BULLET TO THE HEAD Production Notes - Visual Hollywood

BULLET TO THE HEAD (2013) PRODUCTION NOTES

© 2013 Warner Bros. Pictures 1

BULLET TO THE HEAD

Production Notes

Release Date: February 1, 2013 Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Director: Walter Hill Screenwriter: Alessandro Camon Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Sarah Shahi, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Christian Slater, Jon Seda, Weronika Rosati, Jason Momoa Genre: Action, Thriller MPAA Rating: R (for strong violence, bloody images, language, some nudity and brief drug use) Official Website: BullettotheHeadmovie.com | Facebook STUDIO SYNOPSIS: Based on a graphic novel, Bullet to the Head tells the story of a New Orleans hitman and a DC cop who form an alliance to bring down the killers of their respective partners.

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Synopsis

Sylvester Stallone stars as Jimmy Bobo, a career hitman who enters into an unlikely alliance with

by-the-book detective Taylor Kwon to bring down the ruthless killer of their respective partners.

From director Walter Hill comes the action thriller "Bullet to the Head."

"Bullet to the Head" also stars Sung Kang ("Fast Five"), Sarah Shahi (Showtime's "The L Word"),

Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje ("G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra"), Christian Slater ("Broken Arrow"),

Jon Seda (HBO's "The Pacific"), Weronika Rosati (HBO's "Luck"), and Jason Momoa (HBO's

"Game of Thrones").

Hill directed the film from a screenplay by Oscar® nominee Alessandro Camon ("The Messenger"),

based on the graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tête, written by Matz and illustrated by Colin Wil-

son, and published by Casterman. The film is produced by Alexandra Milchan ("Righteous Kill"),

Alfred Gough (TV's "Smallville"), Miles Millar (TV's "Smallville"), and Kevin King-Templeton

("The Expendables" films). Stuart Ford, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Deepak Nayar, Steve Squillante,

Joel Silver, Courtney Solomon, Allan Zeman, Steve Richards and Stuart Besser served as executive

producers.

The behind-the-scenes creative team included director of photography Lloyd Ahern ("Last Man

Standing," TV's "Broken Trail"), production designer Toby Corbett ("Crossing Over"), editor Tim

Alverson ("Unknown"), and costume designer Ha Nguyen ("Super 8," "Shooter"). The music is

composed by Steve Mazzaro.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Dark Castle Entertainment and IM Global, a

Millar Gough Ink/Emjag Production, an After Dark Films Production, a Walter Hill Film, "Bullet to

the Head." It will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertain-

ment Company.

This film is rated R for strong violence,

bloody images, language, some nudity and brief drug use.

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About the Production

FRENCH CONNECTION Two icons of the action movie genre teamed for the first time on the film "Bullet to the Head."

Award-winning filmmaker Walter Hill directed global superstar Sylvester Stallone in the new ac-

tion thriller.

Stallone, who first approached the director with the project, notes, "I thought it would be great to

work with Walter Hill on this type of buddy movie, which is a genre he knows well. Although, in

this case, the main characters are not really buddies at all, but rather adversaries who have to work

together against a mutual enemy because their lives depend on it. But out of that, an interesting rela-

tionship evolves."

Hill offers, "Sly and I have known each other a long time and have talked about working together in

the past, but we could never quite make it happen. I admire him very much and always wanted to do

a movie with him, so this proved to be the perfect opportunity."

The story is based on the popular graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tête, which, although originally

written in French, was very much inspired by the American cinema. Acclaimed French author Alex-

is Nolent, whose nom de plume is Matz, confirms, "I've always been a big fan of buddy movies,

which is a genuine American specialty. I was playing with some ideas and thought it would push

things up a notch to team a killer with a cop—to have a bond that has to cross the line of the law

and ethics and principles. The cop is, of course, a little more square than the hit man, who is more

able to think outside the box. But the concept was that these two characters who seem to have noth-

ing in common actually have much more in common than they ever imagined."

