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James Lassiter
James Lassiter is an American film producer, known for being co-founder of Overbrook Entertainment and longtime business partner of actor and rapper Will Smith. Career Lassiter attended University of Miami and Temple University and befriended Jeffrey "Jazzy Jeff" Townes, who was in a rap duo with then-musician Will Smith. Lassiter met Smith through Townes, and he later became Smith's road manager. They worked together for two decades. Lassiter briefly worked with other companies including Handprint and The Firm, but he returned to being Will Smith's business partner. Lassiter and Smith formed the production company Overbrook Entertainment, which produced films like '' Hitch'' and '' ATL''. While Overbrook Entertainment had a deal with Universal Studios to produce films, none resulted, and the company was taken to Sony. The pair sought to market each of their productions to a different foreign market, promoting ''I, Robot'' in Russia and ''Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Film Producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, directing, editing, and arranging financing. The producer is responsible for finding and selecting promising material for development. Unless the film is based on an existing script, the producer hires a screenwriter and oversees the script's development. These activities culminate with the pitch, led by the producer, to secure the financial backing that enables production to begin. If all succeeds, the project is "greenlighted". The producer also supervises the pre-production, principal photography and post-production stages of filmmaking. A producer is also responsible for hiring a director for the film, as well as other key crew members. Whereas the director makes the creative decisions during the production, the producer typically ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hancock (film)
''Hancock'' is a 2008 American superhero black comedy film directed by Peter Berg from a screenplay by Vince Gilligan and Vy Vincent Ngo. The film stars Will Smith, Charlize Theron, and Jason Bateman. The story was originally written by Vy Vincent Ngo in 1996. It languished in development hell for years with various directors attached, including Tony Scott, Michael Mann, Jonathan Mostow, and Gabriele Muccino, before being filmed in 2007 in Los Angeles with a production budget of $150 million. In the United States, the film was rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America after changes were made at their request in order to avoid an R rating, which it had received twice before. The film was released on July 2, 2008, in the United States by Columbia Pictures. ''Hancock'' received mixed reviews from critics who praised its performances, visual effects and premise, but criticized its execution and failure to deliver on its potential, especially during its second half. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
King Richard (film)
''King Richard'' is a 2021 American biographical sports drama film directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and written by Zach Baylin. The film stars Will Smith as Richard Williams, the father and coach of famed tennis players Venus and Serena Williams (both of whom served as executive producers on the film), with Aunjanue Ellis, Saniyya Sidney, Demi Singleton, Tony Goldwyn, and Jon Bernthal in supporting roles. It premiered at the 48th Telluride Film Festival on September 2, 2021, and was theatrically released on November 19, 2021, by Warner Bros. Pictures and on the HBO Max streaming service. It was a box-office bomb, grossing $39 million against a budget of $50 million, but received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the screenplay and the performances of Smith, Ellis, and Sidney. It was named one of the ten best films of the year by both the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review. It earned six nominations at the 94th Academy Awards including Bes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Life In A Year
''Life in a Year'' is a 2020 American romantic drama film directed by Mitja Okorn, from a screenplay by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews. The film stars Jaden Smith, Cara Delevingne, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Nia Long. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith serve as executive producers under their Overbrook Entertainment banner. ''Life in a Year'' was released on November 27, 2020, by Amazon Studios. Plot Daryn, who is being groomed to get into Harvard by his father Xavier, meets Isabelle one night while trying to sneak into a rapper’s concert and is instantly drawn to her. He courts and eventually falls in love with her but when Daryn confesses his love, Isabelle reveals that she has cancer and hasn't got much time left. So, Daryn makes a plan to live a life in a year. Isabelle recognises his potential as a rapper and helps him to make his first demo CD. When Daryn takes her to meet his parents. Xavier, disliking Isabelle, uses the moment to fire questions at her. He concludes by sayi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charm City Kings
''Charm City Kings'' is a 2020 American drama film directed by Angel Manuel Soto from a screenplay by Sherman Payne and a story by Chris Boyd, Kirk Sullivan, and Barry Jenkins. It is based on the 2013 documentary '' 12 O'Clock Boys'' by Lotfy Nathan. It stars Jahi Di'Allo Winston, Meek Mill, Will Catlett, and Teyonah Parris. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 27, 2020. It was released on October 8, 2020, by HBO Max. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith serve as the executive producers. The film was removed from HBO Max in August 2022. Plot 14-year-old Mouse lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his single mother and younger sister. Mouse is interested in motorbikes, a big part of the culture in Baltimore, but his mother disapproves as his older brother Stro died in a biking accident at the age of 17. Once a week during the summer is an event called The Ride, where people bring out their motorbikes and do stunts in the street. Mouse's mother forbids ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bad Boys For Life
''Bad Boys for Life'' is a 2020 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Adil & Bilall. It is the sequel to ''Bad Boys II'' (2003) and the third installment in the ''Bad Boys'' franchise. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their starring roles in the film and are joined by Paola Núñez, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Kate del Castillo, Nicky Jam, and Joe Pantoliano. The film was produced by Smith, Jerry Bruckheimer, and Doug Belgrad, with a screenplay written by Chris Bremner, Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan. In ''Bad Boys for Life'', Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett investigate a string of murders tied to Lowrey's troubled past. A third ''Bad Boys'' film was contemplated following the release of the second film in 2003, with Michael Bay stating he would be interested in returning to direct, but budgetary constraints led to stalled efforts. Over the years, a variety of writers and directors were attached as the film went through ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hala (film)
