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MUMBAI: Two Hollywood production engines are putting their stories together, with Thunder Road Films and Lit Entertainment Group joining forces to launch a new media company, TR/AK. Founded by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and partner Erica Lee alongside Lit Entertainment founder Adam Kolbrenner, the new venture will develop original stories, nurture creators and produce film and television projects aimed at global audiences.
The move brings together Thunder Road, the production company behind the John Wick franchise, The Town, Sicario and Wind River, and Lit Entertainment, the management and production outfit led by veteran literary manager Kolbrenner.
The two companies will continue operating independently after the TR/AK launch. However, their recent collaboration has already produced three films based on spec screenplays written by Lit clients: Roshan Sethi’s The Surgeon, starring Michelle Yeoh and Martin Freeman and set for its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival; Marc Webb’s Day Drinker for Lionsgate, written by Zach Dean; and By Any Means, written by Sascha Penn and released on September 4.
Lit’s client roster also includes writers and creators such as Justin Marks, known for Shogun and Top Gun: Maverick; Dave Andron of Snowfall and Justified; and Matt Lopez of Father of the Bride. Other Lit clients include David Guggenheim, Aaron Guzikowski, Ben Jacoby, Matt Lieberman and Justin Rhodes.
For Thunder Road, the new venture comes as the company continues to expand its film slate. It is currently producing Hivemind, starring Samara Weaving and Nicholas Braun, while upcoming projects include A24’s The Peasant, directed by and starring Dev Patel; The Kellys, written and directed by Brad Peyton for Amazon; the Walton Goggins action film Mister; and Caine, the latest entry in the John Wick franchise, directed by Donnie Yen.
Thunder Road’s wider upcoming slate includes Perfect Girl, Breaking Point, Crawlers, Dangerous Games and Blasphemous.
The company recently released Jeff Wadlow’s The Devil’s Mouth on Prime Video. Its previous credits include A Star is Born, Greenland, Ballerina, Dust Bunny, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, Monkey Man and The Current War.
Kolbrenner, meanwhile, has producing credits on projects developed from his clients’ spec screenplays, including The Gorge, Free Guy, The Tomorrow War, Prisoners and The Christmas Chronicles franchise.
Kolbrenner said the new company would bring together the strengths of both teams, while Iwanyk said he and Lee had been considering ways to grow Thunder Road for years before discussions with their longtime collaborator evolved into the new venture.
With three projects already demonstrating the partnership’s potential and a broader slate waiting in the wings, TR/AK is betting that putting producers, managers, writers and filmmakers closer together can make the journey from page to screen a little less complicated and considerably more ambitious.
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