Producer Alexandra Milchan initially developed the project with producers Alfred Gough and Miles

Millar. A self-described fan of Matz's work, Milchan remarks, "I thought it was a fun and gripping

story, and Colin Wilson's illustrations were really powerful. It felt like an homage to Hollywood

movies and the possibilities for bringing it to the screen were instantly apparent."

Milchan showed the graphic novel to screenwriter Alessandro Camon, who loved it. He recalls, "I

thought it was a great genre piece, highly cinematic, with a wild and attractive premise—a kind of

anti-buddy movie, where the two character embarking on a mission don't only have a clash of per-

sonalities but may actually want to shoot each other. That seemed like good fodder for both tension

and comedy, and ultimately a good way to let the characters make huge choices: between loyalty

and duty, and between what they feel and what they believe."

Sung Kang, who stars opposite Stallone as the man on the right side of the law in this pairing, ob-

serves, "They're like oil and water: no matter how hard you try to shake them together, they are

constantly splitting apart."

Hill says, "We want the story and characters to be taken seriously, but in a movie like this, I think

it's good to add a touch of humor. Finding that balance can sometimes be tricky, but I think it's an

important part of the entertainment value. I think that's also one of the things Sly responded to."

Interestingly, the cover of the graphic novel unwittingly provided inspiration for the filmmakers'

choice for the central role of James Bonomo, aka Jimmy Bobo. "The image of Jimmy Bobo looks

remarkably like Sly," Milchan notes. "We realized it was right there in front of us. I've always had

tremendous respect for Sly, and when we met with him, he offered great insight. Right away, he



was totally involved in guiding the project, so having Sly and his producing partner, Kevin King-

Templeton, on board felt like the perfect match."

Producer Kevin King-Templeton remembers, "I read the script for 'Bullet to the Head' and immedi-

ately thought it was the kind of project Sly was looking for. We were just coming off of 'The Ex-

pendables,' which was a huge ensemble piece. This felt a little more contained, with elements of

action, drama and humor. I got the feeling it was something he would really sink his teeth into."

The film gave Stallone and Kang, along with fellow cast member Jason Momoa, a chance to sink

their teeth into some challenging stunt sequences. The fight scenes culminated with a thrilling mano

a mano axe fight between the two hardened killers, played by Stallone and Momoa.

"Bullet to the Head" also reunites both Stallone and Hill with another premier action veteran: Joel

Silver, Chairman of Dark Castle Entertainment and an executive producer on the film. Silver previ-

ously produced the Stallone films "Demolition Man" and "Assassins" and collaborated with Hill on

several projects, including "48 Hrs." Says Silver, "It was exciting to be back in business with both

Walter and Sly. Walter is a director who knows what he wants and comes to the set with all the an-

swers, which is a joy for any producer, and it goes without saying that Sly is an iconic star the

world over. We had a great time working together on this film."

"I've been working in this business a long time and I can tell you that Joel Silver is a true original,"

Stallone states. "He's an incredibly creative and hands-on producer. Between him and Walter, I was

in good hands."

KILLER CAST The story opens as Jimmy and his partner, Louis, are on what appears to be a routine hit. Their tar-

get is Hank Greely, an ex-cop who was kicked off the force in Washington D.C. in disgrace. They

don't know why someone wants him dead, and they don't ask questions.

Despite Jimmy Bobo's profession, Stallone remarks, "He's at peace with himself. He plays by his

own set of rules that are blunt but simple to follow. Jimmy believes he takes out the trash, removing

those hard-to-get-out stains in society. He doesn't go after people who, in his mind, don't deserve

it."

Hill says, "Sly is a terrific film actor. He has great eyes, he has that instantly recognizable voice,

and he's a physical marvel. But, to me, the main thing is, he's got a great heart, and the audience

feels that when they experience the story through him. It's a rare gift."

Once the job is done, Jimmy and Louis head to a local bar to get paid, but instead of cash they are

met with a double-cross that leaves Louis lying in a pool of his own blood.