''Hala'' is a 2019 American drama film written and directed by Minhal Baig. The film was screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and was released in a limited theatrical release on November 22, 2019, followed by digital streaming on December 6, 2019, by Apple TV+. The film received generally positive reviews. It is based on a previous short film by Baig made in 2016 by the same name. Plot Hala Masood is a seventeen year old Pakistani American Muslim girl struggling with the clash of her family's values versus her desires. Her mom worries about Hala being near boys and skateboarding, while she has a secret crush on a boy in her school named Jesse, who's a non-Muslim (it's expected Hala will have her marriage arranged with a Muslim man). Things gradually come to a head as Hala is drawn toward Jesse, against her family's wishes. In the meantime, she learns her parents' marriage has problems she never knew of before. Cast * Geraldine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Annie (2014 Film)
''Annie'' is a 2014 American musical comedy-drama film directed by Will Gluck, produced by Village Roadshow Pictures and James Lassiter's Overbrook Entertainment and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing's Columbia Pictures. A contemporary film adaptation of the 1977 Broadway musical of the same name (which in turn is based on the comic strip ''Little Orphan Annie'' by Harold Gray). The film changes the setting from the Great Depression to the present day. It is the second remake and the third film adaptation of the musical following the 1982 theatrical film starring Carol Burnett and Albert Finney and the 1999 television film starring Kathy Bates and Victor Garber. The film stars Quvenzhané Wallis in the title role, Jamie Foxx, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale and Cameron Diaz (in her final film role before her subsequent retirement from acting from 2014 to 2022). ''Annie'' began production in August 2013 and was released theatrically on December 19, 2014. The film received gen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
After Earth
''After Earth'' is a 2013 American post-apocalyptic action film directed by M. Night Shyamalan, who co-wrote it with Gary Whitta. The film was loosely based on an original story idea by Will Smith about a father-and-son trip in the wilderness before it was eventually reworked into a sci-fi setting, taking place 1,000 years in the future where humans evacuated Earth to another planet due to a massive environmental catastrophe. It is the second film after ''The Pursuit of Happyness'' that stars real-life father and son Will and Jaden Smith; Will Smith also produced via his company Overbrook Entertainment, and the distribution was by Columbia Pictures. The film was co-produced by John Rusk, who was also the first assistant director on this film as well as on many of Shyamalan's other films. The film follows father and son, Cypher and Kitai Raige, who find themselves crash-landing on the abandoned Earth. When Cypher gets injured from the crash, Kitai must travel across the wild envir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
This Means War (film)
''This Means War'' is a 2012 American romantic comedy spy film directed by McG, produced by Will Smith and starring Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine, and Tom Hardy. The plot concerns two CIA agents who are best friends and discover that they are dating the same woman. Plot CIA agent and best friends Franklin "FDR" Foster and Tuck Hansen are deployed to Hong Kong to prevent international criminal Karl Heinrich from acquiring a weapon of mass destruction, but the mission goes awry, resulting in the death of Heinrich's brother, Jonas. Heinrich swears vengeance against them. Upon returning to the United States, their boss, Collins assigns them to desk duty for their protection. FDR is a womanizer whose cover is a cruise ship captain while Tuck presents himself as a travel agent. Tuck is divorced with a young son, Joe. After attending one of Joe's karate classes, Tuck attempts to rekindle his connection to his family but is rebuffed by his ex-wife Katie. Tuck sees a commercial for onl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Karate Kid (2010 Film)
''The Karate Kid'' is a 2010 martial arts drama film directed by Harald Zwart, and part of ''The Karate Kid'' series. It stars Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan in lead roles, and it was produced by Jerry Weintraub, James Lassiter, Ken Stovitz, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. This film does not take place in the same fictional universe as the four previous ''Karate Kid'' films, but is instead a remake of the original 1984 film with the setting moved to China, and the martial art changed (despite the film's title) from karate to kung fu. The plot concerns 12-year-old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith), from Detroit, Michigan, who moves to Beijing, China with his mother ( Taraji P. Henson) and runs afoul of the neighborhood bully Cheng (Zhenwei Wang). He makes an unlikely ally in the form of an aging maintenance man, Mr. Han (Jackie Chan), a kung fu master who teaches him the secrets of self-defense. The screenplay was written by Christopher Murphey. The film's music was composed by James Hor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seven Pounds
''Seven Pounds'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Gabriele Muccino starring actor Will Smith as a man who sets out to change the lives of seven people. Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, and Barry Pepper also star. The film was released in theaters in the United States and Canada on December 19, 2008, by Columbia Pictures. Despite receiving negative reviews, it was a box-office success, grossing US $168,168,201 worldwide against an estimated budget of $55 million. Plot In Los Angeles, Ben Thomas berates a sales representative, Ezra Turner, over the phone. Ezra, who is blind, maintains his composure and politely ends the call. At an IRS office after hours, Ben researches Emily Posa, finding that she is being treated for a congenital heart defect. His brother calls, but he denies having taken something from his house. At an elderly care home, Ben introduces himself as an IRS agent. Administrator Stewart Goodman brags about cutting costs despite buying himself a new BMW. Ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
