Production notes, photos and promotional video © 2006 Warner Bros. Pictures
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ABOUT THE CAST
Born in Hollywood, California, DiCaprio started acting at the age of 14. Following small parts on television, commercials and in films, he landed a regular role on the hit sitcom “Growing Pains.” His breakthrough feature film role came when director Michael Caton-Jones cast him in the coveted role of Tobias Wolff in the screen adaptation of Wolff’s autobiographical drama, “This Boy’s Life,” in which DiCaprio starred with Robert De Niro and Ellen Barkin. DiCaprio then starred with Johnny Depp in 1993’s “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” garnering his first Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his performance as a mentally handicapped young man. In addition, he won the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s New Generation Award. In 1995, DiCaprio had starring roles in three very diverse films, beginning with Sam Raimi’s Western “The Quick and the Dead,” with Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman. Continuing to challenge himself, DiCaprio received praise for his performance as drug addict Jim Carroll in the harrowing drama “The Basketball Diaries,” and then portrayed the disturbed pansexual poet Arthur Rimbaud in Agnieszka Holland’s “Total Eclipse.” The following year, DiCaprio starred in Baz Luhrmann’s contemporary screen adaptation of “William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet,” for which he won the Best Actor Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. That same year, he joined an all-star ensemble cast, including Meryl Streep, Diane Keaton and Robert De Niro, in “Marvin’s Room,” sharing in a SAG Award nomination for Best Ensemble Cast. In 1997, DiCaprio starred in the blockbuster “Titanic,” for which he earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. The film shattered every box office record on its way to winning 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, and is still the top-grossing film of all time. He subsequently played dual roles in “The Man in the Iron Mask,” and then starred in “The Beach” and Woody Allen’s “Celebrity.” DiCaprio gained his third Golden Globe nomination for his portrayal of con man Frank Abagnale in 2002’s “Catch Me If You Can,” directed by Steven Spielberg. Also that year, he starred in the drama “Gangs of New York,” which marked his first collaboration with director Martin Scorsese. DiCaprio next stars in the drama “Blood Diamond,” directed by Edward Zwick, which is due out this December.
Hailing from Boston, Damon attended Harvard University and gained his initial acting experience at the American Repertory Theatre. Following small roles in “Mystic Pizza” and “School Ties,” he first caught the attention of critics and audiences with his role as a guilt-ridden Gulf War veteran in 1996’s “Courage Under Fire.” However, it was 1997 that would prove to be Damon’s breakout year. Together with his friend Ben Affleck, he co-wrote the acclaimed drama “Good Will Hunting,” in which Damon also starred in the title role of a troubled math genius. The film brought him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award (shared with Ben Affleck) for Best Original Screenplay. Damon also garnered Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his performance in the film, as well as two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations: one for his individual performance and a second for Outstanding Cast Performance, shared with his co-stars. Also in 1997, Damon starred in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Rainmaker” and made a cameo appearance in Kevin Smith’s “Chasing Amy.” In 1998, Damon played the title role in Steven Spielberg’s award-winning World War II drama “Saving Private Ryan,” for which he shared in another SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Cast Performance. He also starred that year in John Dahl’s drama “Rounders,” with Edward Norton. Damon earned his third Golden Globe nomination for his work in 1999’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” under the direction of Anthony Minghella. Damon also reunited with Ben Affleck and director Kevin Smith to star in the controversial comedy “Dogma.” In 2000, Damon starred in Robert Redford’s “The Legend of Bagger Vance,” and Billy Bob Thornton’s “All the Pretty Horses.” The following year saw Damon join an all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Don Cheadle, in Steven Soderbergh’s hit remake of the “Rat Pack” comedy “Ocean’s Eleven.” Damon took on his first action role when he starred as Jason Bourne in 2002’s mega-hit action thriller “The Bourne Identity.” In 2004, he starred in the sequels “Ocean’s Twelve” and “The Bourne Supremacy.” Damon’s other recent film credits include the Farrelly brothers’ comedy “Stuck On You,” with Greg Kinnear; Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm,” opposite Heath Ledger; and a cameo appearance in George Clooney’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” Lifelong friends Damon and Affleck formed the production company LivePlanet. Among its film and television projects, LivePlanet produced three Emmy-nominated seasons of “Project Greenlight.” It is currently producing the documentary “Running the Sahara,” directed by Academy Award winner James Moll.