Arriving in New Orleans to investigate Greely's killing, Washington D.C. detective Taylor Kwon

learns of the close proximity of Louis's murder and immediately makes a correlation. However,

with no jurisdiction in New Orleans, he can't go through the usual channels to investigate. Instead,

he seeks out the dead hit man's only known associate: Jimmy Bobo.

Sung Kang, who stars as Taylor Kwon, offers, "My character figures out that there's a connection

between the deaths of our former partners. Taylor lives by this real rigid code of honor and a moral

integrity that's been ingrained in him. He wants the entity behind the hits, so he's willing to team up



with Jimmy to chase down the bad guys, even though he knows Jimmy is a criminal himself."

Taylor is willing to compromise on his values for the sake of the greater good, but there's still a lim-

it to how far he'll bend.

Stallone adds, "Jimmy is confronted with something he's never been confronted with before—a be-

trayal from within and a complete reliance upon a detective who hates his guts. Not exactly a strong

support system."

Kang asserts, "Generationally, they're completely different; morally, they're completely different;

and ethnically, they're completely different. Jimmy Bobo comes from a time where there was no

political correctness, so he's the type of guy that just says what's on his mind."

King-Templeton offers, "There's just a great juxtaposition between the two characters. Jimmy is

bombastic and like a bull in a china shop; he's tough as nails but, at the same time, wears his heart

on his sleeve. Taylor Kwon is more reserved, although once he teams up with Jimmy he does begin

to adopt more of the hit man mentality. He's always been a by-the-book cop, but Jimmy's under-

world approach begins to rub off on him."

Adding to the discord between Jimmy Bobo and his new "partner" is the fact that the hit man is a bit

of an anachronism. "He doesn't even know how to use a smart phone," says Stallone, "and that

makes him a great foil for Taylor."

Coming into the project, Kang says that he was excited about the opportunity to work with both

Stallone and Hill. "I pretty much grew up watching Sylvester Stallone movies. One of the first mov-

ies my father took me to was 'Rocky.' So getting to work with him was a pretty amazing experience,

definitely one of those things on my bucket list," he smiles. "And from the get-go, Walter Hill was

so open to ideas; he was such an ally for me as an actor in that respect."

"All of the actors had such respect for Walter," King-Templeton says. "He was always well pre-

pared and knew what he wanted, and he trusted his cast to give him what he was looking for."

Initially, Jimmy is understandably reticent to join forces with a cop, given his own line of work.

Fortunately, however, he comes around just in time to save Taylor from an ambush by someone

who obviously doesn't like the fact that the detective is sniffing around where he doesn't belong.

Though Taylor is wounded in the attack, Jimmy can't take him to a hospital, where doctors would

have to report the shooting. Instead, he takes Taylor to the one person he knows they can trust. Sara

Shahi was cast as Jimmy's tough and independent-minded daughter, Lisa, a tattoo artist, whose rela-

tionship with her father is very complex.

Shahi elaborates, "Lisa doesn't have a mother, so Jimmy is the only family she has in the world.

Still, there's been a lot of hurt and a lot of betrayal because Jimmy has been in and out of her life,

probably out of a need to shield her. He's provided for Lisa financially, but other than that he really

hasn't been there for her. But there's definitely love there, so Sly and I worked to find a balance be-

tween the fact that they genuinely care for each other and letting that sort of bruised heart come

across."

Shahi had no such reservations about Stallone, stating, "I love him; I pinched myself every day

coming to work. He's just amazing."



The actress continues that working with Hill was "a dream," but admits, "I really had to fight for

this part. I think he imagined someone much grungier looking than me, so I had to really show him

I could play Lisa's gritty side. She is pretty rough and raw but with a fragile heart. That's what I love

about her."

As Jimmy and Taylor unravel the conspiracy behind the deaths of both Louis and Greely, they

come up against some dangerous adversaries. But none are more ruthless than the relentless gun-

for-hire named Keegan, played by Jason Momoa. Describing his character as "a shark," Momoa of-

fers, "He's former Special Forces who is now a mercenary. But he doesn't do what he does for the

money; he definitely enjoys his job...maybe a little more than he should."

