starring Samuel L. Jackson; Rodrigo Garcia’s Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her, featuring Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Amy Brenneman and Cameron Diaz, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival; and The Big Kahuna, starring Danny DeVito and Kevin Spacey.
Franchise retains foreign rights to all its films and operates as a full-service international sales company encompassing distribution, marketing and delivery, with output deals covering territories worldwide. Samaha has shepherded an extensive list of films towards release for the coming year through Franchise Pictures.
Executive Producer PETER GUBER has an unparalleled record of success and a legendary reputation as a producer skilled at discovering properties, nurturing talent, and shaping box office hits.
As head of Columbia Pictures in the early 1970s and later as CEO of Sony Pictures from 1989 to 1995, as well as an independent motion pictures producer, he is responsible for the creation of some of the most successful films of all times. His personal producing credits include The Deep, Midnight Express, American Werewolf in London, Rain Man, Flashdance, Witches of Eastwick, The Color Purple, Tango and Cash, Gorillas in the Mist and Batman.
Today, as Chairman of Mandalay Entertainment Group, he oversees a fast-growing multi-media company that has delivered such hits as Donnie Brasco, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Seven Years in Tibet, The Score and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. In 1999, Guber executive produced the 3-D IMAX documentary Galapagos: The Enchanted Voyage. In addition to innovative ventures in prime time television, with four series on network and cable, Guber is Chairman of Mandalay Sports Entertainment, a national sports entertainment partner with professional baseball teams throughout the country and a sister company to Mandalay Pictures. Called a “one-stop-shop,” MSE’s focus is on the merger between sports and entertainment.
JEFFREY STOTT (Executive Producer/Unit Production Manager) has worked with Rob Reiner on all of the director’s films beginning with This is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, and Stand by Me. He co-produced the films The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery and A Few Good Men. He served as executive producer on North, The American President, Ghosts of Mississippi and The Story of Us.
Most recently, Stott executive produced Barbet Schroeder’s Murder by Numbers for Castle Rock Entertainment where he also served as Executive Vice-President of Production Management. During his tenure at Castle Rock, he oversaw the production of over 60 feature films and was the Executive in Charge of Production on the hit TV series Seinfeld.
Stott has a Masters of Art in History from Brigham Young University and a Ph.D. in History from the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Executive Producer JASON BLUMENTHAL served as Senior Vice President of Production at Mandalay Entertainment. Blumenthal is credited with bringing in the hit movie I Know What You Did Last Summer and Wild Things. Blumenthal’s past producing credits include Bio Dome and Dunston Checks In.
In January 2000, Blumenthal and Todd Black merged with the Steve Tisch Company to form Escape Artists, an independently financed company. They have secured Sony Pictures as their domestic partner. Currently, they are prepping four pictures for production, starting with the Luis Mandoki thriller Need; the romantic comedy Wedlocked, starring Meg Ryan and Richard Gere; Nautica, to be directed by Tarsem; and the thriller Knowing, to be directed by Donnie Darko helmer Richard Kelly. They are also concentrating on a number of other high-profile development projects.
Dynamic movie and television producer STEVE TISCH (Executive Producer) has led a successful life rich in spirit and philanthropy. His television and feature film projects have consistently focused on the lives of everyday people and the significant impact they have made upon society. Tisch is currently a Partner for Escape Artists, an independently financed film production company.
Most recently, Tisch served as executive producer of Gramercy Pictures’ Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and the critically-acclaimed film American History X (New Line Cinema), starring Academy Award nominee Edward Norton.
One of Tisch’s most noteworthy achievements is the production of 1994’s Academy Award winner for Best Picture, Forrest Gump (Paramount Pictures). The film starred Tom Hanks, Sally Field, Robin Wright Penn and Gary Sinise and was directed by Robert Zemeckis. Along with receiving Best Picture, Forrest Gump received five other Academy Awards and also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Picture. It remains the fourth-largest grossing domestic box office film of all time.
Tisch began his career in entertainment while still a student at Tufts University. Tisch’s summer jobs included a film booker in his family’s movie theatre chain; working for director John Avildsen; and serving an apprenticeship under Otto Preminger. Upon his graduation, Tisch continued in the entertainment industry as Peter Guber’s assistant at Columbia pictures. At the age of 22, he became a production executive at the studio. During his four-year tenure, Tisch supervised production on such films as The Lords of Flatbush, Tommy, The Last Detail and White Line Fever.
In 1976, Tisch left Columbia to produce his first motion picture, Outlaw Blues. Tisch met Jon Avnet during the shoot and soon the pair formed Tisch/Avnet Productions. Tisch/Avnet feature projects included the sleeper hit of 1983, Risky Business, starring a relatively unknown actor at the time, Tom Cruise. (Other theatrical films included Deal of the Century and Coast to Coast.)
In 1984, Tisch/Avnet produced The Burning Bed, the controversial and dramatic film starring Farrah Fawcett. The made-for-television movie holds the distinction of being the highest-rated television film ever aired on NBC. The Burning Bed received 11 Emmy nominations and numerous other awards. The film has also been credited with providing many women the courage to seek help from physical abuse.
