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Scott Caan-Led Crime Drama ‘One Day As A Lion’ Lands At Grindstone; J.K. Simmons, Frank Grillo, Michael Carmen Pitt, Virginia Madsen, Others Co-Star

EXCLUSIVE: Grindstone Entertainment Group has acquired North American rights to the crime drama One Day as a Lion, written by and starring Scott Caan (Hawaii Five-0), from Roxwell Films. The film currently in production in Oklahoma boasts a starry ensemble that also includes Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Frank Grillo (Captain America and Purge franchises), Michael Carmen Pitt (Boardwalk Empire), Marianne Rendón (Charlie Says), Taryn Manning (Orange Is the New Black) and Academy Award nominee Virginia Madsen (Sideways).

One Day as a Lion finds Jackie Powers (Caan) down on his luck and desperate to save his son from juvenile delinquency, a fate he knows all too well. Jackie handles collections for Dom Lorenzo (Pitt) and mob outfit boss Pauly Russo (Grillo); not what he envisioned for his life. Failing to collect from local cowboy legend, Walter Boggs (Simmons), he finds himself on the run with waitress turned hostage, Lola Brisky (Rendón). Forging an unlikely alliance, Jackie poses as Lola’s fiancé in the hopes of satisfying the will of her terminally ill, serial divorcee mother, Valerie (Madsen), to finance Lola’s new life and Jackie’s son’s criminal defense lawyer.

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John Swab (Ida Red) is directing the pic inspired by Caan’s personal life, with Jeremy M. Rosen (Ida Red, Charlie Says) producing for his Roxwell Films banner, in association with his longtime finance partner, TPC. Executive producers on the project are Barry Brooker, Stan Wertlieb, Joshua Spector, Viviana Zarragoitia and Ali Jazayeri.

One Day as a Lion marks the seventh feature collaboration for Swab and Rosen, and their fourth with Grillo. The trio most recently released the crime thriller Ida Red, which has Grillo starring alongside Josh Hartnett and Melissa Leo, with two films set for release later this year: the Paramount crime thriller Little Dixie, also starring Grillo, and the provocative horror-thriller Candy Land.

“With a dream cast and Scott’s riveting script, John and I are fired up to bring this project to life, and in our film hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma,” said Rosen. “I am grateful for the support of my friends and family, as well as my distribution and finance partners.”

One Day as a Lion is the kind of crime thriller that will keep audiences riveted through to the final frame,” said Brooker, who serves as President of Lionsgate company Grindstone. “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Jeremy, John and Scott to bring this film to audiences.”

Joshua Spector negotiated the deal for One Day as a Lion on behalf of Grindstone Entertainment Group and Lionsgate, with Roxwell Films’ Rosen on behalf of the filmmakers.

Caan is repped by ICM Partners, Linden Entertainment and Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern; Simmons by Gersh; Grillo by CAA, Entertainment 360 and Paul Hastings LLP; Pitt by Paradigm, LBI Entertainment and Schreck Rose Dapello; Rendón by Gersh and Untitled Entertainment; Manning by Realm Talent and Zero Gravity Management; and Madsen by Buchwald and Untitled.

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