22 Jump Street Production Notes

After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on an athletic team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don't have to just crack the case- they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

Please note: Some production notes may contain spoilers.

They're Not 21 ANymore

In 2012, audiences around the world sparked to one of the year’s funniest comedies with the hit film 21 Jump Street. Directed by Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, and featuring terrific chemistry between stars Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, 21 Jump Street took the classic television series’ premise of youthful-looking cops going undercover in a high school and made it all its own. Where the series was an earnest procedural, the film became a subversion of action comedies, with the relationship between the leads taking center stage.

“Schmidt and Jenko are an odd couple,” says Hill. “They got together because they’re partners, but they really worked well together because they brought different things to the table.”

That setup proved ripe for comedy – and for Tatum to show off remarkable and unexpected comedy chops. “I’d never been in a comedy before,” says Tatum. “I learned to trust the process – I mean, Jonah is so good, he can throw out four or five different ways of saying a line, one right after another. I trust him, and Chris and Phil – I’m among friends. If they’re laughing, you know it’s funny.”

As a result, Schmidt and Jenko became an unforgettable screen couple. “They’re like Bogart and Bacall,” says Phil Lord, who returns to co-direct the film with Christopher Miller, who adds, “They had this amazing natural chemistry. They’re very different, but they really respect and admire each other. They make a great yin-yang pair.”

Now, in 22 Jump Street, the filmmakers take the relationship to the next level. If the first film was about forming a relationship, the new film is about what it takes to make a relationship last.

That idea dovetails nicely with the fact that the film is a sequel. Rather than approach 22 Jump Street by trying to re-create the magic – a re-tread of what came before – the filmmakers sought ways to keep it fresh… which is, of course, what we all have to do with our relationships. “The thing that struck us about movie sequels is that, in a way, they’re like the second part of a relationship,” says Lord. “In a relationship, you can try to recreate the past, but it’s never going to be the same; you’ve got to create new and different experiences that are just as great.”

“We came up with the idea of the ‘seven year itch,’” says producer Neal H. Moritz. “In the first film, they didn’t like each other, but came to be great friends and partners; now, their relationship has become complacent – like a marriage. That became the spine of our story.”

“So, that’s how we approached the movie,” says Miller, picking up the thought. “The running gag is that the plot is just like the last one – but in trying to do the same thing again, it doesn’t work, and Schmidt and Jenko have to find something new.”

With that in mind, it also made sense to the filmmakers that 22 Jump Street would be set in a college. “We got inspired by the idea that Jenko and Schmidt are each other’s ‘hometown honey’ – but they go to college, and the world is opened up to them,” says Lord. “They experience new things and start to wonder whether they’re with the right person or not. For those of us who went to college and had friends who went through that, it seemed honest and true.”

“College is about finding out who you are,” says Hill, who also produces the film with Moritz and Tatum. “For example, Schmidt has really defined himself by this partnership with Jenko. In college, he’s struggling to know who he is.”

Jenko, meanwhile, has found somebody with a few more of his shared interests. When their investigation leads them to look into the football team, Jenko finds a kindred spirit in Zook, the team’s quarterback, played by Wyatt Russell. Before long, the bromance that seemed made in heaven is in trouble. “Zook is kind of Jenko’s man-crush,” says Tatum. “There are jealousy issues immediately – and those issues get in the way of the case that Schmidt and Jenko are supposed to be working. They end up investigating separately.”

Returning to the helm are Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. “The first movie was so innately theirs; it was distinctively Chris and Phil,” says Tatum. “The biggest thing for me was that the tone was different – it had a refreshing feel and a tone I’d never seen in a movie before. That’s why I was so happy that they wanted to come back and join us for the sequel – I knew they’d make the movie something special.”

Lord and Miller directed the film while simultaneously working on The Lego Movie, which has since become a worldwide hit. With their success on 21 Jump Street and their first film, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Lord and Miller are one of the most important directorial voices in today’s film comedy genre.

Though it was clear from the beginning that making 22 Jump Street feel as fresh and original as the franchise’s first entry would be a challenge, it was just the kind of challenge that appealed to them. In fact, it’s easy to forget that 21 Jump Street was no slam dunk until Lord and Miller showed how it could be done. “It seems like if there’s a project that’s really hard and there’s only one way to pull it off, that’s the kind of project we want to do,” says Lord.

“Phil and Chris are two of the kindest, nicest, hardworking guys. They really know how to instill heart into their movies,” says Moritz. “Even in a completely silly comedy scene, they know how to put heart into it and track those relationships from the beginning of the film to the end and make sure that is the center of the story.”

For their part, Lord and Miller were not only excited by the chance to explore the themes of the relationship, but to play with the entire idea of making an action-comedy sequel. “What’s fun about doing this kind of a movie is you get to subvert the genre,” says Lord. “You go see a Neal Moritz movie, and you know it’s going to have a cool car chase – but we’ve got Schmidt behind the wheel and he doesn’t know how to drive.”

“Other movies can do the crazy action stuff better than we can. We have to have a strong comic idea that runs through it,” says Miller. “We have to do something that has a funny idea, but also looks as badass as possible.”

For example: a huge chase scene through the madness of Spring Break. “That seemed really funny to us – to stage a chase scene amidst the complication of a bunch of drunken, insane college students getting wasted and flashing everybody,” says Lord.

The Odd Couple - Schmidt And Jenko

Though Schmidt and Jenko forged a successful partnership in 21 Jump Street, in many ways they have not changed. Schmidt remains neurotic and clingy; Jenko is still plagued by the doubt that he’s not smart enough to solve a case.

Though the characters are inventions, the heart of the relationship between Schmidt and Jenko is modeled after the two real-life relationships behind the cameras: the one between Lord and Miller, and the other between Hill and Tatum.

“The biggest influence we bring is understanding what it’s like to be in a long-term partnership where you don’t sleep together,” says Lord.

In fact, Lord and Miller’s friendship dates back to their own college days, and like Jenko and Schmidt, they had different commitments even as they ran in some of the same circles. In 22 Jump Street, Jenko goes Greek and Schmidt finds friends in the arts. In real life, Miller notes, “I was in a fraternity, and Phil was in more of a socially progressive type of society.”

Let’s not mince words. “It was hippy-dippy,” says Lord. “And guess which one of those institutions is still standing? The one that’s fun.”

Still, to get a handle on how much things have changed since their college days, Lord and Miller visited a UCLA fraternity for research. As it turns out, no research was required. “It’s all the same today as it was when we were in college,” Miller concluded. “They rage and party and take terrible care of themselves.”

Meanwhile, Hill and Tatum became very close while filming the first film, forging a strong friendship. “So much of the humor and heart comes from the fact that Channing and I have a really great friendship in real life,” says Hill. “Channing has no boundaries with me, and I feel the same way – I trust his opinion on things.”

“Jonah and Channing love each other,” says Lord. “They’re very different, but their instinct is not to compete with each other – they each admire what the other brings. I think that warmth is what makes it gel.”

“When I watch an action-comedy – like 48 Hours or Bad Boys – I want to believe that those guys hang out after the movie, chilling at the bar,” says Tatum. “That’s how Jonah and I are for the most part.”