Additionally, Nicholson won Golden Globe Awards for his work in “About Schmidt,” “As Good as It Gets,” “Prizzi’s Honor,” “Terms of Endearment,” “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” and “Chinatown.” He also garnered Golden Globe nominations for his roles in “Something’s Gotta Give,” “A Few Good Men,” Danny DeVito’s “Hoffa,” Tim Burton’s “Batman,” “Ironweed,” “Reds,” “The Last Detail,” “Five Easy Pieces” and “Easy Rider.” Nicholson’s film work has also brought him a myriad of critics groups’ awards. In addition, he has been honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Film Institute, and the Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. His long list of film acting credits also includes the hit comedy “Anger Management”; the Sean Penn-directed films “The Pledge” and “The Crossing Guard”; Tim Burton’s “Mars Attacks!”; Mike Nichols’ “Wolf” and “Carnal Knowledge”; James L. Brooks’ “Broadcast News”; George Miller’s “The Witches of Eastwick”; Bob Rafelson’s “The Postman Always Rings Twice”; Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”; Elia Kazan’s “The Last Tycoon”; and Michelangelo Antonioni’s “The Passenger.” Nicholson made his feature film directorial debut in 1971 on “Drive, He Said,” which he also wrote and produced. He went on to direct and star in “Goin’ South,” and to direct, produce and star in “The Two Jakes,” which was the sequel to “Chinatown.”
He previously appeared in the critically acclaimed existential comedy “I Heart Huckabees” and led a stellar cast in the heist movie “The Italian Job.” Wahlberg has also enjoyed playing diverse characters for such visionary filmmakers as David O. Russell, Tim Burton and Paul Thomas Anderson. Wahlberg’s remarkable film career began with Penny Marshall’s “Renaissance Man” and Scott Kalvert’s “The Basketball Diaries,” followed by a star turn opposite Reese Witherspoon in “Fear.” His breakout performance in “Boogie Nights” launched him into the public consciousness. He then headlined “Three Kings” and “The Perfect Storm,” with George Clooney. Wahlberg subsequently starred in “Rock Star,” “Planet of the Apes” and “The Truth About Charlie.” In addition, Wahlberg is the executive producer of HBO’s hit comedy “Entourage” and the documentary “Juvies,” an exploration of the juvenile justice system. He is also very involved with his charity, the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, which benefits inner-city youth.
Sheen won his first Emmy Award in 1994 for his guest role on the comedy series “Murphy Brown.” He had previously earned an Emmy nomination for his performance in the title role of “The Execution of Private Slovik,” and received Golden Globe nominations for his portrayals of John Dean in “Blind Ambition,” and John F. Kennedy in “Kennedy.” Born and raised in Dayton, Ohio, Sheen first gained the attention of critics when he starred in the Broadway production of “The Subject Was Roses.” He later earned a Golden Globe Award nomination when he reprised his role in the 1968 screen version of the play. Sheen went on to receive early praise for his chilling portrait of serial killer Kit Carruthers in Terrence Malick’s “Badlands,” and for his performance as the enigmatic Captain Willard in Francis Ford Coppola’s Vietnam War epic, “Apocalypse Now.” Sheen’s other notable films credits include Richard Attenborough’s Oscar-winning Best Picture “Gandhi,” Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street,” Rob Reiner’s “The American President,” written by Aaron Sorkin, and Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can.” Sheen’s upcoming films include Gregory Nava’s “Bordertown,” with Jennifer Lopez and Antonio Banderas; “Talk to Me,” directed by Kasi Lemmons and starring Don Cheadle; and “Bobby,” in which Sheen joined an ensemble cast under the direction of his son Emilio Estevez. RAY WINSTONE (Mr. French) will next be seen in Anthony Minghella’s “Breaking and Entering,” with Jude Law and Juliette Binoche, which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. His upcoming film credits also include the title role in the fantasy adventure “Beowulf,” being directed by Robert Zemeckis for a 2007 release. Earlier in his career, Winstone won a 1998 British Independent Film Award for Best Actor, and earned a BAFTA Award nomination, for his performance in Gary Oldman’s drama “Nil by Mouth.” The following year, he gained another British Independent Film Award nomination for his work in Tim Roth’s drama “The War Zone.” Winstone received his third British Independent Film Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in the 2000 crime drama “Sexy Beast,” in which he starred with Ben Kingsley. In addition, he shared in a National Board of Review Award for Best Ensemble for the 2001 film “Last Orders.” Winstone most recently earned an Australian Film Institute Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in “The Proposition.” Born in Hackney in the East End of London, Winstone was a champion boxer in school and fought twice for England. He studied acting at the Corona School before being cast by director Alan Clarke in the controversial project “Scum,” which was originally made as a BBC play but was banned for its brutally violent content. Later remade as a feature film, “Scum” launched Winstone’s career. His subsequent film credits include “Quadrophenia,” “Ladybird Ladybird,” “Face,” “The Sea Change,” “The Very Thought of You,” “Agnes Browne” and “Fanny and Elvis.” More recently, Winstone was seen in Anthony Minghella’s “Cold Mountain” and Antoine Fuqua’s “King Arthur,” and was heard as Mr. Beaver in the fantasy blockbuster “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.” Winstone has also worked extensively on television, starring in both series and television movies. His latest credits include the title roles in the British telefilms “Henry VIII” and “Sweeney Todd.” VERA FARMIGA (Madolyn) starred in the acclaimed independent film “Down to the Bone,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where Farmiga won a Special Jury Prize for her performance. In addition, she won the Los Angeles Film Critics Award for Best Actress and earned an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female for her work in that film. Farmiga will next be seen in Anthony Minghella’s “Breaking and Entering,” in which she co-stars with Jude Law and Juliette Binoche. The film had its premiere at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival. Farmiga has also completed work on a wide range of upcoming films, including the thriller “Joshua,” in which she stars opposite Sam Rockwell under the direction of George Ratliff; Tom Roberts’ “In Tranzit,” which she filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia, with John Malkovich and Thomas Kretschmann; the offbeat romance “Quid Pro Quo”; and the romantic drama “Never Forever,” written and directed by Gina Kim. Earlier this year, Farmiga starred opposite Paul Walker in the crime thriller “Running Scared.” Her additional film credits include Jonathan Demme’s “The Manchurian Candidate,” in which she co-starred with Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber and Jon Voight; “Dummy,” starring opposite Adrien Brody; “Love in the Time of Money,” with Michael Imperioli and Adrian Grenier; “Fifteen Minutes,” with Robert De Niro and Edward Burns; “Autumn in New York,” starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder; and “The Opportunists,” opposite Christopher Walken.
