Penn Alumni You Should Know About Vol. 21

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FILM

Marc Platt (C’79, Glee Club) returns to his singing roots (shout out to all the former Glee Clubbers out there) with this adaptation of Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods. Spoiler alert: Marc does not actually sing in the film. Check out the trailer below!

 

 

Actor Daniel Abse (GGS expected ’15) will appear as a lawyer in the film Advantageous, which will receive its World Premiere as an Official Selection in the US Dramatic Competition at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Advantageous synopsis: “In a near-future city where soaring opulence overshadows economic hardship, Gwen and her daughter, Jules, do all they can to hold on to their joy, despite the instability surfacing in their world.” Sounds like the story of my life. Check out the trailer–

 

 

In other dystopian movie news (seems to be a lot of that these days), Todd Lieberman (C’95, Mask and Wig, AEPi) brings us Insurgent, the sequel to this year’s Divergent. Check out this awesome trailer below!

 

 

The Pitch is back! Elizabeth Banks (C’96, Tri-Delt) returns to direct and produce with husband Max Handelman (C’95, AEPi) the highly anticipated sequel Pitch Perfect 2. See what those crazy Pitches have been up to in the trailer below!

Before the Pitch rocks our comedy world on May 15 of next year, we get to see Elizabeth’s dramatic side on Jan. 16 in Little Accidents. Here’s the shpiel: “In a small American town still living in the shadow of a terrible coal mine accident, the disappearance of a teenage boy draws together a surviving miner, the lonely wife of a mine executive, and a local boy in a web of secrets.”

 

Ryan Jaffe (C’96) wrote, directed, and produced the movie This is Happening, starring the incomparable and seemingly immortal Cloris Leachman. Read about Ryan’s adventures making his first film here – This Is Happening 

 

 

Watch Vanessa Bayer’s (C’04, Bloomers) give some horrible career advice to St. Vincent’s Annie Clark. It reminds me of the time my idiot high school guidance counselor told me I should apply to college in case the whole “become a professional video game player” thing didn’t work out. I coulda been somebody…

 

Speaking of Vanessa, this week she appeared on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” and justified her love of Bloomers (again) to Seth Meyers, chatted about Penn, Freshman Performing Arts night and how she tried out for Off the Beat and a “hip hop dance troupe” (perhaps Strictly Funk…?). Check it out below!   …More Penn mentions on TV here

 

Huge congratulations to Benjamin Rowe (C’03) for being named to Next Gen 2014: Hollywood’s New Class, The Hollywood Reporter’s 21st annual definitive list of the industry’s top execs, 35 and under. Keep killing it, Ben!

 

Sam Goldberg (C’09, Penntertainment NYC co-chair) recently executive produced the Jason Biggs/Ashley Tisdale comedy Drive, She Said.  Per The Hollywood Reporter, “the story centers on an insecure expectant father (Biggs) who, unable to find work in his field, unwittingly accepts a job chauffeuring prostitutes (Montgomery, Tisdale, Murphy) around Los Angeles. The story unfolds over the course of one night as the milquetoast dad finds he just may have the right stuff for fatherhood.”  I imagine there would be some great perks to that job. Where do I wittingly accept it?

 

Back in Black! Wunderkind screenwriter Jack Stanley (C’11) returns to the Black List for the 2nd year in a row(!) with Possesion: A Love Story. The logline: “In a seemingly perfect marriage, a man discovers that he is actually wedded to a demon inhabiting another woman’s body.” I’ve often wondered the same thing about my wife. (Just kidding, honey! Please don’t kill me.) (source: Deadline)

 …On a related note, various celebrities made individual announcements about the Blacklist winners.  For Jack, writer/director of the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII (and IX), Rian Johnson made the YouTube announcement (very cool!):

…And another celebrity we all know that made an announcement (for another winner) was Elizabeth Banks (C’96, Tri-Delt):

 

 

Spotlight On: Allen Fischer (W’95, SAM) – Manager

Allen is a partner at Principato-Young Entertainment, one of the leading management/production companies in the business. After graduating from the prestigious Wharton School at the Universal of Pennsylvania, he started his career in the mailroom at CAA and worked his way up through the assistant ranks. He transitioned into the growing field of management in 2000. Allen’s clients are some of the top writers and directors in the business.

Screenwriter/Television writer clients include David Hayter (X-MEN, X2: X-MEN UNITED, WATCHMEN), Patrick Somerville (THE LEFTOVERS, THE BRIDGE, 24), and Ashley Miller & Zack Stentz (FRINGE, THOR, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS). Director clients include F. Gary Gray (THE ITALIAN JOB, upcoming STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON), Steven Quale (INTO THE STORM, FINAL DESTINATION 5), Sylvain White (STOMP THE YARD, THE LOSERS), Michael Tiddes (A HAUNTED HO– USE 1 & 2), Dan Attias (WALKING DEAD, HOMELAND, THE AMERICANS, RESURRECTION), Tim Hill (GRUMPY CAT’S WORST CHRISTMAS EVER, HOP, ALVIN AND THE CHIMPMUNKS), Jon M. Chu (GI:JOE RETALIATION, JUSTIN BIEBER: NEVER SAY NEVER, upcoming JEM & upcoming NOW YOU SEE ME 2), and Lev Spiro (MODERN FAMILY). In addition, Allen has clients who excel in writing and directing such as Jeff Wadlow (KICK ASS 2, NEVER BACK DOWN) and Laurie Collyer (SUNLIGHT JR., SHERRYBABY, upcoming Lifetime miniseries MARILYN). Director Ari Sandel (Academy Award winner) is in post-production on THE DUFF for CBS Films. He has clients involved in such TV shows as: ARCHER, FARGO, HAWAII FIVE-O, THE GOOD WIFE, PARENTHOOD, THE FOLLOWING and many other network shows. Allen also represents actor/comedian/writer Ed Helms, who starred in THE HANGOVER movies and was a cast member of THE OFFICE. Allen is attached to produce numerous features at every major studio and is responsible for selling many scripts and pitches every year. He currently is producing SEA OF TREES, directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matthew McConaughey. Allen is also a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and is a committee member on the Representation Peer Group.

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