Yahoo Movies Robert Zemeckis Boards Kandell Brothers Pitch ‘Mr. Lucky,’ Set for Apple Studios (EXCLUSIVE)
Twin screenwriters Aaron and Jordan Kandell have sold an original comedy pitch to Robert Zemeckis’ production company ImageMovers. The project is in early discussions with Apple Studios as a distribution partner, sources said.
Zemeckis will develop and produce the film, titled “Mr. Lucky,” which sources compared to emotional and comedic romps like “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”
More from Variety
Apple and Skydance Animation Formally Announce Multi-Year Partnership
Ridley Scott, Joaquin Phoenix's Napoleon Epic 'Kitbag' Sells to Apple Studios
The film, inspired by a true story, is described as a high concept rom-com that explores luck, and how tragedy and triumph, disaster and fortune are all in the way we choose to view them. Jack Rapke and Jackie Levine are producing for ImageMovers.
The Kandells, who just signed with Range Media Partners, are the writers behind the Oscar-nominated Disney pic “Moana” and the 2018 film “Adrift,” starring Shailene Woodley and Sam Claflin. They have a number of notable upcoming projects through their banner Twin Ink.
This includes: “Supernormal,” a Netflix comedy starring Josh Gad, Luke Evans and Daisy Ridley from Dan Lin’s Rideback; “Sidekicks,” a reimagining of classic fairy tales through the eyes of the heroes’ under-appreciated helpers, for Paramount and Chernin; and “Stranded,” a true story about a dog that’s pitched as “Castaway” meets “The Black Stallion.” They are also attached to produce “Conviction,” from writer Chris K.T. Bright, which Malpaso Productions is making for Warner Bros.
In the TV space, they are creators on “Swift Harding,” an original family adventure series mixing elements of “Romancing the Stone” and “The Parent Trap,” with Chris Columbus attached to direct. They also have “Capitol,” a limited series centered on the Congressional Page Cocaine Scandal of the early ’80s, from director Peter Farrelly, and an untitled project about the rise, fall and future of one of America’s greatest dynasties.
Zemeckis is the Academy Award-winning director of “Forrest Gump,” the “Back to the Future” franchise, “Death Becomes Her,” “What Lies Beneath,” and the upcoming Disney live-action reboot of “Pinocchio.”
Apple Studios, currently nominated for two Academy Awards, continues to pile pedigreed films onto its slate. They have “Emancipation,” from director Antoine Fuqua, and producer and star Will Smith; “Killers of the Flower Moon,” directed by Martin Scorsese, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro; “Swan Song” with Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Glenn Close and Awkwafina; “Kitbag,” from Ridley Scott and Joaquin Phoenix; and A24’s “Sharper” with Julianne Moore.
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