Baldwin next stars in two more films due out this fall: “Running With Scissors,” in which he joins an ensemble cast, including Annette Bening and Gwyneth Paltrow; and “The Good Shepherd,” with Robert De Niro, Matt Damon and Angelina Jolie, under the direction of De Niro. He also stars in the new television series “30 Rock,” with Tina Fey and Tracy Morgan. Baldwin’s many additional film credits include “Along Came Polly”; “The Cat in the Hat”; David Mamet’s “State and Main,” which won the National Board of Review Award for Best Ensemble; “The Edge”; Rob Reiner’s “Ghosts of Mississippi”; “Heaven’s Prisoners”; “The Juror”; “The Shadow”; “Malice”; the screen version of Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross”; “Prelude to a Kiss”; “The Hunt for Red October”; Mike Nichols’ “Working Girl”; Jonathan Demme’s “Married to the Mob”; and Tim Burton’s “Beetlejuice.” Baldwin has also been honored for his work on television. He most recently earned two consecutive Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor on a Comedy Series for his role on “Will & Grace,” the latest coming this year. In 2002, he received Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his portrayal of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara in the HBO movie “Path to War.” Baldwin had earlier garnered Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations for his work in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” He also starred in and executive produced the miniseries “Nuremberg,” gaining Emmy and SAG Award nominations for his performance, and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Outstanding Miniseries for his work as a producer. A native of Massapequa, Long Island, New York, Baldwin graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. An accomplished stage actor, he earned a Tony Award nomination for his performance as Kowalski in the 1992 Broadway revival of “A Streetcar Named Desire,” and an Obie Award for his work off-Broadway in 1991’s “Prelude to a Kiss.” His other stage credits include the Broadway plays “Twentieth Century,” “Serious Money” and “Loot”; the New York Shakespeare Festival production of “Macbeth”; and David Mamet’s “A Life in the Theatre,” presented off-Broadway. ANTHONY ANDERSON (Brown) co-starred with Terrence Howard in 2005’s critically acclaimed urban drama “Hustle & Flow.” Anderson earned his third NAACP Image Award nomination for his performance in the film, and also shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture Cast. He had earlier received Image Award nominations for his work in the sleeper hit comedy “Barbershop” and the romantic comedy “Two Can Play That Game.” Anderson next co-stars in the scifi actioner “Transformers,” directed by Michael Bay, which is due out in July 2007. Anderson made his feature film debut in 1999’s “Life,” with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, and went on to appear in Barry Levinson’s drama “Liberty Heights,” Andrzej Bartkowiak’s actioner “Romeo Must Die,” and the hit comedy “Big Momma’s House.” He first gained the attention of critics and audiences when he starred as one of Jim Carrey’s unlikely sons in the Farrelly brothers’ comedy “Me, Myself & Irene.” Anderson has since starred in such films as “See Spot Run,” “Exit Wounds,” “Kangaroo Jack,” “Cradle 2 the Grave,” “Malibu’s Most Wanted,” “King’s Ransom” and “Scary Movie 3 & 4.” On television, Anderson starred on his own WB series, “All About the Andersons,” which was loosely based on his own life. He more recently joined the cast of the award-winning FX police drama “The Shield,” during the 2005 season, and had a recurring role on “The Bernie Mac Show.” Anderson grew up in Los Angeles, where he attended the High School for the Performing Arts. While in school, he took first place in the NAACP’s ACTSO Awards with a monologue from “The Great White Hope.” That performance also led to a scholarship from Howard University. In 1996, Anderson landed his first professional job on the Saturday morning teen series “Hang Time.” His other early credits include guest roles on “JAG” and “NYPD Blue.” Anderson also caught the attention of “Ally McBeal” creator David E. Kelley, who wrote a two-episode arc especially for him on the series. # # # ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Scorsese was born in 1942 in New York City, and raised in the downtown neighborhood of Little Italy, which would later provide the inspiration for several of his films. In 1966, he earned a master’s degree in film communications from New York University’s School of Film. During this time, he made numerous prize-winning short films, including “The Big Shave.” In 1968, Scorsese directed his first feature film, “Who’s That Knocking at My Door?” He went on to serve as an assistant director and an editor on the 1970 documentary “Woodstock,” and then won critical and popular acclaim for his 1973 film “Mean Streets.” The following year, Scorsese directed his first documentary film, “Italianamerican.” Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” was awarded the Palme d’Or at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival. He followed with “New York, New York,” “The Last Waltz,” and “Raging Bull,” which garnered two Academy Awards. Scorsese subsequently directed such films as “The King of Comedy,” “The Color of Money,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “GoodFellas,” “Cape Fear,” “Casino,” “Kundun” and “The Age of Innocence.” In 1996, Scorsese completed the four-hour documentary “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies,” co-directed by Michael Henry Wilson. The documentary was commissioned by the British Film Institute to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of cinema. In 2001, Scorsese made “Il Mio Viaggio in Italia,” an epic documentary that affectionately chronicles his love for Italian cinema. Scorsese’s long-cherished feature film project, “Gangs of New York,” was released in 2002, earning a number of honors, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Director. The following year, PBS broadcast the seven-film documentary series “Martin Scorsese Presents: The Blues.” In 2005, “No Direction Home: Bob Dylan” was aired as part of the “American Masters” series on PBS and released on DVD worldwide. The documentary brought Scorsese a Grammy Award for Best Long Form Music Video. Scorsese is the founder and chair of The Film Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to film preservation. He is also a co-chair of the Tribeca Film Festival. Over the course of his career, he has received many awards and honors, including: the Golden Lion from the 1995 Venice Film Festival; the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1997; the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 25th Gala Tribute in 1998; the Cavaliere di Gran Croce, Italy’s highest honor, presented in 2000; the DGA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003; and the Officer de la Legion d’Honneur, presented by the Culture Minister of France for outstanding service to France, in 2005. WILLIAM MONAHAN (Screenwriter) had already had success as a journalist and author before segueing to screenwriting. In just a few years of writing screenplays professionally, he has already worked with some of the biggest names in the business. Prior to “The Departed,” Monahan wrote the script for 2005’s “Kingdom of Heaven,” an epic action drama set during the Crusades, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Orlando Bloom. In May 2006, the critically acclaimed director’s cut of the film was released on DVD. Born in Boston and raised in Massachusetts, Monahan attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Moving to New York City, he went on to work as a journalist, essayist and critic, and was also an editor at SPY magazine. In 1997, Monahan won a Pushcart Prize for short fiction, and published his first novel, the widely praised Light House: A Trifle. Turning to screenwriting in 2001, Monahan sold his script “Tripoli,” about William Eaton’s epic march on Tripoli during the Barbary Wars, which Ridley Scott was set to direct. Although the project never came to fruition, Monahan was commissioned to write an original epic set in the Middle Ages. That film became Scott’s “Kingdom of Heaven.” Monahan is currently working on several upcoming projects, including “Penetration,” an adaptation of David Ignatius’ novel, which will reunite him with director Ridley Scott, and “The Venetian,” a historical epic based on the travels of Marco Polo. BRAD PITT (Producer), one of the film industry’s most prominent stars, is an award-winning actor and is also quickly gaining success as a producer under his Plan B Entertainment banner. Pitt next stars with Cate Blanchett in Alejandro González Inárritu’s drama “Babel,” which screened in competition at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, earning widespread acclaim and winning the award for Best Director. He also stars as Jesse James in Andrew Dominik’s “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,” which Pitt also produced. The film is due out in 2007. Pitt is currently filming “Ocean’s 13,” slated for release in summer 2007, and he will then begin production on David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” in which he again stars opposite Cate Blanchett. As a producer, Pitt’s upcoming films for Plan B include “Running With Scissors,” starring Annette Bening, Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes and Alec Baldwin; “Peace Like a River,” starring Billy Bob Thornton; “A Mighty Heart,” starring Angelina Jolie and Dan Futterman; “Shantaram,” starring Johnny Depp; and “A Million Little Pieces.” Plan B previously produced Tim Burton’s fantasy hit “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp; and Wolfgang Petersen’s historical epic “Troy,” in which Pitt also starred. Born in Oklahoma, Pitt began his acting career with smaller roles in films and on television. In 1991, he first gained the attention of critics and audiences with his breakthrough performance as the seductive hitchhiker in Ridley Scott’s controversial hit “Thelma & Louise.” He went on to star in Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It,” Dominic Sena’s “Kalifornia” and Neil Jordan’s “Interview with the Vampire.” Pitt received a Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in 1994’s “Legends of the Fall.” Two years later, he was honored with an Academy Award nomination and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his role in Terry Gilliam’s “Twelve Monkeys.” Pitt subsequently earned praise for his work in the David Fincher films “Se7en” and “Fight Club”; Jean-Jacques Annaud’s “Seven Years in Tibet”; and Guy Ritchie’s “Snatch.” He also joined an all-star ensemble cast, including George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle and Bernie Mac, in Steven Soderbergh’s hit remake of “Ocean’s Eleven.” Pitt more recently starred in the sequel “Ocean’s Twelve,” which reunited the cast and director Soderbergh; and the smash hit action comedy “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” opposite Angelina Jolie. Pitt’s additional film credits include: Tony Scott’s “Spy Game,” with Robert Redford; Gore Verbinski’s “The