THE BRIT 50 Directors in the house


Whether set up to produce work from a specifi c director or established with a director as a creative partner to produce a range of fi lms, these companies are the very defi nition of fi lm-maker friendly


Matthew Vaughn MARV FILMS


Need to know After successfully producing Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, Matthew Vaughn set up MARV to produce his direc- torial debut Layer Cake in 2004. Vaughn moves between writing, directing and producing, has strong links with US studios and ready access to private equity. He is currently directing X-Men: First Class at Pinewood Studios for Fox. This year saw the release of the director’s comic-book ad- aptation Kick-Ass (pictured be- low) and he also produced John Madden’s The Debt. Key personnel Matthew Vaughn, Tarquin Pack Incoming Kick-Ass 2 is in develop- ment, and Vaughn has signed a deal with comic-book writer Mark Millar for rights to Superior. Other projects in development include comic concept The Golden Age from UK TV personality Jonathan Ross, about a retirement home for superheroes, and a sequel to Layer Cake with writer JJ Connolly. Matthew Vaughn says “My rule is to make a fi lm people will want to go and see, something people will talk about. The most important thing is still word of mouth.” MARV Films,


(44) 20 7976 2313


■ 40 Screen International December 15, 2010


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Andrew Eaton REVOLUTION FILMS


Need to know It is no surprise An- drew Eaton and Michael Winter- bottom are sometimes described as a contemporary Powell and Pressburger. Since establishing Revolution in 1994, it has cer- tainly been one of the most pro- lifi c UK production companies, as Winterbottom himself directs at a tireless pace (work as diverse as In This World and The Killer Inside Me) and the company de- velops a range of other projects. Revolution has also set up a suc- cessful TV arm, producing the widely acclaimed Red Riding tril- ogy as well as Winterbottom’s recent comedy series The Trip,


starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (the feature version pre- miered in Toronto and has sold widely). Key personnel Andrew Eaton and Michael Winterbottom, co-direc- tors; Josh Hyams, head of devel- opment. Incoming Winterbottom’s forth- coming projects include a fi lm based on Angel Face, a book about the Amanda Knox murder trial. The project is with BBC Films. Meanwhile, Matt Greenhalgh is writing a project for Coogan to star as Soho porn kingpin Paul Raymond (with Film4). Revolu- tion is also working with Oasis


frontman Liam Gallagher on a fi lm about the Beatles’ Apple Corps, based on the book The Longest Cocktail Party (Jesse Armstrong will adapt). Mat Whitecross will direct BBC4 project GB84, which Viragh is adapting from the David Peace novel about the miners’ strike. And Eaton is in the process of closing fi nancing for Fernando Meirelles’ 360, written by Peter Morgan. Andrew Eaton says “We’re light on our feet, you have to be fl ex- ible and adaptable. The business model has to shift with the times.” email@revolution-fi lms.com


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