EXCLUSIVE: Riley Keough and producer Gina Gammell have taken the wraps off their new production company, dubbed Felix Culpa. They already have acquired rights to three books and will team on projects both in film and TV with producers including Studio 8, Scott Free, Pilgrim Media Group and Regan Arts.
“Gina and I are so excited to launch Felix Culpa with three distinctive, character-driven stories,” said Keough, whose acting credits include The Girlfriend Experience, which landed her a Golden Globe nom and Mad Max: Fury Road. “We are, very simply, lovers of film and literature. Our company is dedicated to developing material that gives a voice to talent and stories that deserve attention and need to be heard.”
Felix Culpa has acquired rights to and are in development on Lydia Millet’s thriller Sweet Lamb of Heaven: A Novel, which will be produced with Scott Free and executive produced by Thor Bradwell; Christopher Sebela, Robert Wilson IV, and Nick Filardi’s Oni Press graphic novel series Heartthrob, which Studio 8 acquired and Felix Culpa attached to executive produce for TV; and The Curse of Beauty: The Scandalous & Tragic Life of Audrey Munson, America’s First Supermodel, the James Bone-penned biography that Felix Culpa, Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Media Group and Judith Regan’s Regan Arts will develop and produce for film and TV.
Said Gammell, whose producing credits include the upcoming Keough starrer Welcome the Stranger: “While Riley and I are interested in telling all kinds of human stories, as women filmmakers, we are proud that the first three projects out of the gate for Felix Culpa happen to feature wild, complicated, intelligent female protagonists. We look forward to discovering new, compelling material to bring to the screen.”
Financier Michael L. Clofine is providing development funds for the company.
Here’s Felix Culpa’s slate:
Sweet Lamb of Heaven: A Novel
“Sweet Lamb of Heaven: A Novel” is The New York Times bestselling novel by Lydia Millet, which blends domestic thriller and psychological horror to tell the story of a mother fleeing her estranged husband. Published by W.W. Norton & Company in 2016, Sweet Lamb of Heaven has received a number of accolades including the National Book Award for Fiction and Kirkus Best Book of 2016. Felix Culpa has partnered with Scott Free Productions to produce the project as a feature film. Thor Bradwell serves as executive producer.
Heartthrob
“Heartthrob” is the graphic novel by Christopher Sebela about bank heists and thieving hearts. After gaining a new lease on life thanks to a heart transplant procedure, Callie meets and falls in love with a mysterious master thief who also happens to be her heart donor. Serialized by Oni Press in April 2016, “Heartthrob” is an unexpected love story that shatters the bounds of belief, perception and faith. Studio 8 acquired the graphic novel series with Felix Culpa attached to executive produce for television with Oni Entertainment attached to produce.
The Curse of Beauty: The Scandalous & Tragic Life of Audrey Munson, America’s First Supermodel
“The Curse of Beauty: The Scandalous & Tragic Life of Audrey Munson, America’s First Supermodel” is The New York Times best-selling biography by James Bone, former New York Bureau Chief of The Times of London newspaper. The book is a deep, investigative dive into the extraordinary life of actress and artist model Audrey Munson – who rose to fame in the 1920s as “the world’s most perfectly formed woman” – and the exploitation and remarkable tragedy that ultimately led to her downfall. Felix Culpa has partnered with Craig Piligian’s Pilgrim Media Group and Judith Regan’s Regan Arts to develop and produce the story for film and television. Keough and Gammell will produce with Piligian and Lauren Pfeiffer (Pilgrim Media Group), and with Regan and Nathan Ament (Regan Arts).
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