Mexican,” with Julia Roberts and James Gandolfini; the title role in Martin Brest’s “Meet Joe Black”; Alan J. Pakula’s “The Devil’s Own”; Barry Levinson’s “Sleepers”; Tony Scott’s “True Romance”; Ralph Bakshi’s “Cool World”; and “Johnny Suede,” which was named Best Picture at the 1991 Locarno International Film Festival. Pitt has also made cameo appearances in Soderbergh’s “Full Frontal” and George Clooney’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind,” and lent his voice to the title character in the animated feature “Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.” BRAD GREY (Producer) is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures Corporation. One of the foremost entrepreneurs in entertainment, Grey built his former company, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, into one of the industry’s elite organizations, named by Forbes as “Hollywood’s most successful management and production firm.” Grey also created the motion picture production company Plan B Entertainment, in partnership with Brad Pitt. The first picture released by the company was Wolfgang Petersen’s historical epic “Troy,” starring Pitt and Orlando Bloom. Grey’s motion picture producer credits include last year’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” starring Johnny Depp under the direction of Tim Burton. In addition, Grey has produced some of the most celebrated programs on television, including HBO’s Emmy award-winning series “The Sopranos.” He is a Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner, as well as a four-time recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award. Grey serves on UCLA’s Board for the Medical Sciences, the USC School of Cinema-Television Board of Councilors, and the Boards of Directors for Project A.L.S. and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. GRAHAM KING (Producer) is President and CEO of Initial Entertainment Group, one of Hollywood’s leading independent film companies, which acquires, produces or co-produces films for the worldwide market. King, who founded Initial in 1995, has emerged as a formidable producer of both major motion pictures and independent features. “The Departed” marks King’s third collaboration with Martin Scorsese. In 2004, he produced Scorsese’s widely praised Howard Hughes biopic, “The Aviator,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, for which King earned an Academy Award nomination and won a BAFTA Award for Best Picture. He was also honored by the Producers Guild of America with a Golden Laurel Award for Producer of the Year. King had earlier been a co-executive producer on Scorsese’s epic drama “Gangs of New York,” starring DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis and Cameron Diaz. Under the Initial Entertainment banner, King has also served as an executive producer on such films as “The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,” produced by and starring Jodie Foster; Michael Mann’s biographical drama “Ali,” starring Will Smith in the title role; and Steven Soderbergh’s Oscar-winning ensemble drama “Traffic.” King went on to executive produce the television miniseries “Traffic,” for which he received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Miniseries. Currently, King is a producer on such upcoming films as the Edward Zwickdirected drama “Blood Diamond,” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou and Jennifer Connelly, due out this December; and the Nicolas Cage film “Next.” A native of the United Kingdom, King began his career at the studio level in 1982, when he moved to the United States and joined the international distribution department at Twentieth Century Fox. In 1987, King moved from Fox to Cori Films, a Los Angeles-based international sales company, where he continued to widen his knowledge of the international market. After a five-year tenure with Cori Films, King joined Kings Road Productions. Three years later, he left to form Initial Entertainment Group. Recently, Initial Entertainment Group signed a first-look producing deal with Warner Bros. Pictures. Initial also has an in-house production deal with Johnny Depp and his company, Infinitum Nihil. Initial presently has a wide range of films in various stages of production and development, on which King is also a producer, including “Shantaram,” with Warner Bros. and Infinitum Nihil, “Benighted,” and “Prince of Thieves,” to name a few. ROY LEE (Executive Producer) made his producing debut as an executive producer on the smash hit horror film “The Ring,” directed by Gore Verbinski and starring Naomi Watts. The film was the first to be produced under the banner of Vertigo Entertainment, the motion picture development and production company Lee co-founded with Doug Davison. Lee also served as an executive producer on the sequel, “The Ring Two,” which was directed by Hideo Nakata, the director of the original Japanese hit on which “The Ring” was based. Lee also produced “The Grudge,” the remake of the Japanese horror hit “Ju-On,” which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar. The film had a record-breaking opening in October 2004, and still holds the all-time record for a horror film opening. Lee most recently executive produced the sequel, “The Grudge 2,” starring Gellar and Amber Tamblyn, which is due out this fall. His other producing credits include “Dark Water,” starring Jennifer Connelly; the true-life family adventure hit “Eight Below,” starring Paul Walker; and the romantic drama “The Lake House,” starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. A Korean-American, born in Brooklyn