Momoa says that the chance to work with Stallone was one of the main reasons he wanted to do this

film. "I respect him so much as an actor, and just to know him is a true honor. He is really down to

earth and a fantastic human being."

His character, however, did not share his regard for Jimmy Bobo. Momoa attests, "Jimmy is the on-

ly one who has ever gotten the upper hand on Keegan, and that's ticking him off. Keegan was hired

to kill him, but now it's personal. He really wants to kill him just as much as Jimmy wants revenge,

so they have a true vendetta against each other."

Christian Slater portrays another link in the chain, a lawyer named Baptiste. Slater relates, "Baptiste

is certainly in over his head. He's a guy who, probably through circumstances and through greed,

has wound up in the company of men who are not necessarily on the up and up. I don't think he

started out with that kind of intention, but he got sucked into this world, and as a result, bad things

happen."

At the top of the ladder is Robert Nkomo Morel, a local real estate mogul who is as ruthless as he is

wealthy. Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who plays the role, comments, "He is a highly intelligent and

sophisticated businessman, behind whom lurks a manipulative and dark criminal. He is a wealthy

immigrant who secured his fortunes from notoriously corrupt deals in Africa, the consequences of

which left him a permanent cripple. Nevertheless, he is a formidable figure, with both government

and police officials in his wallet. He will stop at nothing to achieve his ends. When Jimmy and Tay-

lor interfere with his plans, it unleashes his wrath and he exerts all his power to take them down."

Jon Seda and Holt McCallany appear, respectively, as Louis Blanchard and Hank Greely, the two

men whose deaths are the catalyst for the story. Rounding out the cast are Brian Van Holt as Ronnie

Earl, who double-crosses Jimmy and Louis; Weronika Rosati as Lola, a hooker in the wrong place

at the wrong time; Dane Rhodes as police Lt. Lebreton; and Marcus Lyle Brown as Detective

Towne.

ON LOCATION IN THE BIG EASY "Bullet to the Head" was filmed entirely in and around New Orleans, Louisiana, marking Walter

Hill's third film to be shot there. The director states, "New Orleans is a wonderful city and a fun

place to make a movie. It's special in so many different ways—the atmosphere, the weather, the ar-

chitecture and the history. It's not a typical city, but it is somehow uniquely American."

Being so familiar with the area was helpful to Hill, whose filmmaking style is to move quickly. "If

you can do your set-up and shoot reasonably fast, I think it makes the movie more spontaneous," he



acknowledges. "I also had a wonderful team, including a terrific cinematographer, editor, and de-

signers. They really knew what they were doing, which was great because I tend to speak in a kind

of shorthand."

Working with Hill were his longtime director of photography Lloyd Ahern, as well as production

designer Toby Corbett, editor Tim Alverson, and costume designer Ha Nguyen.

Like Hill, Corbett had worked in New Orleans before and notes that the city "offers a lot of interest-

ing textures, and colors, and architecture—detailing that really lent itself to aspects of this film. We

wanted to have a hot, steamy, debauched feel to the world of these characters."

King-Templeton observes, "New Orleans has a sexy, sultry feel to it that really complemented this

film. It was the perfect backdrop for the story."

Each of the parishes is unique, providing a widely varied palette for the film. Milchan affirms, "It's

a place where anything is possible. You can go from the swamps to Central City to the colorful

French Quarter. Parts of New Orleans make you feel like you've stepped into a different century;

you can sense the rich history."

Corbett says, "We wanted the flavor of the French Quarter, but the problem is finding areas that

don't have an influx of tourists. We stayed on the periphery, where we could still capture the spirit

of the Quarter."

One of the most notable locations in New Orleans was Scout Island, surrounded by the swamp in

City Park, where Jimmy Bobo's "safe house" was constructed. The house was remote and away

from prying eyes, and also offered a clever escape hatch: trap doors in the floor that opened to the

water beneath—perfect for diving out of trouble...or disposing of a body. At a pivotal point in the

story, the house was blown to smithereens. The only caveat about the special effects used for the

explosion was that the production had to be very mindful of trees and foliage in the vicinity of the

house. The park, situated right in the middle of the city, had been severely damaged by Hurricane

Katrina. Production had to pull back on the planned explosion because they were not permitted to

compromise any of the recovery. Visual effects were later employed to enhance the explosion in

post production.