As anyone who saw the first film can attest, Hill and Tatum share a warm and natural onscreen chemistry. “Before we shot the movie, some very smart people told us there was no way anyone would buy them as friends – they’re too different and they look so strange together,” says Lord. “So we planned a bunch of scenes that would explain their friendship and we wound up taking them out of the movie because we didn’t need it – their chemistry was so strong from the get-go.”

“Channing is a physically gifted Adonis – our stunt guys can’t believe he can do the things he does. Jonah, I’m sure, would prefer to do his comedy sitting down,” says executive producer Tania Landau. “They couldn’t be more opposite, but they love each other. We try to tap that in the script – it’s in there before they even read their lines.”

Lord says that despite Hill’s screen persona, the actor shares an off-screen confidence with Tatum. “Jonah likes to play a lot of underdogs, but he’s a movie star,” he says. “He has so much confidence.”

In 22 Jump Street, Schmidt is still having trouble forming new relationships and holding on tightly to the ones he has. “He is so clingy that he drives people away,” says Miller. “He’s the guy who won’t let go and makes the people around him feel suffocated. He drives Jenko right into the arms of Zook.”

On the other hand, “Jenko feels like they have done the one big bust, and they’re ready for something bigger,” Tatum explains, “while Schmidt is happy as long as they can stay partners, doing whatever they have to do to get by.””

In the first film, as the characters went back to high school, their expectations were turned around – the nerdy Schmidt was now in the popular crowd, and Jenko was on the outside. Landau says that as the guys go to college, “we wanted to flip it,” she explains. “Like a lot of people who didn’t fit in when they were in high school, Schmidt expects that everything will be different in college. And Jenko worries that he’s not up to snuff. But their expectations are turned around again.”

Maybe those expectations were misplaced – after all, why wouldn’t a football god like Jenko find a home in college? As it turns out, Tatum has a real history with the sport: before he became an actor, Tatum had a brief college football career. “I had a really good school in the SEC that was ready to give me a full ride – until they saw my transcripts. My coach came up to me and said, ‘They just don’t think you can do the work.’ I ended up going to a small school in West Virginia, played for a year, and it wasn’t what I wanted to do. So I came home and wrapped it up.”

Still, that was long ago, and Tatum isn’t 19 anymore. “I hadn’t played football in 14 years,” he explains. “I’ve got a torn ligament in my right foot that has become a chronic thing. And I rolled my ankle two weeks into the football scenes. Even so, I loved it – it was nostalgic for me to get out there and bang heads again. It was interesting and weird to relive that time in my life, but also fun – if I’d ended up going to that school, there would have been great parts, like my parents would have been able to see me play. But who knows if I would be acting today?”

Since working on the first film, Tatum has gained the confidence that he can perform in a comedy alongside Hill. Hill was always a believer in Tatum’s comedy skills, but says Tatum has even raised his game. “We always knew he had the ability to be funny and great in this kind of film, but it was great to see him have the confidence of knowing he wasn’t going to look bad,” says Hill. “He went in there and he killed the scenes even harder.”

O Captain, My Captain - Dickson

Returning to the role of Captain Dickson is Ice Cube. “He was my childhood hero,” says Hill. “When we worked on the first one, the first thing we wrote down was that Ice Cube – the guy who wrote ‘F— Tha Police’ – should play the police captain. It’s a true childhood dream to be able to hang out with him.”

Cube relishes the role. “I’m the meanest, nastiest captain of them all,” says Ice Cube. “He hates everybody equally. You’ve seen nasty ‘Angry Black Captains’ – I want to be the top notch.”

While the audience saw only one side of Dickson in 21 Jump Street, moviegoers are treated to a more well-rounded character in 22 Jump Street. (Sort of.) “We see him in a lot of different lights,” Cube explains. “He’s a little different with everybody, but he's still mean, nasty and angry. Even his wife is mean and nasty.”

“A lot of the comedy, for us, comes between the interplay between Schmidt and Dickson,” says Lord. “Schmidt is a guy who seems like he should be low status to Dickson, but considers himself an equal. That’s really funny to us.”

“Schmidt is that annoying kid in high school, thinking that today is going to be the day he’s going to break the ice,” says Cube. “There’s no breaking the ice with Dickson.”

Of course, when it’s Ice Cube playing the role, some of that admiration and intimidation comes from real life. “It’s how we all feel about Ice Cube,” says Lord. “He’s iconic. He’s a great director, writer, producer, rapper, and actor – we all admire him. We’re dying for him to think we’re cool. We can all relate to the Schmidt character.”

Around Campus

In the supporting roles, the filmmakers cast a variety of up-and-coming actors.

In the role of Maya, who has a fling with Schmidt after the two connect at a poetry slam event at a campus coffeehouse, the filmmakers cast Amber Stevens. “She’s attracted to Schmidt – she’s intrigued by his chutzpah,” says Stevens. “His slam poetry is terrifyingly bad, but he’s the type of guy who’ll get up and do anything, and that’s pretty sexy to a girl. She’s not the type who just goes after the hot guy – she’s interested in someone who has something to offer.”

Stevens also got the chance to work closely with Ice Cube, and reports that despite his tough-guy persona, she saw a different side. “He’s going to hate me for saying this, but he’s a teddy bear,” says Stevens. “I thought he’d be intimidating, but he’s not. He’s calm, friendly, and gracious to everyone in the room; he’s very prepared and respectful of other people’s time. I just love him.”

Wyatt Russell takes on the role of Zook, the school’s quarterback who forges an instant bond with Jenko. “It’s love at first sight,” says Russell. “They develop a bromance that’s very different than the one between Jenko and Schmidt. It’s a football thing, a jock thing. They hit it off in a way that only people of their intellect can handle.”

Russell says that much of the humor of the film comes from the characters acting completely sincerely – even in ridiculous situations. “My favorite scene is a video that Jenko and Zook make to show off their football skills to the big-time schools,” says Russell. “We had to do crazy things and be weird, but we also had to be earnest – we had to be in the moment. We had a great time together, shooting that.”

Jimmy Tatro takes on the role of Rooster, Zook’s frat brother.  “The name Rooster obviously comes from his bright red Mohawk,” says Tatro.  “He’s a jerk – he likes no one and isn't afraid to show it.  He's the epitome of that frat-football guy that you would meet at every college party– and he is certainly not welcoming to these new pledges and walk-ons in his territory.  His sensitive side shows when his best friend Zook starts hanging out with a new guy and he suddenly finds himself riding third wheel in their bromance.”

Tatro came to the franchise as a fan of the first film. “I was a huge fan of 21 Jump Street,” he says.  “I remember walking out of the theater with two of my buddies still laughing, we had been cracking up the whole movie and I said, ‘This is the hardest I've laughed since Superbad.’ Then, three years later, I left the 22 Jump Street table read thinking, ‘If we do this right, this could be even funnier than the first one.’”

Jillian Bell, the rising star of Comedy Central’s series “Workaholics,” takes on the role of Mercedes, Maya’s roommate. “Mercedes is a total snot,” says Bell. “She does not like Schmidt at all and she reminds him of how old he is every time she sees him.”

All of that open dislike comes to blows as Mercedes takes on Schmidt in a no-holds-barred (and very uncomfortable) fistfight. “Jonah is a comic maniac,” says Bell. “It was such a fun day. We were breaking bottles on each other’s heads, rolling around and punching each other.”