and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, Lee earned a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University and a law degree from American University. After a brief stint as a corporate attorney, Lee relocated from Washington, DC, to Los Angeles in 1996, to pursue a career in the film industry. He landed his first job with the production company Alphaville, where he worked on such films as “The Mummy,” “The Jackal” and “Michael.” With his experience tracking scripts at Alphaville, he later co-founded a website, called ScriptShark.com, which allowed aspiring writers to have their screenplays evaluated by industry professionals. Its success led to an assignment with a talent management company, where Lee tracked short films to play on personal computers. In 2001, Lee began importing films from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Indonesia to be remade in the United States, selling the rights to American movie studios on behalf of their Asian distributors. This practice led to him being dubbed “The Remake Man” in a 2003 New Yorker magazine profile. Lee and Davison formed Vertigo Entertainment in 2001. They are presently developing and producing a variety of film projects for different studios. Some of the titles Lee is producing for Vertigo include “The Visiting,” starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig; the thriller “Strangers,” starring Liv Tyler; and a remake of the paranormal thriller “The Eye,” starring Jessica Alba. DOUG DAVISON (Executive Producer) is partnered with Roy Lee at Vertigo Entertainment, the motion picture development and production company the pair founded in 2001. Under the Vertigo Entertainment banner, Davison produced “The Grudge,” starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which was based on the Japanese horror hit “Ju-On.” Opening in October 2004, the film still holds the record for the biggest horror film opening weekend ever. Davison went on to produce another horror thriller, “Dark Water,” starring Jennifer Connelly and directed by Walter Salles. In 2006, Davison switched gears to produce the romantic drama “The Lake House,” starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Davison most recently produced “The Grudge 2,” starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Amber Tamblyn, which is due out this fall, and he is in post-production on “The Visiting,” a remake of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig under the direction of Oliver Hirschbiegel. In addition, Davison is in preproduction on “The Strangers,” a horror film starring Liv Tyler; the thriller “Addicted,” starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and directed by Joel Bergvall and Simon Sandquist; and “My Sassy Girl,” a romantic comedy starring Elisha Cuthbert, to be directed by Yann Samuell. A native of Washington, DC, Davison graduated from Hamilton College in upstate New York with a degree in English literature. Moving to New York City, he began his career as a set production assistant on “Die Hard: With A Vengeance” and then worked as a script reader at New Line Cinema. Davison relocated to Los Angeles, where he landed a job at Mad Chance Productions. Under the tutelage of Andrew Lazar, he was the company’s director of development and worked his way up to President of Production. Davison’s first producing credit was as a co-producer on “Death to Smoochy,” directed by Danny DeVito, and starring Robin Williams and Edward Norton. While at Mad Chance, Davison also developed such projects as “Space Cowboys,” “Cats & Dogs” and “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” G. MAC BROWN (Executive Producer) is currently collaborating with Baz Luhrmann on his as-yet-untitled pre-World War II drama, set in Australia and starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. Prior to “The Departed,” Brown executive produced Sydney Pollack’s thriller “The Interpreter,” starring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn, and produced Adrian Lyne’s acclaimed dramatic thriller “Unfaithful,” starring Diane Lane and Richard Gere. He was the sole producer on Beeban Kidron’s “To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar,” starring Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze and John Leguizamo. Brown also had a long association with director Nora Ephron, co-producing the comedy “Michael,” starring John Travolta, William Hurt and Andie MacDowell; and executive producing the romantic comedy hit “You’ve Got Mail,” pairing Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, and the crime comedy “Lucky Numbers,” starring John Travolta and Lisa Kudrow. His other film credits include “Scent of a Woman,” “In & Out,” “Flesh and Bone,” “Anna and the King,” “Gloria,” “She-Devil,” “With Honors,” “The Cowboy Way” and “Last Exit to Brooklyn.” KRISTIN HAHN (Executive Producer) co-directed, wrote and produced the award-winning documentary “Anthem,” which was released theatrically and aired on HBO. She also co-wrote the companion book, Anthem: An American Road Story, published by HarperCollins. Hahn went on to write In Search of Grace: An Exploration of Religious Faith in America, also published by HarperCollins. Following the release of In Search of Grace, Hahn started a production company with Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt. That venture became Plan B Entertainment, where Hahn oversaw a large slate of projects for over three years. She continues to produce a handful of projects with Plan B, while also producing independently and with Jennifer Aniston at a variety of studios. GIANNI NUNNARI (Executive Producer) is the founder and principal