Other locations in and around New Orleans included: the Garden District, known for its stately

homes surrounded by expansive lawns; the bohemian Marigny district; the Warehouse district, vis-

ited for its galleries, museums and lofts; Central City, home to a number of the city's mixed-income

housing projects; Riverfront, where you can find access to the ferries that cross the Mississippi; and

Jefferson Parish.

The action in "Bullet to the Head" climaxes in an enormous, abandoned power plant, which brought

director Walter Hill full circle. Corbett reveals, "It's the old Market Street Plant, which is where

Walter Hill directed his first movie, 'Hard Times,' back in 1975. It's a stunning, turn-of-the-century

building, with cathedral like windows, and huge machinery. The internal metal structure helped

frame some of the images, making it even more appropriate to the graphic novel source material."

CALL TO ACTION

The Entergy Plant location was where Hill and members of the cast and stunt team staged Jimmy's



ultimate showdown with Keegan. Stunt coordinator and 2nd unit director JJ Perry and co-stunt co-

ordinator Noon Orsatti worked with the actors on the fight sequences, from hand-to-hand combat,

to gunplay, to a fight to the death with antique, but still lethal, fire axes.

Because Jimmy and Keegan were trained killers and Taylor was a cop, they each had to seem like

expert shooters. Perry and Orsatti trained the actors in a technique called "gun jitsu." Orsatti ex-

plains, "It's gunplay mixed with a little jujitsu, so that it's more natural and fluid and visceral."

However, Perry details, "We wanted to give each character his own style. Jimmy is an old school

hit man, while Keegan—being a mercenary with prior military service—is more tactical. Sly was

very receptive to our ideas. He's a master of his craft and a great action star."

Orsatti adds that both Jason Momoa and Sung Kang were "awesome to work with. Sung really

knew his beats, and Jason was at our facility all the time. He just became one of the guys. He has

tremendous skills and is willing to do whatever it takes to do the job right and safely. No matter

what you throw at him, he rises to the challenge."

"We had a great time helping Walter facilitate his vision of the action," Perry says. "I jumped at the

opportunity to work with him because Walter Hill is one of my heroes. It was he—and directors

like him in the '80s—who pushed the action wave that stuntmen like me are still riding. We're all

indebted to him."

Walter Hill states, "I'm very happy to be called an action director. There are certain rules to the gen-

re, and the audience understands those rules, so we sometimes wrestle with that familiarity. But,

hopefully, we find fresh ways to entertain them and make it different and fun. And keep it fun for

us, too."



About the Cast

SYLVESTER STALLONE (James Bonomo aka Jimmy Bobo) has been known worldwide as a

true screen legend since creating the title role in the seminal 1976 Oscar®-winning Best Picture

"Rocky," for which he also wrote the screenplay. Over the course of his long career, he has been

recognized for his work as an actor, writer and director.

A cultural phenomenon, "Rocky" grew into a six-film franchise, successfully spanning four dec-

ades. He wrote, directed and starred in "Rocky II, III and IV," and wrote and starred in "Rocky V."

Stallone brought the character's story to a close in 2006 with the critical and box office hit "Rocky

Balboa," which he also wrote and directed. That year, to commemorate one of the most iconic

scenes in motion picture history, a bronze statue of Rocky Balboa was placed at the foot of the now-

famous steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum—called the "Rocky steps"—at a dedication ceremony

presided over by the mayor.

Beginning with the 1982 blockbuster "First Blood," Stallone has also embodied another indelible

character: John Rambo. Following that film, for which he also wrote the screenplay, he wrote and

starred in "Rambo: First Blood Part II" and "Rambo III." In 2008, he directed, wrote and starred in

"Rambo," which continued the saga of the scarred Vietnam vet more than 25 years after his screen

introduction.

