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"I've kept everything you can do hidden, hoping to prevent them from finding you." Samuel Goldwyn Films has released a new official US trailer for an indie sci-fi thriller titled Rising Wolf, which also goes under the name Ascendant in other countries. This looks like a strange, but very slick, mysterious "eco-thriller" film about a young woman trapped in some kind of futuristic elevator. A young environmentalist discovers she's trapped in the elevator of a super high-rise building at the mercy of her tormentors. "Without any form of escape, and cocooned in the belly of the beast, Aria is forced to adapt her thinking, her beliefs and her endurance." Starring Charlotte Best as Aria Wolf, with Jonny Pasvolsky, Alex Menglet, Susan Prior, Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta, Tahlia Sturzaker, and Karelina Clarke. This seems like it's all style and no substance, without a coherent story to follow. It's hard to tell...

Promising ideas turn out to be mostly empty thought bubbles in “Rising Wolf,” a confusing and derivative Aussie combo of hostage thriller and sci-fi fantasy. Centered on a terrified young woman trapped in a Shanghai skyscraper elevator by a nasty Russian villain, this muddled attempt at an elevated genre film involving time travel, psychic powers and environmental doom can’t be rescued by strong visuals or a fine central performance by Charlotte Best. A box-office disappointment when released locally on 165 screens on April 8 under the title “Ascendant,” “Rising Wolf” has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films and is reportedly set to open in U.S. cinemas on July 16.

The screenplay by first-time feature director Antaine Furlong and co-writer Kieron Holland brings together a straightforward hostage story with a YA-style sci-fi scenario about a heroine slowly realizing she has extraordinary abilities. The elements hold plenty of initial promise, but the mix...

Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that the company has acquired Worldwide Rights (excl. Australia and New Zealand) to Antaine Furlong’s feature ‘Rising Wolf’. The film stars Charlotte Best (A Name Without A Place), Jonny Pasvolsky (The Front Runner), Alex Menglet (TV’s Wentworth), Susan Prior (The Rover), Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta,Tahlia Sturzaker (I am Mother), and …

The post Samuel Goldwyn Films Has Acquired The Rights To The Sci-fi Thriller ‘Rising Wolf’ (Aka ‘Ascendant’) appeared first on Horror News | Hnn.

Directed by Antaine Furlong, starring Charlotte Best, and set in the elevator of a high-rise, the sci-fi thriller Rising Wolf has been acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films:

Press Release: Los Angeles, CA – Samuel Goldwyn Films announced today that the company has acquired Worldwide Rights (excl. Australia and New Zealand) to Antaine Furlong’s feature ‘Rising Wolf’. The film stars Charlotte Best (A Name Without A Place), Jonny Pasvolsky (The Front Runner), Alex Menglet (TV’s Wentworth), Susan Prior (The Rover), Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta,Tahlia Sturzaker (I am Mother), and introducing Karelina Clarke.

A young woman wakes, trapped, kidnapped in an elevator of a super high­ rise building at the mercy of her tormentors. This stylistic thriller, set in Shanghai, explores a young woman's instinct to survive in a situation out of her control. Trapped, without any form of escape, and cocooned in the belly of the beast, Aria is forced to adapt her thinking,...

Samuel Goldwyn Films has added to its growing list of Australian acquisitions, negotiating a deal for the worldwide rights to Antaine Furlong’s Ascendant.

Under the agreement, there will be a planned theatrical release of the film as Rising Wolf in the US on July 16.

Ascendant will be released in Australia and New Zealand this Thursday via Maslow Entertainment.

Set in Shanghai, the story follows Aria Wolf (Charlotte Best), a young woman who wakes, trapped, kidnapped in an elevator of a super high­ rise building at the mercy of her tormentors. Cocooned in the belly of the beast, Aria is forced to adapt her thinking, her beliefs, and her endurance.

The cast includes Jonny Pasvolsky (The Front Runner), Alex Menglet (Wentworth), Susan Prior (The Rover), Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta,Tahlia Sturzaker (I am Mother), and Karelina Clarke.

