EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winner Nicolas Cage (Longlegs), Alexander Ludwig (Bad Boys franchise), Gabriel Basso (The Night Agent), and Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova (The Apprentice) are aboard to star in true crime movie The Brand, based on the investigative New Yorker article by bestselling author and acclaimed journalist David Grann, whose stories have served as source material for major movies including Killers of the Flower Moon, James Gray’s Lost City of Z and David Lowery’s The Old Man and the Gun.
The intriguing project has been in the works for more than a decade as both a film and a TV prospect but this is its strongest cast yet. It’ll see Cage return to a prison setting after memorable turns in movies such as Face/Off and The Rock.
The film will now be directed by Vincent Grashaw (Gangland) — whose films have covered gangs, crime and prison stories — from a screenplay by Alessandro Camon, whose work includes Oscar nominee The Messenger and The Listener starring Tessa Thompson.
The Brand explores the rise of organized crime within America’s prison system. Ludwig will star as Taylor Hartman, “a young lifer taken under the wing of Carter Briggs (Cage), the feared leader of San Quentin’s dominant white prison gang. When authorities attempt to dismantle the gang by transferring its members nationwide, they inadvertently spread its criminal empire beyond prison walls. As Taylor rises to power, he gains the means to build a future with Lilly (Bakalova), the woman he loves, but finds himself torn between that future and his loyalty to Carter. With violence escalating, Taylor must decide whether he has the courage to destroy the empire he helped build.”
Fortitude International has picked up international sales rights and will be selling at next week’s AFM. WME Independent is representing U.S. rights. The movie is currently slated to start pre-production early next year and has attracted a handful of new production partners.
Pic is an Identity Media production in association with Gramercy Park Media. It is being produced by Anthony Mastromauro (The Old Man & The Gun), Nathan Klingher (The Surfer) and Ford Corbett (Idiots) of Gramercy Park Media, Nicolas Cage (Longlegs) of Saturn Films, and Alessandro Camon (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps), with Ash Avildsen, Danielle Pelland, Joshua Harris, Mark Fasano and Jib Polhemus serving as executive producers.
Anthony Mastromauro said: “The Brand is an epic gangster story, chronicling the rise of prison gangs in the age of mass incarceration, and one man’s personal journey to hell and back. It’s an honor to bring another of David Grann’s compelling investigative stories to life, starting with a fantastic script by Alessandro Camon, supported by the vision and passion of our director Vincent Grashaw. I couldn’t be more excited about this fantastic cast starting with the strength and vulnerability of Alexander Ludwig, the brilliance of Maria Bakalova, along with the presence of Gabriel Basso and one of the greatest actors of my generation, Nicolas Cage. We believe we have all the ingredients to make a timeless piece of classic cinema.”
Nathan Klingher added: “It’s incredibly exciting to work with Nicolas Cage again after the success of The Surfer. Alessandro Camon’s script for The Brand is a powerful and uncompromising adaptation of David Grann’s reporting, and with Vincent Grashaw directing and Alexander Ludwig, Maria Bakalova, and Gabriel Basso joining Nick, we feel we have something really special. The Brand is exactly the kind of bold, filmmaker-driven work Gramercy Park Media strives to help create and we’re thrilled to be launching it at AFM.”
Vincent Grashaw commented: “What excites me about The Brand is the opportunity to approach another prison story from a fresh perspective—grounded in the characters and the reality of this world, but with a propulsive energy that makes the rise of this organization feel as compelling as it is unsettling. David Grann’s article and Alessandro Camon’s screenplay have given us an incredible foundation, and I’m grateful to be working alongside this entire team. With Nicolas Cage, Alexander Ludwig, Maria Bakalova, and Gabriel Basso bringing these characters to life, we’re already off to a terrific start as we continue to build out a phenomenal cast.”
Cage is represented by WME, Stride Management, and attorney Patrick Knapp. Ludwig is represented by Gersh, Untitled, and Sloane, Offer,. Basso is represented by WME, Range Media Partners, Untitled, and Yorn, Levine. Bakalova is represented by CAA, Untitled, Insight Management & Production and Yorn, Levine. Grashaw is represented by Gersh and Hirsch Wallerstein. Camon is represented by Gersh. Grann is represented by CAA and The Robbins Office.