Stallone more recently wrote and directed perhaps his most ambitious project to date, the action

thriller "The Expendables," in which he also led an all-star cast, including Arnold Schwarzenegger,

Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li and Dolph Lundgren. The film opened at num-

ber one in August 2010, making Stallone the only actor to open a film at number one in five con-

secutive decades. In 2012, he co-wrote and starred in "The Expendables 2," which reunited the cast,

this time under the direction of Simon West.

Upcoming, Stallone stars with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the action thriller "The Tomb," and then

stars opposite Robert De Niro in "Grudge Match," to be directed by Peter Segal. In addition, he

wrote and is producing "Homefront," directed by Gary Fleder and starring Jason Statham and James

Franco.

This past fall, he saw his most famous character recreated on the stage, when the musical "Rocky"

bowed to critical and audience applause in Hamburg, Germany. A production of Stage Entertain-

ment, it is based on the character and story created by Stallone.

Born in New York City, Stallone attended school in suburban Philadelphia, where he first started

acting and also became a star football player. He then spent two years instructing at the American

College of Switzerland in Geneva. Returning to the United States, he enrolled as a drama major at

the University of Miami and also began to write. Stallone left college to pursue an acting career in

New York City, but the jobs did not come easily. During this period, he turned more and more to

writing, churning out screenplays while waiting for his acting break. The opportunity came in 1974

when he was cast as one of the leads in "The Lords of Flatbush." He also received his first writing

credit for "additional dialogue" on that film.

With the money earned from the film, Stallone moved to Hollywood, where he landed a few small

roles in television and movies. He also continued to pursue writing. Fighter Rocky Balboa was born

in a script Stallone wrote in longhand. Several producers offered to buy the screenplay, but wanted

to cast a name star in the title role. Despite being nearly broke, he held fast in his determination to



play the part, and his perseverance was finally rewarded. The film not only won the Oscar® for

Best Picture, it also brought Stallone Oscar®, BAFTA Award, and Golden Globe nominations for

both Best Actor and Best Screenplay, as well as a Writers Guild of America Award nomination.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Apart from the "Rocky," "Rambo" and "Expendables" movies, Stallone went on to write, direct and

star in "Paradise Alley"; and write and star in such films as "F.I.S.T."; "Cobra"; "Over the Top";

"Cliffhanger"; and "Driven," which he also produced.

Stallone earned praise from critics and audiences for his performance in the 1997 drama "Cop

Land." His long list of acting film credits also includes "Avenging Angelo," "Get Carter," "Day-

light," "Assassins," "The Specialist," "Demolition Man," "Tango & Cash," "Victory" and "Night-

hawks."

For television, he was associated with "The Contender," a powerful unscripted series that aired on

the NBC Television Network and then ESPN.

Stallone has been honored globally for his contributions to film, especially to the action genre. In

2002, Stallone was named the Action Star of the Millennium by the Video Dealers Software Asso-

ciation. In 2004, he won Germany's Golden Camera Award for Best International Actor; in 2008,

the Zurich Film Festival presented him with their Inaugural Golden Icon Award, recognizing his

achievements as a great American Actor and Filmmaker; and in 2009, the Venice Film Festival

honored Stallone with their Glory to the Filmmaker Award.

In 2010, in anticipation of the opening of "The Expendables," Stallone won the GUYcon Award at

Spike TV's Guy's Choice Awards, presented by then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also

won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Los Angeles Film Festival, and the Visionary Award

at the Hollywood Reporter's Key Art Awards. In addition, at the 2010 Comic-Con, he became the

first inductee into the IGN Action Hero Hall of Fame. In 2012, he received the Career Achievement

Award at CinemaCon in Las Vegas, and he was also presented with the honor of the Lupa Capito-

line (The Capitoline Wolf) by the Mayor of Rome.

Stallone is one of the founding partners in Planet Hollywood, the internationally famous chain of

entertainment complexes that includes the Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort and Casino.