Ascendant was written by Kieron Holland and Furlong, who produced alongside Kristy Vernon,...

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the worldwide releasing rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, to Antaine Furlong’s sci-fi thriller Rising Wolf.

The film — starring Charlotte Best, Jonny Pasvolsky, Alex Menglet and Susan Prior — is set to hit U.S. theaters on July 16. Rising Wolf also stars Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta, Tahlia Sturzaker and Karelina Clarke.

“We at Goldwyn are honored to be working with emerging talent from around the world. Antaine Furlong has created an exciting new thriller that audiences will thoroughly enjoy,” Miles Fineburg of Samuel Goldwyn Films said in a statement.

Rising Wolf, set in ...

Samuel Goldwyn Films has acquired the worldwide releasing rights, excluding Australia and New Zealand, to Antaine Furlong’s sci-fi thriller Rising Wolf.

The film — starring Charlotte Best, Jonny Pasvolsky, Alex Menglet and Susan Prior — is set to hit U.S. theaters on July 16. Rising Wolf also stars Lily Stewart, Justin Cotta, Tahlia Sturzaker and Karelina Clarke.

“We at Goldwyn are honored to be working with emerging talent from around the world. Antaine Furlong has created an exciting new thriller that audiences will thoroughly enjoy,” Miles Fineburg of Samuel Goldwyn Films said in a statement.

Rising Wolf, set in ...

It was always going to be a big ask for Stage 23.

Antaine Furlong’s sci-fi thriller Ascendant (formerly Rising Wolf) required the visual effects company to provide more than 400 VFX shots, including 2D composites, photoreal 3D environments, and complex supernatural effects sequences, all while navigating a global pandemic.

However, through the use of cloud rendering, an expansion of their team from four to 15, and a transition to a largely remote workflow, Stage 23 managed to overcome the odds to bring Furlong’s vision of a dark, near-future Shanghai to life.

The independently-funded feature, which is about a young environmentalist who awakes in the elevator of a super high-rise building at the mercy of her tormentors, is scheduled for release at the beginning of April, having been filmed at Fox Studios last year.

Written by Furlong and Kieron Holland, the film stars Charlotte Best (Home and Away), Susan Prior (The Rover), and...

Kidnapped and held hostage in a high-speed elevator in a 120-floor building in Shanghai, Aria Wolf has no memory of her past, who her captors are, or what they want from her. Pushed to her limits, she begins to realise she has incredible powers within, kept secret to protect her and her family. Now, unlocking these powers is her only chance to save both herself and her father.

Directed by Antaine Furlong and produced by Daydream Films, Ascendant (formerly Rising Wolf) stars Charlotte Best, Jonny Pasvolsky, Alex Menglet and Susan Prior.

The film will release in Australian cinemas April 8 via Maslow Entertainment, with an international release to follow.

The post ‘Ascendant’ (Trailer) appeared first on If Magazine.

Antaine Furlong and Charlotte Best on the set of Rising Wolf’.

Antaine Furlong’s Shanghai-set action thriller Rising Wolf, toplined by Charlotte Best, is currently shooting at Fox Studios in Sydney.

Best plays a young woman, Aria Wolf, who is trapped and kidnapped in the elevator of a super high-rise building at the mercy of tormentors in the Russian Intelligence Agency. The film is intended as the first of a trilogy, in which Aria and fraternal twin sister Zara discover their true powers, which are the result of an incident when they were seven years old.

This is Furlong’s debut feature, and he has penned the script with Kieron Holland, with James M. Vernon and Kristy Vernon producing. The production has been financed by a single private investor, and the producers are currently in discussion with various distributors internationally.

Starring alongside Best are Jonny Pasvolsky, Susan Prior, Tahlia Sturzaker,...