“We actually met with Jillian for a different role, but loved her so much that we developed this role for her,” says Landau. “She’s hilarious – she gave it a spin we never expected, which was perfect for the movie.”

Rob Riggle and Dave Franco also joined the cast, reprising their scene-stealing roles as Mr. Walters and Eric, the supplier and dealer who met quite an unfortunate fate in the first film. Now incarcerated for their crimes, Walters and Eric get Schmidt and Jenko pointed in the right direction when they hit a dead end in their new investigation.

Action

One of the hallmarks of 21 Jump Street was the action – all of which was rooted in story, character, and comedy. In planning the sequel, the filmmakers took the same approach, even as they upped the ante.

“It’s a joke that sequels have to be bigger and crazier, but then we started filming we realized it’s actually true,” says Lord. Still, the bigger and crazier action had to rise out of the characters and their relationship. “We tried to have the moment within that action piece be a great comedic moment. If there is not a joke, it doesn’t work in this movie.”

Neal H. Moritz, so well-known for his action films, says, that the first film required a delicate balance between the action and the comedy, but this time around – because it’s a sequel – they could play around a bit more. “I don’t see this as an action comedy, I see this as a comedy with action,” he says. “But this time around, the characters have already been established, so we can get into the movie a little quicker – we ran with it.”

In fact, the movie opens with a chase scene with Schmidt and Jenko atop an eighteen-wheeler (a stunt that Hill and Tatum performed themselves), and Landau says it’s a perfect example of the way the filmmakers incorporated comedy into the action. “Channing jumps onto the truck, managing to go after the bad guys, while Jonah ends up stuck hanging upside down off the side,” she says. “You’ve always got to try to tell a story within the action sequence – it’s not just about being fast and suspenseful.”

Another chase scene is even more ridiculous: Tatum and Hill drive through campus in a football helmet car, chased at breakneck speed by the bad guys in a Hummer.

“The helmet car is funny,” says Tatum, “but it’s really Jonah’s expressions that make the scene.”

Design

Production designer Steve Saklad says that Lord and Miller were clear in their direction: they wanted a realistic design into which they could drop the madness of Schmidt and Jenko. “There was a sense that we had to be honest and not an out-and-out comedy film when it came to presenting the college world,” says Saklad. “There was a sense that if these guys are in a real world with recognizable college students around them, the comedy would play much better.”

As a result, in creating the college environments, Saklad used sepia-toned images to create a history to the institution – and piled on the gags from there. In naming the on campus buildings, Saklad used names of fonts to create the fictitious Helvetica computer center, Bookman Memorial Library, Garamond Quad, and Clarendon Hall, all based on font names. (Though it should be noted that another building – the Benjamin Hill Center for Film Studies – is the background of a back-and-forth chase that is missing only the familiar strains of “Yakety Sax.”)

In a nod to one of the film’s running gags – that sequels have to be bigger and more expensive than the first film – the Jump Street team have big, bold new headquarters. Which means, practically speaking, it’s out with Korean Jesus at 21 Jump Street and in with Vietnamese Jesus across the street – a front for their new high-tech and ultramodern headquarters.

For the Jump Street unit headquarters, Saklad and his art department team located a neoclassical church in New Orleans that had been abandoned since Hurricane Katrina. After reinforcing and cleaning the building, they transformed it into the Vietnamese church.

In the center of the headquarters is a cube (get it?!) that serves as Captain Dickson’s office. “Surrounding Dickson’s office was this shimmery, sexy glass and perforated metal, and a series of cubicles and bulletin boards, and task stations,” Saklad explains. “It was all lit by elegant LED strips that could go any color of the spectrum. Since the rest of the movie is in college frat halls, grubby attics, and back alleys, we wanted the headquarters to have a ‘Wow factor.’”

The film’s biggest set piece is the climax, which takes place in the fictional town of Puerto, Mexico.

The sequence was filmed in Puerto Rico, with the beach party filmed on the sand as hundreds of extras danced to the beats of the world-renowned DJ Diplo.

“We got an installation of a stage and graphics, hundreds of screaming students in states of undress, filling the beach with red cups and other vices, spread out all over the beach. It was quite a sight,” says Saklad.

Costumes

The variety of locations in 22 Jump Street – from a football team to art majors to hundreds of spring breakers in beach party gear – required Leesa Evans and her wardrobe team to design a wide variety of costumes.

”The costumes had to be believable and fun,” says Evans. “We needed everything under the sun, and had to remain efficient and creative, and still manage to have a good time.”

Evans sought to give each member of the principal supporting cast an individual look. Wyatt Russell as Zook took in California surfer casual meets football. Jimmy Tatro as Rooster had a warrior look with his camo pants (and even camo swim trunks).

As Mercedes, Jillian Bell was sweet and preppy in flowered frocks and blouses, and The Yangs, played by identical twins Keith Lucas and Kenny Lucas, rocked the trendy pop culture fashion.

The MC State football uniforms were manufactured by Under Armour, based on Evans’s designs.

Evans also designed a collection of MC State college sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats, caps, and scarves for the students to wear. Evans kept it all real, by taking snapshots on college campuses to see what people were wearing and creating an authentic background for the film.

About The Cast

Two-time Academy Award® nominee Jonah Hill (Schmidt / Story by / Producer) possesses an acting prowess that has allowed him to exist at the forefront of Hollywood, in both the comedic and dramatic realms.

Hill recently starred in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street opposite Leonardo DiCaprio. The film chronicles Jordan Belfort’s dramatic rise and fall on Wall Street, along with his hard-partying lifestyle and tumultuous personal life. Hill’s portrayal of Donnie Azoff, Belfort’s (DiCaprio’s) close friend and partner in both business and debauchery, garnered Hill his second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. The film was released by Paramount and has made over $385 million worldwide. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Motion Picture, Musical, or Comedy, Critics’ Choice nominations for Best Picture and Best Acting Ensemble, was honored by AFI as one of the Best Movies of the Year, and was recognized by the National Board of Review as one of the Top Ten Films. Additionally, Hill received Variety’s Creative Impact Award for Acting on behalf of his performance in the film.

Hill was previously seen in 21 Jump Street, which opened at number one at the box office and went on to make over $200 million worldwide.  In addition to starring in the film, Hill co-wrote the story and served as an executive producer. 

Hill recently wrapped production on Rupert Goold’s True Story opposite James Franco. The drama is centered around the relationship between journalist Michael Finkel (Hill) and Christian Longo (Franco), who was on the FBI Most Wanted List for murder and lived for years outside the U.S. under Finkel’s name.

In 2011, Hill starred opposite Brad Pitt and Philip Seymour Hoffman in Bennett Miller’s Moneyball. This performance earned Jonah his first Academy Award® nomination for Best Supporting Actor, in addition to a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture and a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role. Moneyball was also nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture and Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Drama.

Hill also starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained, which grossed over $425 million worldwide and was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Picture. He also starred in Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s This Is the End with Rogen, James Franco, and Jay Baruchel, which grossed over $125 million worldwide, and in Akiva Schaffer’s The Watch opposite Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn.

