Legion M Joins SpectreVision, XYZ Films and Umedia on Nicolas Cage Thriller MANDY
Legion M’s Investment in Action-Thriller Will Also
Help Produce Oscar® Nominee Jóhan Jóhannsson’s Original Score
LOS ANGELES (December 1, 2017) – Legion M, the world’s first fan-owned entertainment company, has joined producers SpectreVision, XYZ Films and Umedia as a production partner in the upcoming action-thriller MANDY, starring Academy Award® winner Nicolas Cage and directed by Panos Cosmatos (Beyond the Black Rainbow).
Legion M’s investment in MANDY – which has been selected as a Midnight screening at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival – comes as the film is in post-production in Belgium. Part of the Legion M investment will help produce the film’s striking original soundtrack, which is being written by Oscar®-nominated composer Jóhan Jóhannsson (Sicario, The Theory of Everything).
Legion M brings together thousands of fans from around the world as investors in a studio with a growing slate of genre-oriented and fan-focused films, television series, digital content and interactive projects.
MANDY is being produced by Daniel Noah, Josh C. Waller and Elijah Wood for SpectreVision, Nate Bolotin for XYZ, and Adrian Politowski for Umedia, and is being executive produced by Nick Spicer, Lisa Whalen, Todd Brown, Maxime Cottray, Martin Metz, Peter Bevan, Christopher Figg and Robert Whitehouse, with Umedia and Piccadilly Pictures financing.
“When the MANDY team shared their unique vision for a surrealist, heavy-metal-soaked revenge story with Nic Cage at his maniacal best, we jumped at the chance to get involved,” said Paul Scanlan, co-founder and CEO of Legion M. “This deserving project is yet another great opportunity for Legion M to activate the immeasurable power of our fan owners, and the news that MANDY has been selected to participate in Sundance Midnight strengthens our excitement about our investment in this unique project.”
Jeff Annison, Legion M cofounder and president, added, “Legion M loves supporting up-and-coming directors, and Panos Cosmatos has a singular visual style that is going to create an action-thriller unlike any other. With a stellar cast and driving soundtrack from one of the most innovative composers of our time, we think MANDY has all the ingredients to become a true standout film.”
The logline for MANDY: In the primal wilderness of the year 1983 A.D., Red Miller (Cage), a broken and haunted man, hunts the unhinged religious sect who murdered the love of his life. Directed by Panos Cosmatos, MANDY also stars Andrea Riseborough, Linus Roach, Ned Dennehy, Olwen Fouéré, Richard Brake, Bill Duke and Sam Louwyk.
Founded in 2016, Legion M is a first-of-its-kind company conceived and created to be owned by fans. Legion M uses new equity crowdfunding laws enabled by the federal JOBS Act to give fans the opportunity to invest directly in an early stage entertainment company. Legion M has raised more than $3 million in equity crowdfunding, making it one of the most successful JOBS Act companies in history. The global Legion M community has grown to more than 20,000 members, including more than 7,000 fan-owners.
Legion M’s slate of film, TV, digital and VR projects includes feature-film projects in various stages of development; multiple series for network, cable and digital TV; and a first-ever VR-based interview series. Legion M was an investor in the critically acclaimed Colossal, starring Anne Hathaway and Jason Sudeikis, and directed by Nacho Vigalondo. Legion M plans a new offering in early 2018, continuing its mission of revolutionizing the way entertainment is made.
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ABOUT SPECTREVISION
Founded in 2010 by partners Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller, SpectreVision was created to tell character-driven stories tackling emotional and human experiences that test the boundaries of the genre space. In 2015, Lisa Whalen joined the company as the fourth partner.
The SpectreVision productions of A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, Cooties, Open Windows, The Boy and their latest cult hit, The Greasy Strangler, have earned them spots at the most prestigious festivals in the world, as well as numerous awards and nominations. SpectreVision has also released, under its SpectreVision Presents banner, the acclaimed films, Toad Road, LFO and the successful restoration and re-release of the lost animated classic, Belladonna of Sadness.
SpectreVision has expanded its focus, with new and exciting forays into the worlds of television and digital media, and has a partnership to create virtual reality content with Ubisoft. At the 2017 Sundance Film Festival, SpectreVision’s parent entity, Company X, premiered their first production, Bitch, which sold to MPI.
ABOUT UMEDIA
Umedia is a vertically integrated, international film group with 160 staff based in London, Brussels, Paris, Vancouver and Los Angeles. The company is one of Europe’s leading production groups, combining the activities of development, production, financing, visual effects and finishing. Since its inception in 2004, Umedia has invested more than $500 million via its tax shelter, equity and development funds, and has been involved in 350 films including Grace of Monaco, John Wick, Yves Saint Laurent T and multi-Academy Award-winning The Artist.
Umedia is currently in production on a number of features including: I Kill Giants with Zoe Saldana, produced with Chris Columbus, and directed by Academy Award Winner Anders Walter; MANDY starring Nicolas Cage; Submergence by Wim Wenders with Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy; Tom Wirkola’s What Happened to Monday with Glenn Close, Noomi Rapace and Williem Dafoe; Journey’s End starring Sam Claflin and Paul Bettany; and the Daniel Alfredson’s Intrigo trilogy starring Ben Kingsley.
ABOUT XYZ FILMS
XYZ Films is an integrated content company whose mission is to empower visionary storytellers from every corner of the planet. As an independent production company and worldwide sales agency, the company is uniquely suited to identify talented filmmakers and bring their stories to life. XYZ was founded in 2008 by Nate Bolotin, Nick Spicer, and Aram Tertzakian. XYZ recently won the 2017 Sundance Grand Jury Prize for Macon Blair’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore.
Media Contacts for Legion M:
John Singh, J2 Communications
(818) 458-7800 / john.singh@j2comm.com
Rob Novickas, SuperNova IMC
(206) 484-5605 / r.novickas@supernovaimc.com