"Do you think she's alive...?" The Orchard has debuted the official Us trailer for an Australian thriller titled Rabbit, which premiered and played at numerous genre film festivals in October of last year. The film is about a young woman from Adelaide who decides to return to her home town after vivid dreams she keeps having about her missing sister. Certain she now knows the whereabouts of her missing twin, she follows the clues to a derelict caravan park. Adelaide Clemens stars as both Maude & Cleo, along with Alex Russell, Veerle Baetens, Jonny Pasvolsky, Lauren Koopowitz, Charlotte Munns, & Charles Mayer. Yeah, this film looks like it gets super unsettling, super fast, despite a clean and bright start. Check this out below. Here's the official Us trailer (+ original posters) for Luke Shanahan's Rabbit, direct from YouTube: A year after her identical twin sister's disappearance, Maude Ashton (Adelaide Clemens) is...

Maude Ashton (Adelaide Clemens) suffers from vivid recurring nightmares that she’s convinced are more than just dreams: she believes they’re telling her where to find her twin sister Cleo, who’s been missing for a year. Her parents have given up on Cleo, and nobody takes Maude’s visions seriously except Ralph (Alex Russell), Cleo’s abandoned boyfriend, and Henry (Jonny Pasvolsky), the cop who has spent the past year obsessing over this unsolved case. The three of them, beginning with only the vaguest of clues, head into a no-man’s land in rural Australia, a forest home to a community of handicapped and mentally disturbed trailer-dwellers. There they meet Nerida (Veerle Baetens), owner of a nearby mansion and the apparent matriarch to this clan of sim [Continued ...]...

Natalie Dormer..

Game of Thrones star Natalie Dormer will play English headmistress Mrs. Hester Appleyard in Foxtel.s upcoming.Picnic at Hanging Rock miniseries..

FremantleMedia.s six-parter begins shooting later this month. Amanda Brotchie (Agony, This is Littleton, Lowdown).will direct alongside the previously announced Michael Rymer and Larysa Kondracki.

Brotchie joins after the Australian Directors' Guild criticised FremantleMedia over the import of Kondracki, a Canadian, to shoot the series.

In late December, following a protest staged by the Adg and Wift Nsw outside FremantleMedia.s Sydney office, the production company announced it would bring on an Aussie female director to shoot one episode.

Joining Dormer as the teachers of Appleyard College are.Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black), French actress Lola Bessis (Cassandra, Swim Little Fish Swim),.Anna McGahan (The Doctor Blake Mysteries, Anzac Girls) and Sibylla Budd (Tomorrow When The War Began, Winners & Losers).

Schoolgirls will be played by Lily Sullivan (Camp,...

“The Simpsons” star Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa Simpson on Fox’s long-running animated series, is currently shopping a half-hour comedy series titled “The Import,” TheWrap has learned. Black List scribes Evan Mirzai and Shea Mirzai have been hired to write the script, which is based on an original idea by actor Jonny Pasvolsky (“Mortdecai”). The logline is currently being kept under wraps, but insiders describe the project as a multi-generational, multicultural series centered on immigration and the current green-card system. Smith and her producing partner Ben Cornwell will produce the series under their PaperClip banner along with the Mirzai twins.

Desperately seeking a “pretty movie stars chase art treasures in world capitals” vibe, this goofy soufflé ultimately falls flat

I admit to being a big fan of watching glamorous movie stars gadding around world capitols in the comedic pursuit of art treasures; I spent countless hours glued to the TV as a kid soaking in comic soufflés like “Charade” and “How to Steal a Million,” and I’ll even defend the much-maligned “Hudson Hawk” for its efforts to keep the genre alive in our modern, cynical era.

If only I could feel as charitable toward “Mortdecai,” a glamorous, jet-set fantasy...

