Lionsgate developing Warm Bodies series under new Jonathan Levine deal
Lionsgate has signed a first-look film and television deal with acclaimed director Jonathan Levine (Long Shot). One of the projects already in development by Lionsgate Television is a Warm Bodies series adaptation with Levine’s new production company, Megamix.
Levine directed the 2013 rom-com horror feature that was adapted from the novel by Isaac Marion and grossed over $115 million at the worldwide box office. Along with the new TV series, Lionsgate will work with the team at Megamix to develop a diverse range of film and television projects as part of their long-term deal with the studio.
Levine has a long history with Lionsgate as well as its current Motion Picture Group executive team run by Kahane and Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chairman Joe Drake. Kahane and Drake nurtured and championed the filmmaker’s 2011 comedy-drama, 50/50, the critically acclaimed and award-winning, Golden Globe-nominated Best Picture, starring Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon Levitt. Over the last eight years, Levine has collaborated again with Kahane and Drake on two more films starring Rogen: The Night Before and the upcoming comedy Long Shot. All three films were produced by Point Grey, which also recently announced a long-term deal with the studio.
“For over a decade, Lionsgate has been in business with Jonathan supporting his earliest work as a gifted writer and director and storyteller and releasing his films,” said Nathan Kahane, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “He is enormously talented and his movies are unique and refreshing and never derivative. Lionsgate has always been somewhat of an unofficial home for him and Megamix also represents a homecoming for Gillian Bohrer, a highly accomplished and respected production and creative executive. So for us, this deal is an irresistible one-two punch.”
“Lionsgate is the perfect home for Megamix, a studio to both my most successful and favorite moviemaking experiences,” added Levine. “Joe and Nathan have been great collaborators and friends who have supported me over the years and are as committed as Gillian and I are to nurture unique, creative and commercial visions and we couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Prior to the launch of Megamix, Bohrer spent 13 years as a studio executive at Summit Entertainment, Lionsgate, and Fox 2000 pictures. During her time at Summit and Lionsgate, she oversaw an eclectic slate of films including the Divergent franchise and the Twilight saga.
“Jonathan and I have a shared passion for movies that defy conventional wisdom about what defines a ‘commercial movie.’ I loved the diverse slate of projects I was able to shepherd at Lionsgate, and we’re delighted to bring Megamix to a company that believes in taking risks,” said Bohrer.
Additionally, Bohrer oversaw the production of 6-time Oscar winner La La Land, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, directed by Oscar-winner Damien Chazelle; Wonder, based on the best-selling novel by R.J. Palacio, directed by Stephen Chbosky and many others. Bohrer previously served as an Executive Vice President at Fox 2000 Pictures.
