Latest in Black Bear Pictures

Leigh Kittay has joined Black Bear as Head of Film. She most recently served that role for Noah Hawley's 26 Keys, and was exec producer of Lucy in the Sky. Before that she worked at Parkes+MacDonald Productions and Bad Robot. Ben Stillman, who has been at Black Bear since the company's inception, will transition from…

U.S. financier-producer Black Bear Pictures has optioned rights to Irish writer Naoise Dolan's debut novel Exciting Times ahead of its U.S. release on June 2. Following a successful release in the UK and Ireland in April, where it debuted on the Sunday Times Best-Sellers List, the novel has been picked up by Black…

As the European Film Market gets underway in Berlin, here's a last minute project that should stir some buyer interest. Liam Neeson will lead the cast of Memory, an action thriller from Casino Royale director Martin Campbell. Pic is based on the 2003 Dutch film The Memory Of A Killer, Dario Scardapane (The Bridge) has…

Bob Simonds' STX Entertainment, Teddy Schwarzman's Black Bear Pictures and Laurie May and Noah Segal's Canada-based Elevation Pictures have set a wide-ranging strategic distribution partnership that includes an exclusive output deal for STXinternational to sell and distribute all Black Bear productions overseas, and…

EXCLUSIVE: STXinternational has picked up rights to Dave Franco's directorial debut The Rental, which stars Dan Stevens (Beauty And The Beast) and Alison Brie (Glow). Written by Franco and Joe Swanberg, the pic follows two couples who embark on a weekend getaway to a seemingly perfect house they've booked online. But…

EXCLUSIVE: McMafia and War & Peace star James Norton is officially launching London-based film and TV production firm Rabbit Track Pictures with former Black Bear head of TV Kitty Kaletsky. The company will option, develop and produce projects and team up with third parties. Norton will also star in select projects…

EXCLUSIVE: Baby Driver and Alita: Battle Angel‘s Eiza Gonzalez is joining I Care A Lot, the Black Bear Pictures-produced thriller that stars Rosamund Pike and Peter Dinklage. STXinternational boarded the project in Cannes and will directly distribute in the UK. The company confirmed Gonzalez’ casting to Deadline on…

STXinternational has locked up international rights to I Care A Lot, a thriller from Black Bear Pictures that stars Rosamund Pike and is being directed by J Blakeson based on his original screenplay. As part of the deal, STX will distribute the pic in the UK and Ireland, and the company will launch overseas sales…

EXCLUSIVE: Gone Girl and A Private War star Rosamund Pike is set to lead cast in thriller I Care A Lot for The Imitation Game and Ben Is Back producer Black Bear Pictures. J Blakeson (The 5th Wave) has scripted and will direct with shoot scheduled for June of this year. Oscar-nominee Pike will play Marla Grayson, a…

When it comes to an independently-financed movie, is it meant for a theatrical release or streaming? It’s a question that The Imitation Game Oscar-nominated producer and Black Bear Pictures CEO/President Teddy Schwarzman assesses frequently in the current climate, and he expounded on that at Winston Baker’s Script to…

EXCLUSIVE: Black Bear Pictures has partnered with Under the Shadow director Babak Anvari and Two & Two Pictures to develop an untitled feature drama set in the deadly Syrian crisis zones. Christian Contreras is set to write the untitled project, which Anvari will direct. The drama is based on true stories about female…

EXCLUSIVE: Julia Roberts and Manchester By the Sea Oscar nominee Lucas Hedges are set to star in Ben Is Back. The drama is scripted and will be directed by Peter Hedges, the What’s Eating Gilbert Grape novelist-screenwriter, About a Boy scribe and Pieces of April and Dan In Real Life director who is the father of…