SUNG KANG (Taylor Kwon) recently co-starred with Vin Diesel in the blockbuster hit "Fast

Five," directed by Justin Lin. He and Lin first worked together on the critically acclaimed drama

"Better Luck Tomorrow," which premiered at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, garnering a Grand

Jury Prize nomination. Kang subsequently worked with the director on "The Fast and the Furious:

Tokyo Drift," "Fast & Furious," and "Finishing the Game: The Search for a New Bruce Lee." They

are reunited on the upcoming "The Fast and the Furious 6," slated for release in May 2013.

In addition, Kang was featured in "Ninja Assassin," directed by James McTeigue; Philip G. Atwell's

"War"; and Len Wiseman's action hit "Live Free or Die Hard." Kang also starred in the Michael

Kang-directed independent films "4 Wedding Planners" and "The Motel," the latter of which was an

Official Selection at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. Additionally, he starred in and produced

Chris Chan Lee's "Undoing," an Official Selection at the 2006 Los Angeles Film Festival.

Kang's other film credits include roles in Denzel Washington's "Antwone Fisher," Michael Bay's



"Pearl Harbor," and the short "9:30."

His television credits include guest starring roles on such series as "Monk," "Cold Case," "Threat

Matrix," "Without a Trace," "The Shield," "NYPD Blue," "Girlfriends," "Spin City," "Felicity" and

"Marshal Law," among others.

Originally from Gainesville, Georgia, Kang began acting at the Los Angeles-based experimental

theater group F.A.T.E. (Friends Artist Theater Ensemble).

SARAH SHAHI (Lisa Bonomo) as joined the cast of NBC's hit drama series "Chicago Fire," play-

ing the new love interest of Lt. Kelly Severide, played by Taylor Kinney. She recently starred in the

USA Networks' drama "Fairly Legal." Shahi played the central role of Kate Reed, a divorced San

Francisco lawyer who becomes a mediator following the death of her father, who headed the law

firm.

Her film credits include "I Don't Know How She Does It"; the independent film "The Trouble with

Bliss," in which she starred with Lucy Liu and Michael C. Hall; and Wayne Kramer's "Crossing

Over," starring Harrison Ford. Shahi also stars in the thriller "Static," opposite Milo Ventimiglia.

On television, Shahi previously starred on two acclaimed series. In 2005, she joined the cast of

Showtime's groundbreaking show "The L Word," playing Carmen, a bilingual production assistant

who spends her evenings as a DJ. The show earned praise for its portrayal of women dealing with

lives, careers, and romantic relationships, both gay and straight. She later starred with Damian Lew-

is on the NBC police drama series "Life."

Hailing from Dallas, Texas, Shahi was a member of the famed Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, and

appeared with the squad in "Dr. T and the Women," directed by Robert Altman. It was the legend-

ary director who encouraged her to move to Los Angeles and pursue acting. In 2000, she was cho-

sen to grace the cover of the popular Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader Calendar and embarked on a

USO tour that took her to entertain the troops in Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo and Italy. That same

year, she relocated to Los Angeles.

Among her early credits are Todd Phillips' hit comedy film "Old School," a recurring role on the hit

series "Alias," and guest roles on such shows as "Frasier," "Dawson's Creek" and "ER."

ADEWALE AKINNUOYE-AGBAJE (Morel) just wrapped filming on "Thor: The Dark World,"

in which he stars with Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman. He also stars with Anthony Mackie

and Jennifer Hudson in George Tillman Jr.'s film "The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete," which

premieres at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. Additionally, he can be seen in the highly anticipated

Cinemax original action series "Hunted."

Akinnuoye-Agbaje was born in London, England, to Nigerian parents. After earning a Master's De-

gree in Law from London's prestigious King's College, he discovered his true calling when director

Frank Marshall cast him in "Congo." This soon led to roles in film and television, most notably the

features "Ace Venture: When Nature Calls" and "Legionnaire"; "HBO's Deadly Voyage"; the tele-

vision series "Cracker" and "New York Undercover"; and the ABC miniseries "20,000 Leagues

Under the Sea."



