EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, MGM has secured feature rights to Minnie Schedeen’s short story Exoplanet. The Old Guard director Gina Prince-Bythewood is attached to helm, and Matt Tolmach (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Venom, Morbius) and David Manpearl are attached to produce for Matt Tolmach Productions. Schedeen will adapt her short story for the screen.
The logline is being kept under wraps, but we hear it’s an elevated sci-fi thriller. The project reteams Tolmach with MGM, where he’s also beginning production on the horror feature Dark Harvest starring Casey Likes and E’myri Crutchfield and directed by David Slade. Deadline broke the news on that project.
“I am so thrilled to be reuniting again with Gina Prince-Bythewood. The opportunity to work with her on Love and Basketball was an incredible experience and to have a chance to work with her again is hugely exciting,” said Michael De Luca, MGM’s Film Group chairman.
“We are so happy to welcome Gina to the MGM family, along with Minnie, Matt and David,” said Pamela Abdy, MGM’s Film Group president.
Prince-Bythewood directed the Netflix Skydance feature action hit The Old Guard last summer which ranks as the streamer’s sixth most-watched movie with 78 million global households. Her 2000 feature directorial debut Love & Basketball won Best Screenplay at the 2001 Film Independent Spirt Awards. Other feature directing credits include The Secret Life of Bees, Beyond the Lights and the upcoming TriStar feature drama The Woman King starring Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu.
Schedeen is repped by UTA and Grandview. Prince-Bythewood is represented by CAA, 3 Arts Entertainment and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka Finkelstein & Lezcano. Tolmach was represented in the deal by UTA and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman L.L.P. Camilla Grove will oversee the film for Matt Tolmach Productions.