UPDATE: Relativity Media has closed its deal for Act of Valor, as Deadline revealed earlier today. Press release is below our original break on the deal. Relativity has dated the film for 2012, so I suspect it will be Presidents’ Day weekend in late February.
EARLIER EXCLUSIVE, 1:27 PM: In what will shape up as arguably the biggest money paid for a finished film with an unknown cast, Relativity Media is finalizing a deal where Ryan Kavanaugh’s company will pay a $13 million minimum guarantee and a $30 million P&A commitment for Act of Valor, a mission movie involving Navy SEALs. The film’s being plotted for either a Veterans Day weekend release in November of a Presidents Day release in February.
The film will be the first movie about Navy SEALs to come out since that group killed Osama bin Laden; others SEAL films are percolating including a Kathryn Bigelow-directed drama about the actual hunt for bin Laden that Sony Pictures acquired. In Act of Valor, the half dozen lead roles were played by active-duty Navy SEALs, and the military was behind a picture that was shot under the radar. The picture was scripted by Kurt Johnstad (300) and directed by the Bandito Brothers’ Mike “Mouse” McCoy and Scott Waugh.
I’d heard that the picture was gaining buzz after it was given recruited screenings over the past couple weeks at the Arclight and in New York, and distributors began bidding. The auction, held by WME Global’s Liesl Copland and Graham Taylor, heated up going into the weekend. I’m told that Dark Castle, Alcon, Lionsgate and Film District were all in the mix with comparable bids, but that the sellers were intrigued by the aggressiveness of Relativity’s Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley, and the marketing team headed by newcomer Terry Curtin, who laid out a whole campaign. Elliott’s Michael Joe was in the mix as well, and Joe Matuckewitz worked on the deal with Bandito’s Max Leitman. The picture is very patriotic, heavy on action and it will play in 3000 screen-range wide release.
Legendary Pictures’ Thomas Tull (who greenlit the film) is executive producer, I’m told, and ICM’s Emile Gladstone and Robert Lazar repped the directors and WME repped Johnstad. Stuart Rosenthal was the lawyer. Will tell you more as I learn it.
(Beverly Hills, CA) June 12, 2011 – Relativity Media announced today that it has acquired worldwide rights to market and distribute Bandito Brothers’ Act of Valor. The groundbreaking film is an intense action-thriller which showcases an elite group of active duty Navy Seals and co-stars Roselyn Sanchez (Rush Hour 2) and Emilio Rivera (Traffic). The studio is targeting a 2012 release date.
The film is directed by ex-stuntmen and documentary filmmakers/commercial directors Mike “Mouse” McCoy (Dust to Glory) and Scott Waugh (Step Into Liquid) and written by Kurt Johnstad (300).
Act of Valor follows a Navy Seal squad on a covert mission to recover a kidnapped CIA agent, and in the process takes down a complex web of terrorist cells determined to strike America at all costs. The filmmakers had unprecedented Naval access resulting in high-octane combat sequences and never-before-seen military operation scenes which are composited from actual events in the lives of the men appearing in the film and their comrades.
McCoy and Waugh are producing for Bandito Brothers and the company’s COO Max Leitman is executive producer. Legendary Pictures Chairman and CEO Thomas Tull, who is personally an investor in Bandito, executive produced along with Jason Clark (Monster House).
Tucker Tooley, Relativity’s President of Worldwide Production said, “Act of Valor is truly one-of-a-kind—ripped from today’s headline-making heroic missions, an incredibly crafted film featuring active duty Navy Seals, in a remarkable and fast-paced story that will give audiences an authentic inside glimpse and make them proud of America’s finest. We’re honored to add this unbelievably entertaining and gripping film to Relativity’s 2012 slate.”
“The world has always had deep admiration for these men who continually risk their lives to protect our freedom,” says Waugh.
“To witness their incredible brotherhood and to tell their actual stories was inspirational and such a privilege,” adds McCoy.
The deal with Relativity was negotiated by WME Global’s Graham Taylor and Liesl Copland.
Bandito Brothers is repped by ICM.
Looking ahead, Relativity will release David Ellis’ Shark Night 3D on September 2, 2011 and then the highly-anticipated Immortals on November 11th, 2011, starring Henry Cavill, Stephen Dorff, Isabel Lucas, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, Kellan Lutz with John Hurt and Mickey Rourke. The studio is in production on its Untitled Snow White Project (in theatres March 16, 2012), starring Lily Collins as Snow White, Oscar®-winner Julia Roberts as the evil Queen, Armie Hammer as Prince Andrew Alcott, and Nathan Lane as the hapless and bungling servant to the Queen. Relativity’s expansive 2012 slate also includes its House at End of the Street (in theatres February 3, 2012), Untitled Raven Project (in theatres March 9, 2012), Untitled Farrelly/Wessler Project (in theatres April 13, 2012), Safe Haven (in theatres June 1, 2012) and Hunter Killer (in theatres December 21, 2012).
