By Dave McNary
November 16, 2016
“Independence Day” producer Dean Devlin is on board to produce and direct science-fiction family drama “Countdown” in what will be Devlin’s third directorial gig.
Devlin’s Electric Entertainment acquired rights to Steve Altiere’s script, centered on a space-obsessed boy who attempts to save his dying father with the help of his friends and a NASA engineer. Devlin will produce with Electric Entertainment’s Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan.
Electric is currently in post-production on its third season of “The Librarians” for TNT, and in post-production on the Warner Bros. film “Geostorm,” which marks Devlin’s feature directorial debuts and stars Gerard Butler. He produced 1996’s “Independence Day” and “Independence Day: Resurgence” with Roland Emmerich.
He’s in pre-production on his second directing gig on the thriller “Bad Samaritan” and launched pre-sales at the American Film Market. In the film, David Tenant and Robert Sheehan portray car valets who use their business as a front to burglarize houses of their unsuspecting patrons, until they target the wrong house.
Electric’s newly created domestic distribution division will release the Tribeca Film Festival title “The Book of Love,” starring Jason Sudeikis, Jessica Biel and Maisie Williams in early 2017. The company most recently released “Blackway,” starring Anthony Hopkins, Julia Stiles and Ray Liotta, and the horror comedy “Fear Inc.,” staring Lucas Neff and Caitlin Stasey.
Depending on the success of the distribution operation, Electric may self-release “Bad Samaritan.”
Altiere is story editor on an untitled dragons project from DreamWorks Animation TV. Altiere is repped by APA, Jonathan Hunt, and attorney Rob Szymanski. This news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.