Jonny Pasvolsky. Photo credit:.Shaughn + John. Australian actor Jonny Pasvolsky will appear opposite Hollywood heavyweight Johnny Depp in upcoming American comedy Mortedcai. Directed by David Koepp, (Ghost Town, Premium Rush) and adapted from the book anthology The Mortdecai Trilogy, written by Kyril Bonfiglioli, the film also features Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany, Olivia Munn and Aubrey Plaza. The plot follows dashing art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) who travels the globe in search of a stolen painting rumoured to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold. Pasvolsky will play Emil Strago, .world criminal. who stands in Depp.s way. Pasvolsky has extensive experience working in Australian film and TV, with roles on The Moody.s, Mr and Mrs Murder, Offspring, Underbelly and McLeod.s Daughters. He lists the role of Peter Vanetti in Mr and Mrs Murder as a career highlight thus far.

Jeff Goldblum, Aubrey Plaza, and Oliver Platt have joined the cast of the action comedy Mortdecai. The film, based on the popular three-novel anthology by Kyril Bonfiglioli, wrapped production in London and is currently in production in Los Angeles.

Plaza, Platt and Goldblum join an all-star cast led by Johnny Depp and featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn and Paul Bettany. Additional cast previously announced include Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen, and Paul Whitehouse.

Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.

David Koepp is directing the film from a screenplay by Eric Aronson.

The star of the upcoming Sundance world premiere Life After Beth has joined Johnny Depp and Gwyneth Paltrow on Lionsgate and Oddlot’s action comedy.

Lionsgate International kicked off pre-sales at the recent Afm In Santa Monica. Mortdecai marks the first project under Lionsgate and OddLot’s multiyear co-financing and distribution deal.

Oliver Platt and Jeff Goldblum have also come on board the production, currently shooting in Los Angeles after director David Koepp recently wrapped the London segment.

Mortdecai is based on Kyril Bonfiglioli’s trilogy about a roguish art dealer and his wife who must evade Russian mobsters, British MI5 and a terrorist in search of a stolen painting believed to contain the key to a horde of Nazi gold.

The previously announced cast includes Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn and Paul Bettany, as well as Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen and Paul Whitehouse.

Eric Aronson adapted the script and Andrew Lazar, Depp...

Lionsgate and OddLot Entertainment announced today that Aubrey Plaza, Oliver Platt and Jeff Goldblum have joined the cast of the action comedy Mortdecai . The film, based on the popular three-novel anthology by Kyril Bonfiglioli, wrapped production in London and is currently in production in Los Angeles. Plaza, Platt and Goldblum join an all-star cast led by Johnny Depp and featuring Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn and Paul Bettany. Additional cast previously announced include Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen, and Paul Whitehouse. David Koepp is directing the film from a screenplay by Eric Aronson. Andrew Lazar, Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski and OddLot.s Gigi Pritzker are producing the project. The film is described as...

Following an official set photo last month, we've got some new photos of Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany filming the David Koepp-directed Mortdecai in London today. Based on the popular three-novel anthology by Kyril Bonfiglioli, the film also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn. Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen and Paul Whitehouse. Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.

Via: PopSugar 

Want to see what Johnny Depp is up to these days? Here's our first look at the actor in his latest film project, Mortdecai.

Depp plays a character named Charles Mortdecai, "a debonair art dealer and part time rogue who must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold. He also has to juggle angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist."

The film is based on a three-novel anthology by Kyril Bonfiglioli. It's being directed by David Koepp and also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn. Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen, and Paul Whitehouse.

Here's a description of the book:

Kyril Bonfiglioli's final novel follows the Hon.

An early image from the set of Lionsgate and OddLot Entertainment's upcoming Mortdecai has debuted at PopSugar and it shows off leading man Johnny Depp in full costume. Check it out below! Based on the popular three-novel anthology by Kyril Bonfiglioli, Mortdecai is directed by David Koepp and also stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn. Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen, and Paul Whitehouse. Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost...

Lionsgate and OddLot Entertainment have announced that principal photography has begun in London on the action comedy Mortdecai.

Based on the popular three-novel anthology by Kyril Bonfiglioli, which has amassed a significant cult following, the film features an all-star cast including Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn.

