6 days ago
EXCLUSIVE: Following a competitory auction that played retired complete nan Memorial Day weekend, sources show Deadline North Road Television Studios has landed Sunken Meadows, a buzzy aviator from writer Mac Smullen. Ahead of nan merchandise of nan highly anticipated film Backrooms that nan institution co-financed arsenic nan co-studio pinch A24, North Road secured nan task successful an fierce preemptive woody pinch galore apical producers and studios circling.
While an nonstop fig is was not confirmed, sources opportunity nan book sold successful nan 7 fig range, an awesome number fixed nary different talent is attached. Insiders besides adhd that LuckyChap is perchance coming connected arsenic a shaper but nary woody has been reached yet.
North Road’s Amy Israel, Josh Stern, and Peter Chernin will executive nutrient nan caller elevated scary bid that is rooted successful a move family drama. Plot specifications are being kept nether wraps.
Smullen is champion known for his 2020 produced nan documentary short Children of nan Moon, astir second-generation members of belief cult The Unification Church. As a screenwriter, he’s been a semifinalist for nan Alfred P. Sloan Science successful Film Commissioning Grant, a Finalist for nan Nantucket Screenwriters Colony, and took his one-hour TV project MK-ULTRA through nan Sundance Institute’s Episodic Story Lab and IFP’s Film Week. In 2022, he won nan AMC One-Hour Pilot Award astatine nan Austin Film Festival Screenplay Competition for his script Souvenir Alaska, which was group up astatine Netflix and WBTV successful a competitory situation.
While nan characteristic movie spec marketplace has seen an uptick station onslaught pinch projects for illustration nan precocious released Apex selling pinch nary talent involved, pilots person usually needed different talent to tie specified a bidding war, making this waste a uncommon lawsuit successful a evolving market. It is moreover much awesome that Smullen was capable to onshore specified a large waste erstwhile he had only 1 different waste to his sanction successful his career.
North Road Television Studios is successful post-production on The Body, from showrunner Quinn Shepherd, which is group to aerial connected Netflix this autumn aft being sold consecutive to series. North Road Television Studios has invested successful aggregate local-language series, including Emmy-nominated Bad Boy, nan most-watched Middle Eastern bid of 2025 and nan most-watched Israeli show successful Netflix history. It has complete a twelve projects group up successful improvement astatine various streaming platforms.
Backrooms, nan hotly anticipated debut from 20-year-old filmmaker Kane Parsons, was co-financed and co-produced by North Road’s Chernin Entertainment and A24. The movie will beryllium released theatrically connected May 29.
Smullen is represented by WME, Untitled Entertainment, and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich, Goodell & Gellman.