producer of Hollywood Gang Productions, established in 1997. Nunnari’s producing credits include Oliver Stone’s “Alexander,” Robert Rodriguez’s “From Dusk Till Dawn” trilogy, and David Fincher’s “Se7en.” Nunnari is also a producer on the upcoming film adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel “300,” starring Gerard Butler and directed by Zack Snyder, set for a March 2007 release; “N: Napoleon and Me,” directed by Paolo Virzi and starring Daniel Auteuil and Monica Bellucci, which debuted at the Rome Film Festival; “11 Minutes,” the film adaptation of Paulo Coelho’s bestselling novel of the same title; and “Everybody’s Fine,” a remake of the Italian classic, to be directed by Kirk Jones. Nunnari is also currently in development on a feature adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel “Ronin,” with DC Comics, and “Silence,” the film adaptation of Shusaku Endo’s novel Chinmoku, to be helmed by Martin Scorsese. JOSEPH REIDY (Co-Producer/First Assistant Director) most recently collaborated with Martin Scorsese as the co-producer and first assistant director on “The Aviator.” “The Departed” marks Reidy’s eleventh film project with the director, having previously served in the same capacities on “Gangs of New York” and “Bringing Out the Dead,” and as the first assistant director and associate producer on “Casino” and “The Age of Innocence.” He was also the first assistant director on “Cape Fear,” “The Last Temptation of Christ” and “The Color of Money,” as well as the first assistant director and second unit director on “GoodFellas.” Reidy has also worked multiple times with other directors. For Oliver Stone, he served as the first assistant director and associate producer on “JFK,” “The Doors” and “Born on the Fourth of July,” and as the first assistant director on “Talk Radio.” Reidy teamed up with Robert Redford as the first assistant director and co-producer on “The Horse Whisperer” and as the first assistant director on “Quiz Show,” and worked with Mike Newell as the first assistant director on “Mona Lisa Smile” and “Donnie Brasco.” His additional credits as a first assistant director include Barry Levinson’s “Sleepers,” Robert De Niro’s “A Bronx Tale,” Irwin Winkler’s “Night and the City,” Adrian Lyne’s “Jacob’s Ladder,” Ridley Scott’s “Someone to Watch Over Me,” Peter Yates’ “The House on Carroll Street,” and Sidney Lumet’s upcoming dramatic thriller “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead.” MICHAEL BALLHAUS (Director of Photography), a three-time Academy Award nominee in the category of Best Cinematography, earned his most recent Oscar nod for Martin Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York.” He had previously been Oscarnominated for his work on Steve Kloves’ “The Fabulous Baker Boys” and James L. Brooks’ “Broadcast News.” Ballhaus also received BAFTA Award nominations for his work on the Scorsese-directed films “Gangs of New York,” “The Age of Innocence” and “GoodFellas,” and gained an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Scorsese’s “After Hours.” “The Departed” marks Ballhaus’ seventh project with Scorsese, also including “The Color of Money” and “The Last Temptation of Christ.” A native of Germany, Ballhaus lensed 15 films for the late German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. In 1983, he made his U.S. debut as a director of photography on John Sayles’ “Baby, It’s You.” He has since worked with such filmmakers as Francis Ford Coppola on “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”; Wolfgang Petersen on “Air Force One” and “Outbreak”; Mike Nichols on “What Planet Are You From?,” “Primary Colors,” “Postcards from the Edge” and “Working Girl”; Robert Redford on “Quiz Show” and “The Legend of Bagger Vance”; Barry Levinson on “Sleepers”; and, more recently, Nancy Meyers on “Something’s Gotta Give.” In 2006, Ballhaus received the Berlinale Camera at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival for his contributions to film. KRISTI ZEA (Production Designer) reunites with director Martin Scorsese on “The Departed,” which is her third film project with the director. She previously served as the production designer on Scorsese’s “GoodFellas,” as well as the “Life Lessons” segment from “New York Stories.” Her credits as a production designer also include multiple collaborations with Jonathan Demme on “The Manchurian Candidate,” “Beloved,” “Philadelphia,” The Silence of the Lambs” and “Married to the Mob”; and Brett Ratner on “Red Dragon” and “The Family Man.” Her other production design credits include Roger Michell’s “Changing Lanes,” Barry Levinson’s “Sleepers,” Jon Avnet’s “The War,” George Miller’s “Lorenzo’s Oil,” and Thomas Schlamme’s “Miss Firecracker.” She most recently completed work on Neil Jordan’s “The Brave One,” slated for release in fall 2007. Zea has had a multi-faceted film career, also encompassing work as a producer, second unit director and costume designer. Zea was a producer on James L. Brooks’ “As Good As It Gets,” for which she shared in an Oscar nomination for Best Picture with Brooks and Bridget Johnson. She was also a second unit director and associate producer on “Philadelphia”; an associate producer on “Broadcast News” and “Lucas”; and a second unit director on “Sleepers” and “Beloved.” As a costume designer, Zea’s credits include Lawrence Kasdan’s “Silverado”; George Roy Hill’s “The Little Drummer Girl”; Franco Zeffirelli’s “Endless Love”; and three films for director Alan Parker, “Birdy,” “Shoot the Moon” and “Fame.” In addition to her film work, Zea teaches Production Design for Film in the