Juggling some angry Russians, the British Mi5, his impossibly leggy wife and an international terrorist, debonair art dealer and part time rogue Charlie Mortdecai (Depp) must traverse the globe armed only with his good looks and special charm in a race to recover a stolen painting rumored to contain the code to a lost bank account filled with Nazi gold.

No release date has been set for Mortdecai, but with Depp set to play “The Wolf” in Rob Marshall’s Into The Woods along with the start of Pirates 5 postponed, the actor will have time to focus...

Exclusive: Lionsgate International will commence pre-sales at Afm next month on the Johnny Depp action comedy Mortdecai that has begun shooting in London (October 21) as well as the action epic Gods Of Egypt with Gerard Butler.

David Koepp directs Mortdecai, marking the first project under Lionsgate and OddLot Entertainment’s co-financing and distribution deal announced last month.

Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn star in the story of a roguish, globe-trotting art dealer who encounters Russian mobsters and British spies as he races to recover a stolen painting that may indicate the whereabouts of Nazi gold.

Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen and Paul Whitehouse have also joined the cast.

Andrew Lazar, Depp, Christi Dembrowski and OddLot founder Gigi Pritzker are producing and Eric Aronson adapted Kyril Bonfiglioli’s book series, The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery.

Meanwhile, Alex Proyas will direct Gods Of Egypt, based on an original...

Lionsgate and OddLot Entertainment announced today that principal photography has begun in London on the action comedy Mortdecai . Based on the popular three-novel anthology by Kyril Bonfiglioli, which has amassed a significant cult following, the film features a cast including Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Paul Bettany and Olivia Munn. Guy Burnet, Michael Byrne, Michael Culkin, Jonny Pasvolsky, Ulrich Thomsen, and Paul Whitehouse have also joined the cast of the film which David Koepp is directing from a script written by Eric Aronson. Andrew Lazar, Johnny Depp, Christi Dembrowski and OddLot.s Gigi Pritzker are producing the project. Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-Chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger said, "Kyril created a rich, immersive world with...

Home and Away's Harvey Ryan will have a difficult confession to make after sleeping with his ex-wife Mel in a forthcoming storyline. Fans in Australia will soon see Harvey left devastated when he spots his fiancée Roo Stewart (Georgie Parker) sharing a warm embrace with her ex-boyfriend Tim (Jonny Pasvolsky). Although Roo's actions are entirely innocent, Harvey gets the wrong idea and immediately leaves Summer Bay to visit his daughter Lottie in the city, needing an escape. However, when it turns out that Lottie is away at a school camp, Harvey ends up alone with Mel (Allison Cratchley) - who takes the chance to make a move on him. Marcus Graham, who plays Harvey, told TV Week: (more)...

Home and Away's Roo Stewart will face a dilemma in upcoming episodes as her ex-boyfriend Tim hatches a plan to win her back. As revealed last week, actor Jonny Pasvolsky has been cast in the role of Tim, who turns up in Summer Bay hoping to rekindle his relationship with Roo. When it becomes clear that Roo is happy with new fiancé Harvey Ryan (Marcus Graham), a persistent Tim schemes to get closer to her - offering an intriguing business proposal which would keep him in the Bay. Georgie Parker, who plays Roo, told TV Week: "I think in her heart she probably thinks that what he's doing is to try and win her back. But there also aren't a lot of employment opportunities in Summer Bay, and he offers her work and that makes her feel good. "She's torn (more)...

Home and Away's Roo Stewart could find herself at the centre of a love triangle when her ex-boyfriend turns up in Summer Bay. Actor Jonny Pasvolsky has been cast in the role of Tim, who dated Roo (Georgie Parker) when she lived in New York. Tim is aiming to win Roo back as he arrives in the Bay unexpectedly, which is likely to stir things up for her existing relationship with Harvey Ryan (Marcus Graham). The newcomer is billed as suave, well-dressed and sporting a "New York energy" following his time in the Big Apple. Pasvolsky told TV Week of the storyline: "[Tim is] someone who doesn't take no for an answer, and he's after the love of Harvey's life (more)...