Saban Film nabs U.S. rights to ‘American Murderer’ with Ryan Phillippe, Tom Pelphrey, Idina Menzel and Jacki Weaver

Saban Films announced today that they have secured the U.S. and Canadian rights to award-winning director and writer Matthew Gentile’s debut feature film American Murderer. The film stars Tom Pelphrey, Ryan Phillippe, Idina Menzel, and two-time Academy Award Jacki Weaver.  Paul Schneider, Shantel VanSanten, Moises Arias and Kevin Corrigan round out the cast.  Saban Films is planning an October 2022 release.

American Murderer is based on the true story of Jason Derek Brown – a charismatic con man turned party king who bankrolls his luxurious lifestyle through a series of scams. When his funds run low and his past catches up with him, he plots his most elaborate scheme yet and, in the process, becomes the FBI’s most unlikely – and elusive – top ten fugitive. 

“Jason Derek Brown has fascinated me since childhood when I was obsessed with the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list,” says Gentile. “Though American Murderer has been designed carefully to fit into the crime and thriller genres – at the core, this is a story about family and an examination of the dark side of the American dream. With Saban Films, we have a great partner in which to bring this true crime thriller to North American audiences.”

The film recently had its world premiere in competition at the prestigious Taormina Film Fest in Sicily,Italy. 

American Murderer is produced by The Traveling Picture Show Company’s Carissa Buffel and Kevin Matusow, and GiGi Film’s Gia Walsh and Kara Baker.  William G. Santor of Productivity Media serves as Executive Producer alongside Andrew Chang-Sang and John Hills. Executive Producers Josh Bezoni, Bruce Cummings, Vince Jolivette, Steven Chester Prince. Kerlin Blaise, Lanee Blaise, with Brian Katz and Thomas Zambeck from Umbrelic Entertainment.  The deal was negotiated by Steve Break for Saban Films and Mimi Steinbauer of Radiant Films International and Jay Cohen of Gersh on behalf of the filmmakers. Radiant is representing the international distribution rights.

Saban Films recently acquired: On The Line starring Mel Gibson; Jason Momoa’s The Last Manhunt; Ana Lily Amirpour’s Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon starring Kate Hudson and Jun Jong-Seo; Shane Dax Taylor’s action flick Best Man starring Dolph Lundgren and Luke Wilson; Brett Donowho’s western The Old Waystarring Nicolas Cage; and Adam Sigal’s reincarnation dark comedy Chariot with John Malkovich.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.

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