Lawrence Grey is a Canadian-American film and television producer.
Grey launched his production company Grey Matter Productions in 2013. Grey Matter’s first film, ''
Lights Out
Lights Out may refer to:
Events and times
* Institutional, and thence colloquial, term for bedtime
*Lights Out (event), an event in the UK on 4 August 2014 to commemorate the start of World War I
* Lights Out Hong Kong, a campaign to protest air ...
'', was released by
Warner Bros. and
New Line Cinema on July 22, 2016.
Career
Early career
Grey launched his producing career as a studio executive, serving as Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Production for
Mandate Pictures from 2009–2011 and Senior Vice President of Production at
Universal Pictures from 2006‑2009.
From 2000 to 2006, Grey was an executive at
Fox Searchlight Pictures. During his time there, Grey found the script for ''
Juno'', which he packaged with director
Jason Reitman
Jason R. Reitman (; born October 19, 1977) is a Canadian-American actor and filmmaker, best known for directing the films ''Thank You for Smoking'' (2005), ''Juno'' (2007), '' Up in the Air'' (2009), ''Young Adult'' (2011), and '' Ghostbusters: ...
and oversaw through production. While at Searchlight, Grey also oversaw the acquisition and production of the action-fantasy films ''
Night Watch
Night Watch or Nightwatch may refer to:
Books
* ''The Night Watch'', a 1977 memoir by Central Intelligence Agency officer David Atlee Phillips
Novels
* ''Night Watch'', a 1972 novel by American screenwriter Lucille Fletcher
* ''Night Watch'', a 1 ...
'' and ''
Day Watch'' from Russian filmmaker
Timur Bekmambetov, who went on to direct ''
Wanted''. He developed ''
Diary of a Mad Black Woman'',
Tyler Perry's first film. Additionally, he oversaw ''
The Hills Have Eyes
''The Hills Have Eyes'' is an American horror franchise that consists of four horror films, as well as a graphic novel and merchandise. The first film was released in 1977, '' The Hills Have Eyes''; the series was rebooted in a 2006 remake. T ...
'' from French director
Alexandre Aja
Alexandre Jouan-Arcady, known professionally as Alexandre Aja, (; born 7 August 1978) is a French filmmaker best known for his work in the horror film, horror genre. He rose to international stardom for his 2003 horror film ''High Tension, Haute ...
, ''
Johnson Family Vacation'', ''
The Ringer'', and ''
28 Weeks Later
''28 Weeks Later'' is a 2007 post-apocalyptic horror film directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, who co-wrote it with Rowan Joffé, Enrique López Lavigne and Jesus Olmo. The sequel to the 2002 film ''28 Days Later'', it stars Robert Carlyle, ...
''.
Grey co-produced the 2012 film ''
Hope Springs'' starring
Meryl Streep,
Tommy Lee Jones and
Steve Carell and directed by
David Frankel (''
The Devil Wears Prada''). He was the executive producer of the 2013 film ''
Last Vegas
''Last Vegas'' is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub, written by Dan Fogelman and starring Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline and Mary Steenburgen. Three retirees travel to Las Vegas to have a bachelo ...
'', which starred
Michael Douglas,
Robert De Niro
Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...
,
Morgan Freeman
Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, and narrator. He is known for his distinctive deep voice and various roles in a wide variety of film genres. Throughout his career spanning over five decades, he has received ...
, and
Kevin Kline
Kevin Delaney Kline (born October 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is the recipient of an Academy Award and three Tony Awards. In addition, he has received nominations for two British Academy Film Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and five ...
, and was directed by
Jon Turteltaub.
Grey Matter Productions
Grey launched his production banner Grey Matter Productions in 2013.
Most recently, Grey Matter released its first feature film, ''Lights Out'', which is based on th
short filmby David Sandberg. Sandberg also directed the feature adaptation, which was written by
Eric Heisserer and produced alongside
James Wan’s production banner Atomic Monster. The film was released by New Line Cinema on July 22, 2016 with a $21.6 million opening in its first weekend. As of September 7, 2016, Lights Out has grossed $66.3 million in North America and $70.9 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $137.2 million.
Previously, Grey sold ''Section 6'', a film about the untold origin story of
MI6, to Universal. The project will be directed by
Joe Cornish (''
Attack the Block
''Attack the Block'' is a 2011 British science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Joe Cornish and starring John Boyega, Jodie Whittaker and Nick Frost. It was the film debut of Cornish, Boyega and composer Steven Price.
The f ...
''). Grey also developed and sold ''Winter’s Knight'', a Viking‑themed reimagining of the Santa Claus legend to
Sony Pictures
Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...
. The film will be directed by
Joachim Ronning &
Espen Sandberg, directors of the Academy Award®-nominated ''
Kon-Tiki'' and the upcoming installment of the ''
Pirates of the Caribbean
''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with th ...
'' franchise.
In 2014, Grey Matter announced a partnership with the
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee (; born Lee Jun-fan, ; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist and actor. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy drawing from different combat disciplines that ...
estate to develop and produce the definitive biopic on the famous martial artist.
In 2016,
STX Entertainment
STX Entertainment is a mini-major American entertainment and media company. Founded in March 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds, the studio produces film, television, and digital media projects.
In April 2020, STX announced that it would merg ...
and Grey Matter Productions announced an upcoming thriller starring
Sylvester Stallone
Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...
. The film, written by Dan Casey and to be directed by
Jim Mickle, will go into production in late 2016. Grey Matter also announced that it will produce a feature film about the recent
Panama Papers
The Panama Papers ( es, Papeles de Panamá) are 11.5 million leaked documents (or 2.6 terabytes of data) that were published beginning on April 3, 2016. The papers detail financial and attorney–client information for more than 214,488 ...
scandal.
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker.
Soderbergh's direc ...
is also producing with an eye to direct, alongside
Scott Z. Burns
Scott Z. Burns (born July 17, 1962) is an American filmmaker and playwright.
Career
After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Burns began his career in advertising and later became a television commercials director. He was part of th ...
. The film is to be based on an upcoming book ''Secrecy World'' that
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning journalist
Jake Bernstein is writing for
Henry Holt and Company
Henry Holt and Company is an American book-publishing company based in New York City. One of the oldest publishers in the United States, it was founded in 1866 by Henry Holt and Frederick Leypoldt. Currently, the company publishes in the fields ...
. Grey is teamed with
Anonymous Content to develop, finance and produce. Grey,
Michael Sugar
Michael Sugar is an American film and television producer and principal at Sugar23, best known for producing ''Spotlight'', ''13 Reasons Why'', ''Maniac'' and ''The Knick''.
Life and career
Sugar attended the Armand Hammer United World Colle ...
, Burns and Soderbergh are producing.
Personal life
A native of
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Grey is a graduate of
Georgetown University Law Center. Grey is active in the
American Israel Public Affairs Committee
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC ) is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the legislative and executive branches of the United States. One of several pro-Israel lobbying organizations in the United Stat ...
(AIPAC).
Filmography
References
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grey, Lawrence
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Canadian film producers