“American Sniper” Producer Andrew Lazar Takes Aim at “Rupture” as Next Feature Project for AMBI Group; Steven Shainberg Set to Direct
Lazar Will Produce Sci-Fi Adventure Thriller with AMBI’s Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi as well as Producer Christina Weiss Lurie
Coming off 2014’s highest grossing film, “American Sniper,” Academy Award® nominated producer Andrew Lazar has his sights set on a sci-fi adventure thriller titled “Rupture.”
Steven Shainberg (“Secretary,” “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus,” “Hit Me”) will direct the film, which is based on a story by Shainberg and Brian Nelson (“Hard Candy,” “30 Days of Night,” “Devil”). Nelson wrote the screenplay.
Details of the project are closely guarded but the premise sees a single mother struggling to raise her son alone, abducted by a mysterious organization. While trying to escape, she uncovers an extraordinary secret about herself.
Tango Pictures production banner, which is a partnership between Christina Weiss Lurie, Steve Shainberg, and Lazar is teaming with AMBI Group (“The Humbling,” “In Dubious Battle” “All Roads Lead to Rome”), the movie development, finance, production and distribution group owned and run by Andrea Iervolino and Lady Monika Bacardi, to make the film. Christina Weiss Lurie (“Inside Job,” “Adam,” “Broken English”), will serve as producer as well.
AMBI Distribution, the worldwide sales arm of AMBI Group is handling international sales and will formally present the project in Cannes.
Said Lazar, “I’m very excited to be partnering with AMBI Group. Andrea and Lady Monika are very forward-thinking financiers and filmmakers, and this film will be the beginning of a fantastic relationship between Tango and AMBI.”
“When Andrew approached us with this project, it may have been our quickest ‘yes’ to date – and we are fast movers!,” said Andrea Iervolino. “’Rupture’ is an ‘event’ movie that has all the elements you’d look for in a massively commercial film. We’re excited to bring this project to life with Andrew, Christina, Steven and Brian.”
Lady Monika Bacardi adds, “We’re fortunate to have such great producing partners in Andrew and Christina, who strive, as we do, to make memorable films and enjoy the process and passion that goes into each production. Couple this with a spellbinding story from Steven Shainberg and our excitement and expectations grow even higher.”
AMBI is currently in production on James Franco’s “In Dubious Battle,” featuring an ensemble cast that includes Franco, Selena Gomez, Vincent D’Onofrio, Robert Duvall, Ed Harris, Bryan Cranston, Nat Wolff, Josh Hutcherson, Zach Braff, Analeigh Tipton, Ashley Greene, Ahna O’Reilly, John Savage and Sam Shepherd. The film is based on Steinbeck’s gritty, realist style novel In Dubious Battle, which portrays the struggle between labor and capital in 1930s America as close to all out warfare.
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