I’m not certain which is correct but imdb and several websites have it listed as “Act of Valor”.
“In Act of Valour, the half dozen lead roles were played by active duty Navy SEALs and the military was behind a picture that was shot under the radar.”
Yes, because that’s what critically important and highly secretive government agencies do: promote themselves to a gullible public at the movies.
Not since the good ol’ days of Hoover’s FBI has their been so much hamfisted PR self-mythologizing via Hollywood.
Well, be comforted there in the dark.
Sure, America has troops in 150 countries and can’t pay its bills while people lose their homes and unemployment spreads…
But you can have fun with make-believe at the picture show!
Lighten up douche bag. You don’t have to go see it. BTW, its nice once in a while when a movie is done well and doesn’t make the military look like buffoons. Some Americans seem to think “patriotic” is a dirty word these days…
100000000000000000000000000000000 to catch a man living in plain site. You may heard of
THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX – NO MONEY FOR HEALTH CARE ! OR PUBLIC SCHOOL OR TO
HELP VETS WITH P.T.S.D.- YOU DUMMIES !!!!!!!!!
Okay, so now there is a new trend, the youtube movie producer/actor/director,
and now IMDB is allowing those that make these youtube movies to post themselves as legitimate movie producers and directors ?
what is up with that ?
what happened to paying your dues ?
I mean to get a brothers, friends video camera and make a real real real bad movie, I mean from bad lighting all the way to the bad acting to the bad effects,
and then post it on youtube because you can’t get arrested anywhere else,
at least Ryan Kavanaugh makes Great Movies, quality wise you can tell within the 1st minute,
it is not easy to make movies look great no matter how many millions you have to play with,
I have personally seen it done over and over again as more and more investors lose their fortunes and more producers, directors and actors ruin their burgeoning careers because they started out the gate way to early
just my 2 cents,
:)
Totally unique. 2 heart pounding hours. I went in thinking it would be some watered down arcade game. The truth is this is a great film, with a great story about the servicemen who give everything to defend it. It is not political in any strict sense. The action is at another level, but if it doesn’t pull a tear you have no soul.
I think I speak for most of the Industry when I say that if Relativity led by Ryan Kavanaugh was going up against some tyrannical, evil, manical foreign dictator, say Moammar Gadhafi, I would have to root for Gadhafi.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Mouse and Scott have each directed and produced feature length documentaries, as well as countless A-level commercials.
please don’t suggest such an idiotic remark is anyones idea but yours. Seriously.
It’ll all be part of the asset sale, shortly.
-10 thrill points.
Sellers should pay attention to how Relativity just blew Judy Moody And The NOT Bummer Summer this weekend which should have been released in April.
How about the crimal establishment that controls HOLLYWOOD, has them honor all those Navy Seals and Special Forces, Green Berets etc -that join XE (Blackwater). Honor them for their continued service in destablizing sovereign countries, political assassinations, death squads…
Unlike the days of THE SANDS OF IWO JIMA, BATTLEGROUND and so many other honorable Hollywood war movies -that is if there is such a thing; we’re now the BAD guys! Whats wrong this picture???
Cuz the previous administration led by Bush/Cheney screwed up the US image. Bush/Cheney lied the US into a war. Bush/Cheney let the mastermind of 9/11 get away at Tora Bora. All the while cronies of Bush/Cheney got VERY VERY RICH off the wars.
This Navy SEAL is hopefully shows how good our SF is. The Obama administration certainly let Team Six do what they do best.
I saw a 20 minute clip of this film and the action was incredible. And a few weeks later when the Bin Laden news broke, this clip was the first thing I thought of. Can’t wait to see the rest of it!
The name of this movie should be called Nail in Coffin since it will end Ryan and Relativity.
so far Relativity has blown everything that they are supposed to be releasing as a ‘real studio’
for these filmmakers the larger money from Relativity is not the smart choice..they should have gone with a place that can really handle a release.
What a cliffhanger! Can the Navy SEALs swoop down to rescue Ryan from all the pissed off investors, creditors, Universal executives and Elliott executives?
There is a Rumor Especially, that in the “…old days,” black actors couldn’t “swim,” with some scripts.
Well, as far as in have seen, some did VERY well, especially hearing such blowback about such … scripts … Ah, what such fun incentive that brings about such SHARP Arts of “arts.”
Funny, even in some tough girls movies, things are always a bit, well, relative, to the $ and people process.
It is all about hitting with targeted intelligence.
And, sometimes, with proper reactions… Perhaps, some memoirs, will tell more.
this movie sounds freaking awesome and will make a shit ton of money
Relativity will make a killing and these heroes deserve a great movie!!
saw the same 20 minutes a year ago. Talk about grabbing the golden ticket. Horrible acting. The Seals can give a great look and as soon as they open mouths. RUN. WOW. Ryan tick tock time is almost up.
I thought the affectless non-acting by the SEALs to was refreshing and authentic. You won’t be alone in your opinion, but there are a handful of performances, like the interrogator, that are Walken-level badass.