Hill’s breakout role starring opposite Michael Cera in the acclaimed hit Superbad established him as a staple of the comedy canon. Since then, Hill has become a mainstay in the Judd Apatow clan, starring in the Apatow-produced summer comedies Get Him to the Greek in 2010, Funny People in 2009, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall in 2008. Hill’s first appearance in an Apatow Productions film was in The 40-Year-Old Virgin in 2005.   

Hill surprised audiences with his departure from the comedy world when he starred as the titular role in the independent feature Cyrus, directed and written by Jay and Mark Duplass. The film premiered at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival to glowing reviews and was nominated for a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Comedy Movie.

Hill has also lent his voice to a number of animated projects, including the DreamWorks Animation films Megamind and How to Train Your Dragon, which respectively grossed $322 million and $495 million globally. Hill will be heard in How to Train Your Dragon 2, which will be released on June 20th, as well as in Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s Sausage Party. Hill also voiced the character Tommy in Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, which brought in over $297 million worldwide.

In 2011, Hill co-wrote, created, and voiced the title character in the critically acclaimed animated series “Allen Gregory” for Fox Television. He also directed the Sara Bareilleis music video “Gonna Get Over You” in 2011.

Hill continues to confirm his place among a new generation of multi-hyphenates. It was recently announced that Jonah will team up once again with his Wolf of Wall Street co-star Leonardo DiCaprio to produce and star in The Ballad of Richard Jewell. Hill will play Jewell, the American security guard who heroically saved thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, only to be vilified by journalists and the press who falsely report that he was a terrorist. He is also working on co-writing The Adventurer’s Handbook, for which he will co-star with Jason Segel. He is writing Pure Imagination, an Apatow-produced comedy which he will executive produce. Hill was as an associate producer of the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy Bruno and an executive producer of The Sitter.

Hill began his career performing one-scene plays that he wrote and performed at the gritty Black and White bar in New York City. His first feature role was in David O. Russell’s I Heart Huckabees with Dustin Hoffman and Lily Tomlin.

Channing Tatum (Jenko / Producer) has established himself as one of the most sought after leading men and producers.

Tatum will next star in Warner Bros.’ Jupiter Ascending. The film is written and directed by Andy and Lana Wachowski and also stars Mila Kunis. The film will be released in July 25, 2014.

Later this year, Tatum will star in Sony Pictures Classics’ Foxcatcher, which is directed by Bennett Miller and also stars Mark Ruffalo and Steve Carell. The film is based on the true story of John du Pont, the paranoid schizophrenic heir to the du Pont chemical fortune, who built a wrestling training facility called Team Foxcatcher on his Pennsylvania estate and murdered Olympic wrestler Dave Schultz. Tatum portrays Dave’s brother, Mark Schultz. The film will be released on November 11, 2014.

Also this year, Tatum will begin production on the sequel to Magic Mike and a film based on the life of Evel Knievel.

Tatum most recently starred in Sony Pictures’ White House Down, directed by Roland Emmerich. The film also starred Jamie Foxx, Maggie Gyllenhaal, James Woods and Richard Jenkins.

In 2013, Tatum also starred in the crime drama Side Effects directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film also stars Rooney Mara, Jude Law and Catherine Zeta-Jones and was released by Open Road on February 8, 2013.

In 2012, Tatum starred in the Warner Bros. blockbuster Magic Mike directed by Steven Soderbergh. The film also starred Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer and Joe Manganiello. The film was independently financed and produced by Tatum and his production partner, Reid Carolin, who also wrote the script. The film was released on June 29, 2012 and has grossed over $167 million worldwide.

In 2010, Tatum starred opposite Amanda Seyfried in the Screen Gems box office hit Dear John, based on the adaptation of the Nicolas Sparks (The Notebook) bestseller. Lasse Hallstrom (The Cider House Rules, Chocolat) directed the adapted script by Jamie Linden. The film has grossed over $114 million worldwide.

In August 2009, Tatum was seen in Paramount Pictures Box office hit G.I. Joe, directed by Stephen Sommers. Tatum starred opposite Sienna Miller, Marlon Wayans and Dennis Quaid. Tatum also appeared in the sequel, G.I Joe 2: Retaliation which was released on March 29, 2013.

In 2011, Tatum starred in the crime thriller The Son of No One, opposite Al Pacino and Katie Holmes. Also in 2011, Tatum starred in the Roman epic adventure The Eagle opposite Jamie Bell and Donald Sutherland.

In 2009, Tatum starred opposite Terrance Howard in the Universal/Rogue Pictures film Fighting, directed by Dito Montiel. In 2008, Tatum starred in the Paramount Pictures drama, Stop-Loss by critically acclaimed director Kimberly Peirce (Boys Don’t Cry) and producer Scott Rudin.

In 2006, Tatum received an Independent Spirit nomination and a Gotham Award nomination for his powerful role in the independent film, A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints, which won the Special Jury Prize for Best Ensemble Performance as well as the dramatic directing award for Dito Montiel at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The film was written and directed by Dito Montiel and was based on Montiel’s 2003 memoir of the same title. This powerful coming-of-age drama takes place in 1980’s Astoria and follows Montiel’s impoverished and violent life from his youth (portrayed by Shia LaBeouf) to adulthood (portrayed by Robert Downey Jr.). His father is portrayed by Chazz Palminteri and Tatum plays the role of ‘Antonio’, Dito’s best friend.

In March 2006, Tatum starred opposite Amanda Bynes in the Dreamworks film, She’s the Man. This film is directed by Andy Fickman and produced by Lauren Shuler Donner.

 In August 2006, Tatum starred in the box office hit, Step Up, directed by Anne Fletcher and produced by Adam Shankman. The film centers around ‘Tyler Gage’, played by Tatum, a street smart juvenile delinquent who gets sentenced to community service at a high school for the performing arts.

Tatum was born in Alabama and grew up in Florida. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Jenna Dewan, and their daughter. 

Whether you realize it or not, you’ve definitely seen prolific actor PETER STORMARE (Ghost) before. Not surprising, since the Swedish-born character actor/director has starred in over 100 different films and television series in the last 30 years, from big budget to indie, network to cable, American to Swedish and dozens of countries in between. And, of course, that memorable 2011 Super Bowl commercial for Budweiser…“Tiny Dancer” in a wild-west saloon, anyone?

Last year, Stormare starred in The Last Stand, the Lionsgate action-comedy starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Johnny Knoxville, and Forest Whitaker, and marked the American film debut of Korean director Jee-woon Kim. He also starred in Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters, opposite Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton for director Tommy Wirkola.

Stormare’s many other recent credits include the features Deadly Code, opposite John Malkovich, the indie comedy Bad Milo with Patrick Warburton, Luc Besson’s futuristic action-comedy Lockout, and the indies Jewtopia, with Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Small Apartments, a comedy with Billy Crystal and Juno Temple. He also appeared in Mel Gibson’s Get the Gringo and two Chinese films: the blockbuster Tai Chi Hero and Inseparable, with Kevin Spacey. On the small screen, Stormare shot guest spots on the hit CBS drama “NCIS: Los Angeles” and ABC’s “Body of Proof.” He will soon appear in the Eli Roth-produced horror movie Clown.

