Matt Ogens directs movie starring Jacob Lofland, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Patrick Schwarzenegger
Multiplatform production company Tool of North America has jumped into the feature film space with North, a post-apocalyptic adventure starring Jacob Lofland (Mud, Maze Runner 2), Sophie Kennedy Clark (Philomena, Nymphomaniac) and Patrick Schwarzenegger (Scouts vs. Zombies, Stuck In Love). Directed by Emmy-nominated (ESPN’s Timeless and The Life) Matt Ogens (producer/director of the documentary Confessions of a Superhero)–who is currently represented by Humble for spots and branded content–North is currently shooting in Detroit. Chris Walla, founding member and former guitarist of Death Cab For Cutie, will score the film, his first. Kyle Lierman and Ogens teamed on the script. Tool’s Erich Joiner is executive producing. Humble is also exec producing the film as well as delivering visual effects.
North is a homegrown project for Tool, which participated in the development of the film, the securing of financing and is serving as one of the producers. North marks the debut feature film for Tool which has a body of work spanning award-winning live action, digital, integrated, experiential and VR creative for clients including Vice, Airbnb, Spotify, Microsoft, Land Rover, PlayStation, “The Hunger Games: Capitol Voices” for Lionsgate, and H&M’s spot featuring David Beckham, among many others. Tool is prominent in the VR space, having launched an Oculus experience for South Park, Converse, Intel and more. Recently, Tool partnered with Netflix to concept, execute and launch the Sense8 Brainwave Symphony, where they created an original piece of music based on people’s brainwaves. Tool’s work has received close to 400 prestigious awards including Cannes Lions, the Emmys, The One Show, SXSW, and AICP Show and Next Award honors.
Set in the near future after cataclysmic events, North is a coming-of-age story set against a post-apocalyptic backdrop and tells the story of two teenagers (Lofland, Kennedy Clark) who strike out on a dangerous journey into an unknown new world to find family and ultimately a hope for the future.
“We’re thrilled to be launching our first feature film with North, a story centered on teenagers who tackle mammoth challenges head-on. That zest-for-life spirit is at the core of everything we do at Tool, so this is the perfect story for us to tell as we move into the feature film space,” said Oliver Fuselier, Tool’s managing director/live action. “We’ve always strived to help our talent realize their creative vision, regardless of medium, and feature films is a natural addition to our ‘toolbox,’ which already contains content, digital, VR and more.”
Composer Walla said of North, “Matt’s story and vision are beautifully complex–so many shades of sorrow and joy, fear and hope, and everything in-between. It’s an honor to be tasked with the score. I can’t wait to see it, myself.”
Filmmaker Ogens has a long track record of collaboration with Tool which has built a roster of notable directorial talent, including Golden Globe-nominee Marc Forster (Quantum of Solace, Finding Neverland), Academy Award-winner Scott Hicks (Shine, The Boys Are Back), and motion artist GMUNK (Tron), as well as assorted leading interactive directors.
Lofland is represented by ICM and Management 360; Kennedy Clark is represented by Gersh; and Schwarzenegger is represented by Management 360.
After 20 Years of Acting, Megan Park Finds Her Groove In The Director’s Chair On “My Old Ass”
Megan Park feels a little bad that her movie is making so many people cry. It's not just a single tear either — more like full body sobs.
She didn't set out to make a tearjerker with "My Old Ass," now streaming on Prime Video. She just wanted to tell a story about a young woman in conversation with her older self. The film is quite funny (the dialogue between 18-year-old and almost 40-year-old Elliott happens because of a mushroom trip that includes a Justin Bieber cover), but it packs an emotional punch, too.
Writing, Park said, is often her way of working through things. When she put pen to paper on "My Old Ass," she was a new mom and staying in her childhood bedroom during the pandemic. One night, she and her whole nuclear family slept under the same roof. She didn't know it then, but it would be the last time, and she started wondering what it would be like to have known that.
In the film, older Elliott ( Aubrey Plaza ) advises younger Elliott ( Maisy Stella ) to not be so eager to leave her provincial town, her younger brothers and her parents and to slow down and appreciate things as they are. She also tells her to stay away from a guy named Chad who she meets the next day and discovers that, unfortunately, he's quite cute.
At 38, Park is just getting started as a filmmaker. Her first, "The Fallout," in which Jenna Ortega plays a teen in the aftermath of a school shooting, had one of those pandemic releases that didn't even feel real. But it did get the attention of Margot Robbie 's production company LuckyChap Entertainment, who reached out to Park to see what other ideas she had brewing.
"They were very instrumental in encouraging me to go with it," Park said. "They're just really even-keeled, good people, which makes... Read More