MILES TELLER TO PRODUCE, STAR IN RUPERT WAINWRIGHT'S ADAPTATION OF “NOT WITHOUT HOPE” BASED ON NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING NOVEL
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RUSSELL WILSON AND CIARA’S WHY NOT YOU PRODUCTIONS PARTNER AS EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
Highland Film Group Launching Worldwide Sales During the Marché du Film Online
LOS ANGELES (June 12, 2020) – Highland Film Group announced today that Miles Teller (upcoming Top Gun: Maverick) has signed on to produce and star in director Rupert Wainwright’s Not Without Hope, based on Nick Schuyler and Jere Longman’s novel by the same name. E. Nicholas Mariani penned the screenplay. Along with Teller, the film is being produced by Michael Jefferson of Volition Media Partners, Rick French of Prix Productions, Lucidity Entertainment’s Colin Bates and Teller’s Lime Tree Productions, in association with Wainwright’s Adore Creative.
Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson and Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Ciara will executive produce through their Why Not You production company.
Willie Kutner will also produce and James Dyer will executive produce, alongside Andrea Bucko, Wes Hull, Dave Lugo and Goldfinch Entertainment’s Kirsty Bell and Phil McKenzie. Highland Film Group will launch international sales at the upcoming Marché du Film Online, with CAA Media Finance handling the domestic rights.
Not Without Hope is an extraordinary and inspiring true story of courage, strength, and friendship. Based on the New York Times non-fiction best-seller, best friends Nick Schuyler (Miles Teller) and Will Bleakley, and NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, depart Clearwater, Florida for a day trip at their favorite fishing spot 70 miles out in the Gulf of Mexico. As a severe storm heads their way, a trapped anchor and a tragic mistake in trying to free it causes their boat to capsize, throwing the four friends violently into the freezing water. With the U.S. Coast Guard air and sea rescue mission beaten back by the ferocity of the massive storm, the group must fight to survive in the ultimate test of teamwork and endurance.
Teller starred in the 2015 Academy Award® winning Whiplash, directed by Damien Chazelle. He is known for starring roles in The Spectacular Now, for which he won the‘Dramatic Special Jury Award’ for acting at Sundance, Rabbit Hole, War Dogs, Project X, Only the Brave, Bleed for This, Thank You For Your Service and Nicolas Winding Refn’s mini-series“Too Old to Die Young.” Up next, Teller will star alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun: Maverick and in Sean Penn’s Flag Day.
Wainwright is an award-winning director known for his work on MGM’s Stigmata starring Patricia Arquette, Gabriel Byrne and Jonathan Pryce and Sony Pictures’ The Fog starring Tom Welling, Maggie Grace and Selma Blair.
Highland Film Group’s CEO Arianne Fraser commented:‘We are very excited to help bring this inspiring true story to the big screen. In today’s world of uncertainty, we definitely need feature films that are able to instill hope, courage and strength.’
Teller is represented by CAA and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher; Wainwright and French are represented by Buchwald.
Russell Wilson and Ciara are represented by CAA. Super Bowl Champion and seven-time Pro-Bowler, Wilson, and Grammy Award-winning artist, Ciara are also represented by Untitled Entertainment’s Jason Weinberg and Jordan Dinenberg, President of Why Not You Productions. Wilson is additionally represented by sports agent and attorney Mark Rodgers.
Highland Film Group’s current sales slate includes: Vaughn Stein’s Inheritance starring Lily Collins and Simon Pegg, released in the US May 2020; Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion’s Becky starring Lulu Wilson, Kevin James and Joel McHale releasing June 2020; Infamous starring Bella Thorne and Jake Manley, releasing June 2020; Andrew Baird’s Zone 414 starring Guy Pearce, Matilda Lutz and Travis Fimmel; John D. Eraklis’ Pierre the Pigeon-Hawk starring Nick Cannon, Whoopi Goldberg and Howie Mandel; Mark Earl Burman’s Ambush starring Aaron Eckhart; Ray Giarratana’s The Tiger Rising starring Queen Latifah and Dennis Quaid; Jiu Jitsu starring Nicolas Cage, Alain Moussi, Tony Jaa, Frank Grillo, Rick Yune, Marie Avgeropoulos and JuJu Chan; Persephone starring Brianna Hildebrand and Mary-Louise Parker; Trauma Center starring Bruce Willis; Michael Polish’s Axis Sally starring Al Pacino; and Skylin3s, the third chapter of the successful franchise, starring Lindsey Morgan.
About Highland Film Group
Led by founding partners Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, Highland Film Group (HFG) is an independent worldwide sales, production and film financing company. Launched in 2010, HFG has had success across a wide range of film genres and platforms, building a reputation for handling high-octane films in the action/horror/thriller space, focusing on cast, director, film maker driven content.
Recent previous titles include: Joe Carnahan’s Boss Level starring Naomi Watts, Mel Gibson and Frank Grillo; Marc Meyer’s thriller We Summon the Darkness starring Johnny Knoxville and Alexandra Daddario; Michael Cristofer’s The Night Clerk starring Tye Sheridan, Ana de Armas and Helen Hunt; Shawn Ku’s A Score to Settle starring Nicolas Cage; Berlin, I Love You with Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Jim Sturgess, Mickey Rourke, Diego Luna, and Jenna Dewan Tatum; Vaughn Stein’s Terminal starring Margot Robbie; Lin Oeding’s thriller Braven starring Jason Momoa; Scott Mann’s Final Score starring Dave Bautista and Pierce Brosnan.
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