Stormare began his acting career in the theatre in his early 20s, working with the legendary director Ingmar Bergman in their native Sweden at the Royal National Theater. After earning much praise for his starring turns in “Miss Julie,” “King Lear,” and “Hamlet” among others, Stormare toured with Bergman in the US, doing the aforementioned productions in both New York and Los Angeles in the late 80s. Strong performances lead to an opportunity to star in “Rasputin” off-Broadway with the renowned Actor’s Studio, and Stormare soon caught the eye legendary ICM talent agent Sam Cohen, getting him one step closer to realizing his dream of becoming a film actor in America.

After getting his first taste of the film world in several indies, Stormare was then cast in Awakenings, directed by Penny Marshall. While working off-Broadway again, this time at the Public Theater doing “The Swan,” Stormare struck up a friendship with Frances McDormand. The friendship eventually led to four career-changing days of work on the Coen Brothers cult classic Fargo, where he played the hulking, blonde-haired half of a kidnapping duo alongside Steve Buscemi.

He’d work with the Coen Brothers again in The Big Lebowski, and in between he’d star in Spielberg’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park. Roles in Armageddon (Michael Bay), 8MM (Joel Schumacher), Minority Report (Spielberg again), Bad Boys II (Bay again), Constantine, and The Brothers Grimm (Terry Gilliam) followed and all the while Stormare continued to do several Swedish and international films as well as television, starring in as a rogue electrician named Slippery Pete in “Seinfeld” as well as in the Emmy-nominated television miniseries “Hitler: The Rise of Evil.” He also served as the associate director of the Globe Theater in Tokyo for eight years during his early film career.

Stormare starred in season one of FOX’s hit show “Prison Break” as mob boss ‘John Abruzzi in his most visible television role at the time. His other television credits include a series regular role in the Julia Louis-Dreyfus sitcom “Watching Ellie,” a recurring role in HBO’s “Entourage,” and recent guest spots in FX’s “Wilfred,” USA’s “Covert Affairs,” “Leverage” for TNT,” ABC’s “Body of Proof.” His other film credits include The Tuxedo, Nacho Libre, and The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, among others.

In addition to his impressive body of work theatrically, Stormare is passionate about his music and formed a band called Blonde From Fargo, in homage to his breakout role in the Coen Bros film. The five-member rock and roll band includes the guitarist from Roxette, the drummer from Alanis Morrisette, and the bass player from Slash’s Snakepit, with Stormare writing all of the music and playing guitar. The band has performed at Lebowski-Fest, as well as toured North America and Europe.

Stormare currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

As much as technology, business and society have changed since the 1980s, one thing has remained constant: ICE CUBE (Capt. Dickson) has been a premier cultural watchdog, astutely commenting on, examining and detailing the breadth of the American experience in uncompromising terms with an unflinching honesty and a sobering perspective, as well as a deft comedic touch that has endeared him to several generations of fans.

Indeed, growing up in crime and gang-infested South Central Los Angeles in the 1970s and 1980s, Ice Cube learned how to navigate a world where the lines between right and wrong shifted constantly. Equally importantly, the Los Angeles-based entertainment mogul also found a lasting way to present the comedy that exists in the midst of difficult situations.

After penning the most memorable lyrics on N.W.A’s groundbreaking songs “Straight Outta Compton” and “F— Tha Police,” Ice Cube left the group at the peak of its popularity because he was not being paid correctly. That move that led to one of the most successful careers in music history. As a solo recording artist, Ice Cube has sold more than 10 million albums while remaining one of rap’s most respected and influential artists.

Beyond music, Ice Cube has established himself as one of entertainment’s most reliable, successful and prolific figures. In the film arena, he’s an accomplished producer (Friday, Barbershop 2: Back In Business, Are We There Yet?), writer (Friday, The Players Club, The Janky Promoters) and director (The Players Club) who is best known for his acting.

One of the most bankable actors in cinematic history, his films include the acclaimed Friday, Barbershop and Are We There Yet? franchises, as well as star turns as a conflicted teen in Boyz N The Hood, a greedy soldier in Three Kings and an elite government agent in xXx: State Of The Union. Ice Cube’s ability to bring a natural, everyman aesthetic to any film genre makes his characters compelling and memorable, whether he’s playing a confrontational career college student (Higher Learning) or skeptical football coach (The Longshots).

As a television producer, he took the “Barbershop” and “Are We There Yet?” series to successful network runs and also enjoyed success with the controversial “Black. White.,” among other programs.

In 2012, Ice Cube appeared in the blockbuster film 21 Jump Street and the independent thriller Rampart. Other film projects in development include a biopic on N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton, which will be directed by F. Gary Gray, and another Friday film. He’s also a pitchman for Coors Light and has been featured in various commercials for the brand.

Most recently, Cube found major success with the box office hit Ride Along, which his company Cube Vision produced. The film was #1 at the box office for three consecutive weekends and was the highest grossing movie in history over Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. Ride Along has been greenlit for a sequel, proving once again that Cube is the king of the franchise film category.

While Cube loves making movies, his first passion will always be music. His forthcoming album, “Everythang’s Corrupt,” will be his eighteenth release as a solo artist or a member of a group (N.W.A, Da Lench Mob, Westside Connection) and is slated for a release later this year.

About The Filmmakers

PHIL LORD (Director / Executive Producer) and Christopher Miller are the prolific writing and directing duo behind some of today’s most successful comedy films including, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs.

Their most recent feature, The Lego Movie, which the pair wrote and directed, debuted at #1 and remained on top of the box office for four straight weeks. The hugely successful film has already earned over $440 million worldwide. The film, which earned Lord and Miller rave reviews for their imaginative and unique sensibilities, has already been greenlit for a sequel.

Lord and Miller are also the duo behind hit action-comedy 21 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. The critically acclaimed film, which the pair co-directed, took in over $200 million worldwide in 2012 and earned a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Comedy.

Lord and Miller also co-wrote and co-directed the Sony Pictures Animation feature Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs; which they loosely based on the beloved children’s book of the same name. Their unique comic sensibilities earned the film a Golden Globe and Critics Choice nomination for Best Animated Feature along with four Annie Award nominations for excellence in animation, including Best Direction and Best Screenplay.

Lord and Miller will next produce the comedy feature The Reunion. Written and to be directed by Miller, the film is a comedy murder mystery set at a high school reunion.

In May 2013, the pair signed a three year exclusive deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television where they will develop, write and direct comedy projects, both in live action and animation for network and cable television. The pair also directed the pilot for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which was one of television’s most anticipated series of the 2013 Fall Season.

Lord and Miller’s collaboration started when they met at Dartmouth College. The two contend it was a comical misunderstanding that landed them a job developing Saturday morning cartoons for the Walt Disney Company, which led to their stint developing primetime animated shows for Touchstone Television. In 2002, they executive produced, wrote, and directed the short-lived but highly talked about animated series “Clone High” on MTV. The series was critically acclaimed for its well-developed and unique personalities as well as for its witty, fast-paced dialogue, but is probably best known for causing a hunger strike in India and being quickly cancelled. Lord voiced the characters of Principal Scudworth, Genghis Khan, and Geldhemoor, the Humkeycorn.

Among their television writing credits, Lord and Miller served as co-executive producers on “How I Met Your Mother,” the Emmy-winning primetime sitcom that began airing on CBS in September of 2005; and executive producers of many failed pilots including “Awesometown,” featuring the comedy troupe The Lonely Island, and “Phil Hendrie,” featuring the radio genius of the same name. The team also worked as consulting producers on “Jake in Progress” and “Cracking Up” (created and executive produced by Mike White), supervising producers on “Method & Red” and “Luis,” and staff writers on “Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane.”

