Shaun of the Dead
Lucas at Los Angeles Film Festival
Continuing the company's expansion of its feature slate, Rogue Pictures will domestically distribute Working Title Films' contemporary action comedy Hot Fuzz, which began production last month. Rogue Pictures president of production Andrew Rona made the announcement today.
A Working Title production in association with Big Talk Productions, Hot Fuzz marks the eagerly anticipated second feature from the co-creators of 2004's award-winning sleeper hit Shaun of the Dead, the romantic zombie comedy ("rom zom com") which was also made by Working Title and Big Talk and released by Rogue domestically. As on the earlier movie, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright have written the original screenplay, with Wright directing and Pegg and Nick Frost starring. Also as on the earlier movie, Natascha Wharton is executive-producing. Hot Fuzz is produced by Nira Park (Shaun of the Dead) and Working Title co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.
Pegg and Frost are joined in Hot Fuzz by a stellar U.K. cast, including Jim Broadbent (Academy Award winner for Iris), Paddy Considine (In America), Steve Coogan (Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story), Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights), Paul Freeman (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Anne Reid (The Mother), Billie Whitelaw (Twisted Nerve), Stuart Wilson (The Mask of Zorro), and Edward Woodward (The Equalizer); and Shaun of the Dead alumni Martin Freeman and Bill Nighy.
Pegg stars in the film as London's top cop, police officer Nicholas Angel. This tough law enforcer is good at his job - so good, in fact, that he makes his colleagues look bad. As a result, his superiors "promote" him to the village of Sandford, where all is garden parties and neighborhood watch meetings. Partnered with Danny Butterman (Frost), an oafish but well-meaning young local cop, Angel struggles to adapt. But he just can't... until a series of grisly "accidents" indicates that foul play is afoot. Suddenly, this seemingly idyllic town is a case that Angel has to crack - hard.
Rona commented, "'Shaun of the Dead' was the very first Rogue Pictures release, so it's especially gratifying to reteam with Edgar, Simon, Nick, Nira, and our friends at Working Title."
Park added, "We're delighted to once again be joining creative forces with Rogue Pictures and Working Title on what's going to be a very exciting and very funny film. With 'Hot Fuzz,' we're going to give the police action genre the same treatment we gave the living dead!"
Production on Hot Fuzz, which is being shot on locations in North London and Wells, commenced in mid-March and is slated to finish in early June.
Working Title Films is Europe's leading film production company, making movies that defy boundaries as well as demographics. The company's upcoming projects include the spring release United 93, directed by Paul Greengrass; Joe Carnahan's Smokin' Aces, which is in post-production; and Shekhar Kapur's The Golden Age, for which Cate Blanchett will reprise her Academy Award-nominated role of Elizabeth I.
Recent critical and commercial successes for Working Title include Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice (released domestically by Focus Features); and Kirk Jones' Nanny McPhee. The company has recently stepped into theatre production with the U.K.'s hugely successful Billy Elliot The Musical.
Rogue Pictures is devoted to producing and distributing high-quality suspense, action, thriller, comedy, and urban entertainment with mainstream appeal and franchise potential.
In addition to Hot Fuzz, upcoming Rogue Pictures releases also include Vondie Curtis Hall's Waist Deep, starring Tyrese Gibson, Meagan Good, Larenz Tate, and The Game; The Return, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar for director Asif Kapadia; Neil Marshall's Doomsday; Robert Ben Garant's Balls of Fury; Alex Aja's The Waiting; Patrick Lussier's White Noise 2: The Light; and Jet Li's Fearless, starring Jet Li and directed by Ronny Yu.
Stay tuned for updates.
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