Golan and Globus. Cannon Films. Chuck Norris. Steven Segal. How I miss those good old days. “…the sellers were intrigued by the aggressiveness of Relativity’s Kavanaugh, Tucker Tooley, and the marketing team headed by newcomer Terry Curtin, who laid out a whole campaign.” Glad the $13 million MG and $30 million P&A had nothing to do with it then.
Would such a large acquisition be for domestic or world?
Seems worth mentioning that Bandito Bros partner Shane Hurlbut [the Terminator:Salvation DP who got ripped by Bale] is also a big part of this film’s look and feel. Shane and BB spec’ed the manufacture of the parts required for professional use of Canon’s DSLR cameras. If you like to use your 5D to make movies, then this is your moment. ACT OF VALOR is the cutting edge of that technology.
I wish I was surprised by the political BS that some of the posters wrote….you just can’t help yourself when it comes to bashing this country, can you? Sad to witness really.
Here’s the deal…I’ve seen the movie….twice. It’s amazing. What this film may lack in professional actors (because they used REAL Navy SEALS), they MORE than make up for with incredible shots and beautiful filmmaking. This film will likely be the movie that opens the flood gates to the war genre. Studio execs are going to kick their own asses for making all the crappy politically slanted war films over the last 10 years, all of which bombed financially and creatively (don’t bring up “The Hurt Locker” …ask any Soldier or Veteran and they’ll tell you it was crap too). They will kick their own asses for not making a war film that the country can rally behind. Remember Hollywood, most of your audience ain’t in LA, NYC or SF….and before you bring up the international audience, and how they don’t want to see entertainment about America succeeding….three words……Call-Of-Duty.
Well said. I screened the movie with the “interrogator” and his family a couple of months ago, and wow! No question that the acting can be a bit weak here and there, but the story, the action scenes, and the methodical and tactically correct operational activity are going to be extremely compelling.
The thing that bothers me is that the SEALs didn’t get paid a dime for this and have no royalty rights at all. Furthermore, the Navy let BB use all of their gear for free and it saved them a ton of $. If for no other reason than those, the people involved with this film are going to crush it financially.
Christo say HI to the interrogator………..I bet look amazing man
stay safe
You two had great chemistry in that scene. It was the best acted scene in the film by far. Nicely done.
I just saw this thing. I do not know who the F*@# “h7148” is, but it is not me.
“They will kick their own asses for not making a war film that the country can rally behind.”
What a truly wonderful goal…makes me tear up already. Besides, with no draft and a ever increasing private sector devoted to illegal and immoral wars…it’s not like the merchants of death need anyone out in amnesia land to give a damn.
Ryan could cure cancer and this freakin’ board would accuse him of causing it in the first place.
In a time where we all think he’s run out of money… In a time where everyone is doubting his ability to close a deal… His little studio used some big bucks and sharp elbows to scoop up a project that EVERY distributor wanted.
It may succeed; it may fail. Relativity may turn a $13m movie into a hit… or totally botch marketing. We don’t know yet.
But we do know that this is a good day for that company and for Ryan. He stole a hot film away from much larger competitors. Let’s give him his moment, no? This is only good news for the company, the film, and the production team. Why all the moaning?
Because in a town where all the press is in the spin bag (even the ones here), this is the only way for people to hold slimebags like Ryan (whose Ponzi schemes have lost investors tons of money and contributed to the flight of capital from filmed entertainment) accountable.
Agreed. Well said!
Hello Ryan (aka “PRODUCERGUY”).
Nice to see you prioritising your workload and rather than thinking about how to save your company, you are responding to comments on Deadline.com….
You realize you are spending the same time trolling the same boards for buzz about the same film. One you wish you were a part of.
Screw some of you guys, my cousin is one of the acctual seals in this movie and he is really hapy with how real it came out.
All of this negativity is movie industry BS, most of these people are invested one way or another. I hope its a great film that honors our fighting SEALs.
As a cast member of this film, I don’t give a hoot about the industry politics (even though I’ve been in the biz for 20 years). This is storytelling of a remarkable group of men who put their lives on the line for those of you who mouth off to have the freedom to do so. Kudos to those involved in making it all happen, from production, crew, cast and distribution. As usual, those who talk can’t do. So put your money where your mouth is and go make your own movie.
This will do the same for the Navy Special Warfare Center, as Top Gun did for NAval Aviation in the ’80s. My brother was in the US Army Special Forces in the early ’70s and went to Jump School with them at Ft Benning. The impression that he had of the SEALs were that they were absolutly the most physically fit servicemenbers he had EVER met. The couple SEALs that I have had the opportunity to meet during my service as a pilot in the US Army confirms what my brother said. Those who have completed SEAL training will die before they quit and the level of shear violence that a small SEAL team brings to a fight, hand to hand, with a knife, or any firearm is extrordinary, and well beyond the comprehension of a vastly superior-sized force.
These guys are probably the most elite fighting force in the US Military.