Lord graduated cum laude from Dartmouth College with a degree in Art History. His college animated short Man Bites Breakfast won Best Animation at the 1998 New England Film and Video Festival and was also included in several other festivals, including ASIFA East and ASIFA San Francisco.

He is a native of Coconut Grove, Florida and likes bikes.

CHRISTOPHER MILLER (Director / Executive Producer) and Phil Lord are the prolific writing and directing duo behind some of today’s most successful comedy films including, The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Their most recent feature, The Lego Movie, which the pair wrote and directed, debuted at #1 and remained on top of the box office for four straight weeks. The hugely successful film has already earned over $440 million worldwide. The film, which earned Miller and Lord rave reviews for their imaginative and unique sensibilities, has already been greenlit for a sequel.

Miller and Lord are also the duo behind hit action-comedy 21 Jump Street, starring Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum. The critically acclaimed film, which the pair co-directed, took in over $200 million worldwide in 2012 and earned a Critics Choice Award nomination for Best Comedy.

Miller and Lord also co-wrote and co-directed the Sony Pictures Animation feature Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs; which they loosely based on the beloved children’s book of the same name. Their unique comic sensibilities earned the film a Golden Globe and Critics Choice nomination for Best Animated Feature along with four Annie Award nominations for excellence in animation, including Best Direction and Best Screenplay.

Miller and Lord will next produce the comedy feature The Reunion. Written and to be directed by Miller, the film is a comedy murder mystery set at a high school reunion.

In May 2013, the pair signed a three year exclusive deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television where they will develop, write and direct comedy projects, both in live action and animation for network and cable television. The pair also directed the pilot for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”, which was one of television’s most anticipated series of the 2013 Fall Season.

Miller and Lord’s collaboration started when they met at Dartmouth College. The two contend it was a mistake that landed them a job developing Saturday morning cartoons for the Walt Disney Company, which led to their stint developing primetime animated shows for Touchstone Television. In 2002, they executive produced, wrote, and directed the short-lived but highly talked about animated series “Clone High” on MTV. The series was critically acclaimed for its well-developed and unique personalities as well as for its witty, fast-paced dialogue, but is probably best known for causing a hunger strike in India and being quickly cancelled. Miller voiced the characters of John F. Kennedy and Mr. Butlertron.

Among their television writing credits, Miller and Lord served as co-executive producers on “How I Met Your Mother,” the Emmy-winning primetime sitcom that began airing on CBS in September of 2005; and executive producers of many failed pilots including “Awesometown,” featuring the comedy troupe The Lonely Island, and “Phil Hendrie,” featuring the radio genius of the same name. The team also worked as consulting producers on “Jake in Progress” and “Cracking Up” (created and executive produced by Mike White), supervising producers on “Method & Red” and “Luis,” and staff writers on “Zoe, Duncan, Jack & Jane.”

While still pursuing his education, Miller received the 1998 New England Film and Video Festival Awards prize for his animated short, Sleazy Goes to France. He also served as editor-in-chief of the Dartmouth College campus humor magazine, “The Jack-O-Lantern.

Miller is a native of Lake Stevens, Washington. He left there to attend Dartmouth College, where he found a lifelong friend in Phil Lord while obtaining a degree in government and studio art: three achievements, two of which are useful to his career.

Neal H. Moritz (Producer), founder of Original Film, has been producing feature film and television for over three decades. With over fifty films released, his worldwide box office exceeds six billion in gross. He is currently shooting the seventh installment of Universal Pictures’ The Fast and The Furious, directed by James Wan as well as the international bestselling book series, Goosebumps, starring Jack Black.

In addition to dozens of projects in development, past titles include: The Fast and The Furious franchise, 21 Jump Street, R.I.P.D., Dead Man Down, Jack the Giant Slayer, Total Recall, The Change-Up, Battle: Los Angeles, The Green Hornet, I Am Legend, XXX, S.W.A.T., Made of Honor, Sweet Home Alabama, XXX: State of the Union, Gridiron Gang, Bounty Hunter, Evan Almighty, Stealth, Click, Vantage Point, Out of Time, Blue Streak, Cruel Intentions, I Know What You Did Last Summer, The Skulls, and Urban Legend.

Moritz’ television credits include the HBO movie “The Rat Pack,” which earned 11 Emmy nominations, the drama series “Prison Break” for Twentieth Century Fox, and Showtime’s highly acclaimed series “The Big C,” starring Laura Linney, who won a Golden Globe in 2011 & 2013 for her role as Cathy.

A graduate of UCLA with a degree in Economics, Moritz went on to get a graduate degree from the Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program at the University of Southern California.

He resides in Brentwood, CA with his wife, two children and dogs.

Michael Bacall (Story by / Screenplay by) is a multi-talented screenwriter, working fluidly in many genres and between original and adapted work. He is the screenwriter of the acclaimed Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World and the box-office phenomena 21 Jump Street and Project X. Bacall has a deft touch for intelligent, humorous storytelling and a penchant for exploring the dark side of human behavior.

Bacall is currently writing the remake of Weird Science for Joel Silver at Universal. His adaptations include: The New Cool for Scott Rudin; Little Girl Lost, a pitch black update of the iconic American detective story, for Marc Platt; and In Search of Captain Zero, Allan Weisbecker’s classic surf adventure memoir, for Universal.

Todd Phillips and Scott Budnick will produce his original screenplay Psycho Funky Chimp, a battle royale between two obsessive collectors of Pez dispensers, and Paramount/Red Hour is developing his take on the Untitled Les Grossman Project based on the Tom Cruise character from Tropic Thunder.

Bacall got his start as a young actor appearing in classic television shows such as “The A-Team” and “Columbo” and the feature films Wait Until Spring, Bandini starring Joe Mantegna and Faye Dunaway, and Manic starring Don Cheadle, Joe Gordon Levitt and Zoey Deschanel (which he also co-wrote).

Most recently, Bacall has appeared in Death Proof, Undertow, Inglourious Basterds, Django Unchained, and The Gangster Squad.

Bacall lives in Los Angeles with his pet baboon Shakma.

Oren Uziel (Screenplay by) grew up in Rockville Centre, NY and graduated from Northwestern University with a degree in Psychology.  He then went on to get his law degree at NYU after which he practiced law for 3 years.   Uziel then decided to make a career shift and dedicate himself to pursuing his love of screenwriting.

Uziel’s first foray into filmmaking was winning the screenwriting competition at the Austin Film Festival in 2008.  Kitchen Sink, Uziel’s first produced screenplay, recently wrapped production in Los Angeles.  

Uziel is currently working on a new installment of Men in Black in addition to several other committed properties.

Rodney Rothman (Screenplay by) previously served as a producer and writer on the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Five Year Engagement, Get Him to the Greek, and Grudge Match. He is currently writing Black and White for Seth Rogen, Kevin Hart, and director Nicholas Stoller.