Graduate Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. THELMA SCHOONMAKER (Editor) is a two-time Academy Award winner for her editing on Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator” and “Raging Bull.” She also received Oscar nominations for her work on two more Scorsese films, “Gangs of New York” and “GoodFellas.” Early in her career, Schoonmaker earned her first Oscar nomination as the supervising editor for the documentary “Woodstock,” on which she shared the editing room with Scorsese, among others. In addition, Schoonmaker won BAFTA Awards for Best Editing on “GoodFellas” and “Raging Bull,” and was honored by her peers with Eddie Awards for “The Aviator,” “Gangs of New York” and “Raging Bull.” Schoonmaker met Scorsese during a six-week summer course at New York University’s Film School. A few years later, she was editing his first full-length feature, “Who’s That Knocking at My Door.” They later reunited on “Raging Bull,” and she has since edited all of the director’s feature films, including “The King of Comedy,” “After Hours,” “The Color of Money,” “New York Stories,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “Cape Fear,” “The Age of Innocence,” “Casino,” “Kundun” and “Bringing Out the Dead,” as well as the aforementioned films. Schoonmaker has also edited several of Scorsese’s documentaries, including “A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies,” and “Il Mio Viaggio In Italia” (“My Voyage to Italy”). Apart from her editing career, she works tirelessly to promote the films and writings of her late husband, the Academy Award-nominated director Michael Powell. SANDY POWELL (Costume Designer) is a two-time Academy Award winner and has earned five additional Oscar nominations. In 1999, she received dual Academy Award nominations for her work on John Madden’s “Shakespeare in Love” and Todd Haynes’ “Velvet Goldmine,” winning the Oscar for “Shakespeare in Love.” She more recently won her second Oscar for her work on Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator.” Powell has also been Oscar-nominated for the costume designs in Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York,” as well as “Mrs. Henderson Presents,” “The Wings of the Dove” and “Orlando.” Powell was similarly honored with BAFTA Award nominations for all of the above titles, winning the BAFTA Award for “Velvet Goldmine.” In addition, she garnered BAFTA Award nominations for her work on the Neil Jordan-directed films “Interview with the Vampire” and “The End of the Affair.” Powell has also collaborated with Jordan as the costume designer on “The Butcher Boy,” “Michael Collins,” “The Crying Game” and “The Miracle.” Powell’s other film credits include “Sylvia,” starring Gwyneth Paltrow; Todd Haynes’ “Far From Heaven”; Atom Egoyan’s “Felicia’s Journey” and “Hilary and Jackie”; Mike Figgis’ “Miss Julie” and “Stormy Monday”; “Rob Roy” starring Liam Neeson and Jessica Lange; and “Being Human,” starring Robin Williams. In addition to films, Powell has designed costumes for the theatrical stage, as well as for the ballet and the opera. HOWARD SHORE (Composer) has collaborated with Martin Scorsese on four previous films: “The Aviator,” “Gangs of New York,” “Made in Milan” and “After Hours.” He is a three-time Academy Award winner for his work on “The Lord of the Rings” films. Shore took home his first Oscar for 2001’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” Two years later, he won dual Oscars for the last installment of the trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King,” one for Best Original Score and a second for Best Original Song for “Into the West.” Shore’s work on “The Lord of the Rings” films also earned him two Golden Globe Awards in the categories of Best Score and Best Song for “The Return of the King”; a Golden Globe nomination for “The Fellowship of the Ring”; four Grammy Awards, including one each for the soundtrack albums for “The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Two Towers” and “The Return of the King,” and one for Best Song for “Into the West”; the American Film Institute Award for Composer of the Year; and numerous critics groups awards. In addition, he received BAFTA Award nominations for the “The Fellowship of the Ring” and “The Return of the King.” Shore more recently won a Career Achievement Award for Music Composition from the National Board of Review. For his work on Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” Shore won a Golden Globe Award and earned a BAFTA Award nomination. He had earlier received BAFTA Award nominations for the scores for Scorsese’s “Gangs of New York” and Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs.” The composer has collaborated with director David Cronenberg on 11 films, beginning in 1979 with “The Brood,” and going on to include “Scanners,” “Videodrome,” “The Fly,” “Dead Ringers,” “Naked Lunch,” “M. Butterfly,” “Crash,” “eXistenZ,” “Spider” and, most recently, “A History of Violence.” Shore is also writing an opera based on Cronenberg’s “The Fly,” to be directed by Cronenberg and staged for the Los Angeles Opera’s 2007-2008 season. Shore’s other film credits include David Fincher’s “Panic Room” and “Se7en”; Kevin Smith’s “Dogma”; Stephen Frears’ “High Fidelity”; Harold Ramis’ “Analyze This”; Tom Hanks’ “That Thing You Do!”; Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood”; Joel Schumacher’s “The Client”; Jonathan Demme’s “Philadelphia”; Chris Columbus’ “Mrs. Doubtfire”; Barbet Schroeder’s “Single White Female”; and Penny Marshall’s “Big.” ****** Directed by Martin Scorsese Cast (in credits order) Produced by |
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