Tisch/Avnet’s other television film credits include: Silence of the Heart, about teenage suicide; Something So Right, centering on a relationship between a troubled child and a member of the Big Brother organization; Prime Suspect, about news and media abuse; Homeward Bound, the winner of a Christopher Award, which dealt with a family’s acceptance of their young son’s battle with cancer; No Other Love, about two marginally retarded young people who fall in love with each other; and Call to Glory, both the television movie and the series, which depicted an Air Force officer and his family during the turbulent years of the Cuban Missile Crisis and Kennedy assassination.
In 1986, Tisch formed his own production company, the Steve Tisch Company, which has gone on to produce: Postman, directed by and starring Kevin Costner; Wild America; The Long Kiss Goodnight; Dear God; Corrina, Corrina; and Looking for an Echo. Other feature films include: Soul Man, Hot to Trot, Big Business, Heart Condition, Bad Influence, and Heart of Dixie.
Tisch has also made an impressive mark on the small screen. He produced the made-for-cable movies Keep the Change (TNT), Afterburn (HBO), which garnered three Emmy Award nominations, and Judgement (HBO). His made-for-television movies include the highly rated The People Next Door, Evil in Clear River and Out on the Edge. Tisch also produced the CBS television series Freshman Dorm and Dirty Dancing (the TV series based on the hit film).
Tisch was elected to AIDS Project Los Angeles’ Board of Directors in April, 1991 and re-elected in October 1992. During his tenure, Tisch served as both Board Chair and Chair of the Development Committee. His financial contributions have placed him among APLA’s top donors and fund-raisers. Tisch was recently honored with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s Vanguard Award at their 1995 Media Awards. The Vanguard Award, one of the highest awards given by GLAAD, is presented to a member of the entertainment community whose personal contribution towards gay and lesbian equal rights has made a significant difference.
Tisch founded the Jamie & Steve Tisch Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that raises funds to benefit various charities. He has also generously contributed his time and financial resources to such organizations as: UCLA Medical Center (member of the Board of Trustees), The H.E.L.P. Group and The ERAS Center. He is also a member of the Board of Directors at the Tisch School for the Arts at New York University and The Geffen Theatre in Los Angeles.
Tisch is the son of Preston Robert Tisch, and resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Jamie. He has five children and two chocolate brown Labradors named Forrest and Elliot.
GAVIN FINNEY (Director of Photography) most recently worked on the upcoming Inquisition for director Betsan Morris-Evans starring Sir Derek Jacobi and Alun Armstrong and an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night for director Tim Supple. He also served as second unit director of photography on the hugely successful Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Additional credits include the film Tom’s Midnight Garden, and A Rather English Marriage and Witness Against Hitler for television.
He won a Royal Television Society Award for his work in the miniseries Gormenghast. In addition, he was nominated for a Royal Television Society award for The English Wife in 1995.
Finney graduated from the renowned National Film and Television School in 1991. His graduate film entitled This Boy’s Story won the Honorary Film Award at the AMPAS Student Academy Awards in 1992.
JOHN LARENA (Production Designer) has been critically acclaimed for recent work including The Visit, which was nominated for four independent spirit awards, and Mockingbird Don’t Sing, for which Variety praised John’s “evocative” production design. Coupling his film experience with his degree in architecture from USC, John also enjoys consulting for businesses and homeowners on interior and exterior design.
ROBERT LEIGHTON (Editor) has collaborated with filmmaker Rob Reiner on each of his feature directorial efforts. Those films include This Is Spinal Tap, The Sure Thing, Stand By Me, The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally…, Misery, A Few Good Men, North, The American President, Ghosts of Mississippi and The Story of Us. He received an Oscar nomination for his work on A Few Good Men.
Other motion picture credits include A Mighty Wind and Best in Show, both with Christopher Guest, The Green Mile, two Ron Shelton films, Bull Durham and Blaze, Life with Mikey, Courage Under Fire, Wavelength and Delusion.
Leighton was born in London, where he studied his craft at the London Film School. He first worked for the BBC as an assistant editor before emigrating to the U.S. in 1975.
ALAN EDWARD BELL (Editor) has worked with Robert Leighton on many of Rob Reiner’s films including, most recently, The Story of Us. Bell was assistant editor on Misery, A Few Good Men and North and associate editor on The American President and Ghosts of Mississippi.
Bell’s previous editing credits include Rob Reiner’s ABC special on early childhood development entitled I Am Your Child; the action film Icarus Descending; and The Green Mile, serving as assembly editor for director Frank Darabont. He worked in various capacities on Heathers, Blaze and Life with Mikey. Most recently, he edited the action comedy Bait, directed by Antoine Fuqua and The Anarchist Cookbook, written and directed by Jordan Susman.
Bell has also edited numerous music videos and produces the award-winning entertainment website www.directorunknown.com.
As costume designer, SHAY CUNLIFFE paints a bold canvas with her seamless illustrations. Her early films include Dolores Claiborne with Kathy Bates; The Long Walk Home; A Civil Action starring John Travolta; Of Mice and Men with John Malkovich; and Mrs. Soffel starring Mel Gibson.
Subsequently, Mel Gibson invited her to design the clothes for his directorial debut, The Man Without a Face. John Sayles’ memorable western Lone Star gave new challenges and was a wonderful contrast with her work on City of Angels, which starred Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan.
Cunliffe’s recent credits include What A Girl Wants, The Prime Gig, Sweet November and Enough.