For television, Rothman was hired as a staff writer at “The Late Show with David Letterman” when he was 21 years old.  At 24, he was promoted to head writer, making him the youngest head writer in the program’s history.  While serving as head writer, he was nominated for five Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program and helped the show win three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Variety, Comedy or Musical Program.  In addition, Rothman has written and directed comedic material for “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart,” served as a writer and a supervising producer on the series “Undeclared,” and created the HBO comedy pilot “$5.15/Hr.” along with director Richard Linklater.

Rothman is the author of the best-selling nonfiction humor book “Early Bird.” His writing has also appeared in The New Yorker, GQ, The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, and McSweeney’s Quarterly.  His piece “My Fake Job” was included in “The Best American Nonrequired Reading,” edited by Dave Eggers.

Patrick Hasburgh (Based on the Television Series Created By) began his career as a staff writer and Story Editor for ABC's hit television series “The Greatest American Hero” starring Bill Katt and Robert Culp.  He also developed and was a producer on NBC's blockbuster “The A-Team” along with his colleagues Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo, writing a number of that series' initial episodes.  Hasburgh was the co-creator, executive producer and showrunner of “Hardcastle & McCormick,” a solid three-year hit series for ABC starring Brian Keith; Hasburgh wrote more than half of the series' episodes.  Hasburgh also wrote and Executive produced the ABC MOW “Destination America,” starring Bruce Greenwood and Rip Torn.

“21 Jump Street,” the FOX Network's first hit series and a five year success was also written and co-created by Hasburgh.  Hasburgh was the sole author of the pilot script and he served as the series' executive producer, head writer and showrunner and is credited with launching the career of the enormously talented Johnny Depp.  Following Jump Street, Hasburgh created, wrote and was the executive producer of “Glory Days,” a FOX miniseries starring Brad Pitt as well as another ABC series, “Sunset Beat,” starring George Clooney; both series were owned and produced by Patrick Hasburgh Productions. 

Hasburgh wrote and directed Aspen Extreme for Hollywood Pictures/Disney; a cult classic and ski season perennial.  Hasburgh was the executive producer, along with Steven Spielberg, on NBC's “seaQuest,” starring Roy Schieder; joining the series as head writer and showrunner mid-way through the first season.  More recently, Hasburgh was the executive producer on “The Net” for the USA Television Network.  Hasburgh has produced more than 300 hundred hours of network television and has had more than one-hundred original scripts produced.

Hasburgh’s first novel, Aspen Pulp, was published in 2005 by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press and was optioned by HBO; Hasburgh wrote the pilot script for the series. 

In 2008 Patrick wrote the pilot script for “Adam First,” a television series for The CBC. In August of 2010 Patrick sold the pilot script “Aspen Confidential” to FOX TV Studios.  Hasburgh is currently developing the sequel to Aspen Extreme and working on his second novel.

An Emmy and People’s Choice award-winning writer/producer and Chairman of Cannell Studios, Stephen J. Cannell (Based on the Television Series Created By / Executive Producer) was one of the most prolific writers in television history. In a highly successful career that spanned three decades, he created or co-created more than 40 shows, of which he scripted more than 450 episodes and produced or executive produced more than 1,500 episodes. His hits included “The Rockford Files,” “Greatest American Hero,” “The A-Team,” “Hunter,” “Riptide,” “Hardcastle & McCormick,” “21 Jump Street,” “Wiseguy,” “The Commish,” “Profit,” and the hit syndicated shows “Renegade” and “Silk Stalkings.” As an actor, he had recurring roles on “Renegade” and ABC-TV’s hit series, “Castle.”

Before his untimely death, he was producing a slate of independent films as well as feature films of Cannell TV shows including 21 Jump Street and The Greatest American Hero as well as The A-Team, which was released in theaters worldwide in June, 2010.

After selling his studio Stephen Cannell became the New York Times bestselling author of eighteen novels, most recently the critically acclaimed Shane Scully series, which includes The Prostitute’s Ball, The Pallbearers, On The Grind, Three Shirt Deal, White Sister, Cold Hit, Vertical Coffin, Hollywood Tough, The Viking Funeral, and The Tin Collectors. The newest installment, Vigilante, was released by St. Martin’s Press on December 6, 2011. Additionally, Cannell was the author of At First Sight, Runaway Heart, The Devil’s Workshop, Riding the Snake, King Con, Final Victim, and The Plan.  

During the past few years, Cannell received numerous career honors including the Paddy Chayefsky Laurel Award from the Writers Guild of America, and the Marlowe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Writers of America, the NATPE Brandon Tartikoff Legacy Award, multiple Saturn awards, the 2008 Final Draft Hall of Fame Award, which recognizes entertainment industry luminaries who foster the art of screenwriting, as well as the Caucus for Writers, Producers and Directors Producer award.

An unstoppable creative force, Cannell was also a savvy businessman.  In 1979, he formed his own independent production company, Stephen J. Cannell Productions, in order to achieve creative control over material he was writing and producing. Seven years later, he formed The Cannell Studios to oversee all aspects of the organization's operations. Having surpassed the $1 billion mark in production outlays, the studio experienced remarkable growth and diversification in such areas as production (films, mini-series, and commercials), merchandising, several television stations, and first-run/off-network programming. Stephen J. Cannell Productions still owns the worldwide distribution rights to more than 1,000 hours of Cannell-produced series and TV movies. 

Having overcome severe dyslexia, Cannell was an avid spokesperson on the condition and an advocate for children and adults with learning disabilities. A third generation Californian, he grew up and resided in the Pasadena area and is survived by his wife of 46 years, Marcia, their children, and grandchildren.

Fans of Stephen J. Cannell can learn more about his television shows, books, and film projects at his web site: www.cannell.com

Tania Landau (Executive Producer) joined Original Film in 2003.  She has since overseen such projects for the dynamic company as 21 Jump Street, the 2006 successful comedy Click, as well as executive producing Vantage Point and Made of Honor.

The British native came to Los Angeles in the mid-1990s.  Landau first worked at New Line Cinema under Michael De Luca, and later teamed with producer Mark Gordon, for whom she helped set up Casanova, starring Heath Ledger.

After BRIAN BELL (Executive Producer) graduated from NYU in 1997, he was hired by double A films, a boutique independent production company in New York City where he was soon made junior partner. While there, he oversaw such critically acclaimed films as Michael Almeryda’s Hamlet, Jill and Karen Sprecher’s Thirteen Conversations About One Thing and Steven Shainberg’s Secretary.

Upon leaving double A in 2001, Bell began producing and co-producing a variety of independent films including, Rebecca Miller’s films: Personal Velocity (winner of the 2002 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and The Independent Sprit Award’s John Cassavetes Award) and Daniel Day-Lewis starrer The Ballad of Jack and Rose; Lodge Kerrigan’s Keane (winner of the 2005 Deauville Film Festival) and Michael Cuesta’s Twelve and Holding (for which Brian was nominated for The Independent Sprit Award’s John Cassavetes Award in 2007).

In 2008, Bell began his migration away from independent films and into the studio realm, producing more features, including Will Speck and Josh Gordon’s The Switch starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman; Miguel Arteta’s Cedar Rapids starring Ed Helms and John C. Reilly; Jason Reitman’s Young Adult starring Charlize Theron; David Frankel’s Hope Springs (serving as a co-producer), starring Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones and Steve Carell; David Zucker’s Scary Movie 5 and, most recently, Nick Stoller’s Neighbors starring Seth Rogen and Zac Efron.

Reid Carolin (Executive Producer) is a Peabody Award winning producer and screenwriter.  He wrote the 2012 film Magic Mike, starring Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey, and directed by Steven Soderbergh.  His producing credits include Roland Emmerich's 2013 thriller, White House Down, Ten Year, starring Channing Tatum, Kate Mara, Rosario Dawson, Justin Long, Oscar Isaac and Anthony Mackie, the 2008 drama Stop-Loss, starring Ryan Phillippe, Abbie Cornish, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tatum, and “Earth Made of Glass” (HBO), a documentary chronicling the search for truth in post-genocide Rwanda, which won a Peabody Award and was nominated for Best Documentary at the 2011 Producer's Guild Awards.    

Ben Waisbren (Executive Producer) is Chairman and President of LSC Film Corporation, which co-finances major motion pictures with Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.  He is also an attorney with the international law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he advises clients in the U.S. and Europe in the media & entertainment and finance sectors.  His clients include independent production and distribution companies, private equity firms, hedge funds, investment banks and commercial banks.

Earlier in his career, Mr. Waisbren was a managing director and head of investment banking restructuring at Salomon Brothers in New York, following a legal career at a large Chicago law firm, Lord, Bissell & Brook, where he led a national bankruptcy litigation practice.

Prior to joining Winston & Strawn in early 2013, Mr. Waisbren was the President of Continental Entertainment Capital LP, a direct subsidiary of Citigroup, with operations in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. Before that, he was a managing director of a global hedge fund company, Stark Investments, where he was a co-portfolio manager in the fixed income and private equity areas, and responsible for investments in the feature film industry, and the formation of the firm’s structured finance fund and a related, branded middle market leveraged lender, Freeport Financial.

Mr. Waisbren served as a member of the Board of Directors of France’s Wild Bunch, S.A., a pan-European motion picture production, distribution and sales company, from 2005 until 2009, in connection with private equity investments that he managed.

He was Executive Producer of Warner Bros. Pictures’ 300; Blood Diamond; V for Vendetta; Nancy Drew; The Good German; Poseidon; and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. In addition, he was Executive Producer of the following independent studio releases: Cassandra’s Dream; First Born; Next; Bangkok Dangerous; and Gardener of Eden. He serves as an executive producer of Columbia Pictures’ upcoming films Sex Tape and The Equalizer, among others for the studio.

Barry Peterson (Director of Photography) previously worked with directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller on 21 Jump Street and The LEGO Movie. Prior to that, Peterson shot We're the Millers with Rawson Marshall Thurber after first teaming with the director on Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. 

Peterson’s first major feature film as a cinematographer was on Stiller’s classic comedy Zoolander. His other past works include the crime thriller Dark Blue, from Ron Shelton; Todd Phillips’ Starsky & Hutch, starring Stiller and Owen Wilson; and Doug Liman’s action feature Jumper, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Diane Lane.

Steve Saklad (Production Designer) is best known for his work as production designer on The Muppets, which returned those fuzzy friends to the silver screen in 2011. He cherishes his longtime collaboration with acclaimed director Jason Reitman, culminating in the Academy-Award®-nominated pictures Juno and Up In the Air. They first worked together on Thank You for Smoking back in 2005, and continued their collaboration last year with Labor Day, starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.

Saklad has dipped into the horror genre, designing the recent summer release The Apparition, as well as Sam Raimi’s return to the form in 2009’s Drag Me To Hell. His history with Sam Raimi extends back to 1993, when he served as Art Director on The Quick and the Dead, and later on the blockbuster Spider-Man 2. Other highlights of his long career as an art director include Red Dragon, Message in a Bottle, The Game, Mermaids and additional photography on Fight Club and Twilight.

Saklad has designed nearly 300 commercials spanning the past 19 years. He credits his resourcefulness as a production designer to his training at the Yale School of Drama and his grounding as an assistant set designer on Broadway on the original productions of “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” “La Cage aux Folles,” “House of Blue Leaves,” and that classic flop, “Legs Diamond.”

David Rennie, A.C.E. (Edited by) graduated from Syracuse University in 1984, where he was one of three final nominees for a National Student A.C.E. Editing Award.

After moving to Los Angeles in 1988, he worked as an assistant editor on such films as While You Were Sleeping, Phenomenon and Titanic before getting his first solo editing job on Mike Judge’s cult comedy classic, Office Space.

Rennie collaborated with Judge on the director’s second feature, Idiocracy. Additional editing credits include the comedies The Kid, Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, and You Again; and the action adventures Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Race to Witch Mountain, and National Treasure:  The Book of Secrets.

Most recently Rennie teamed with director Jon Turteltaub for the third time on Last Vegas, starring Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Michael Douglas, and Kevin Kline.

Leesa Evans (Costume Designer) is a true purveyor of style: from her work as a costume designer for film to her dedication as a private stylist to celebrities and professional clients alike. Her personal philosophy and professional inspiration draw from a lifelong commitment to fashion, individuality, and the art of storytelling.

The daughter of a couture designer, Evans grew up in and around the fashion industry. She spent her formative years at fashion shows, mingling with noteworthy designers, and experiencing firsthand the intricacies of the fashion world. She went on to spend the first part of her career working alongside her mother, gaining extensive experience not only in design, but also in manufacturing and retail. However, it was not until she was given an opportunity to work with a costume designer that she found her true calling.

Since that time, she has dedicated herself to the craft of costume and styling for film, commercial advertising, and celebrities.  Her work gives Leesa the ability to nurture her own passion for fabric, color and design; while at the same time instilling a sense of confidence, ownership and originality in every actor and private client she dresses.

Leesa’s credits include films such as Bridesmaids, for which she was nominated for a Costume Designer Guild Award for Excellence in Contemporary Film; Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, I Love You, Man, American Pie, Into the Blue, Scooby-Doo and Josie and the Pussycats.  

She has more than 500 television commercials under her belt, including ones for clients like Coca Cola, AT&T, Verizon, HP, Samsung, GM, Ford, Mastercard, Porsche, and Kelloggs, among countless others.  And finally, her work with celebrities has been seen in such illustrious publications as Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, People, Nylon and In-Style; as well as on the red carpets of events from the Academy Awards to the Grammys.

Evans design visions have most recently been seen in such films as The Internship, This is 40, The Five-Year Engagement, and the upcoming Neighbors with Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, and Zac Efron.

Mark Mothersbaugh (Music by) is one of this era’s most unique and prolific composers. Deeply aware of the ability of precise, multi-faceted artistic expression to deliver vital social commentary, he has perpetually challenged and redefined musical and visual boundaries. Mothersbaugh co-founded influential rock group DEVO, and then parlayed his avant-garde musical background into a leading role in the world of scoring for filmed and animated entertainment, interactive media and commercials.

As an award winning composer, his credits include Hotel Transylvania, 21 Jump Street, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic, “Pee Wee’s Playhouse,” and the hugely successful “Rugrats,” television, stage and film franchise.

Through his multimedia company, Mutato Muzika, Mark has scored hundreds of commercials. Mothersbaugh received the BMI Richard Kirk Award for Outstanding Career Achievement at the organization’s 2004 Film/TV Awards. He can currently be seen as the art teacher on the hit television series, “Yo Gabba Gabba!”

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