He first gained widespread recognition for his work on television, beginning with his role as Simon

Adebisi, the murderous, drug-addicted prisoner on HBO's groundbreaking series "Oz." He earned

two consecutive NAACP Image Award nominations for his work on the show. He then played the

mysterious Mr. Eko on J.J. Abrams' hugely successful ABC drama "Lost," for which he shared in a

2006 Screen Actors Guild Award® for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Se-

ries.

His feature film credits include the remake of the horror thriller "The Thing"; the actioner "Killer

Elite," with Robert De Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Statham; George Tillman Jr.'s "Faster," with

Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton; the worldwide blockbuster "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Co-

bra," for director Stephen Sommers; Jim Sheridan's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'"; Doug Liman's "The

Bourne Identity"; Sommers' "The Mummy Returns"; and "The Mistress of the Spices."

Akinnuoye-Agbaje also recently embarked upon yet another chapter of his career. In 2012, he

showcased his first feature short, "Farming," at Robert Redford's prestigious Sundance Institute

Screenwriters & Directors Labs. He was awarded an Annenberg Film Fellowship Grant for the film,

about young Nigerian boy's search for love and belonging within a brutal skinhead subculture.

Akinnuoye-Agbaje speaks several languages including Italian, French, and Yoruba, the Nigerian

language of his parents.

CHRISTIAN SLATER (Marcus Baptiste) has had an impressive career that spans the worlds of

film, television and stage.

Slater has several films upcoming, including "The Power of Few," with Christopher Walken; the

sci-fi thriller "Stranded"; Brad Mirman's action comedy "Sleight of Hand"; and Lars von Trier's

drama "Nymphomaniac."

His recent film work includes Charlie Matthau's action comedy "Freaky Deaky," based on Elmore

Leonard's crime novel of the same name, in which Slater starred with Billy Burke; Gabriela

Tagliavini's comedy "Without Men," based on James Canon's Tales from the Town of Widows, star-

ring opposite Eva Longoria; and the crime thriller "Guns, Girls and Gambling," with Gary Oldman

and Dane Cook.

On television, Slater recently starred in the FOX network's "Breaking In," about a team of security

experts, also starring Megan Mullally, Brett Harrison and Odette Annable.

In 2006, Slater starred in Emilio Estevez's acclaimed drama "Bobby," which centers around the 22

people at Los Angeles' Ambassador Hotel on the day Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated.

As a member of the all-star ensemble cast, including Anthony Hopkins, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone

and William H. Macy, Slater earned Screen Actors Guild Award® and Critics' Choice Award nom-

inations.

The following year, he starred opposite Anthony Hopkins in "Slipsteam," which Hopkins also wrote

and directed and which was screened at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. He also starred in the

central role of "He Was a Quiet Man," written and directed by Frank A. Cappello and also starring

William H. Macy and Elisha Cuthbert.

Slater also returned to theater in London in 2006 and 2007. In 2007, he starred in the sold-out run of



"Swimming with Sharks," directed by Wilson Milan. Slater portrayed Buddy Ackerman, the mas-

termind of a top studio's high-grossing, ultra-violent horror slate, and one of Hollywood's most

powerful men. In Spring 2006, he reprised his critically acclaimed role as Randle P. McMurphy in

the Really Useful Group's production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." The play, which pre-

viewed at the Edinburgh Festival, originally opened in London's West End on September 6, 2004 to

rave reviews. The huge success of the play lead to two extensions, finally closing on January 22,

2005 after over 150 sold-out shows. Slater won a Whatsonstage Best Actor Award for his perfor-

mance. He also won the Favorite Actor Award two years in a row at the Big Star Awards.

In 2005, Slater starred on Broadway in Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie," playing the

role of Tom, opposite Jessica Lange. He received an award for Favorite Featured Actor in a Broad-

way Play at the Broadway.com Audience Awards. The play ran from March 22 to July 3, 2005.

Slater has also maintained a consistent presence on television. In 2002 and 2003, Slater had two

memorable guest star character arcs: on NBC's "The West Wing," as Lieutenant Commander Jack

Reese; and ABC's "Alias," as scientist Neil Caplan. He has also appeared in guest-starring roles in

"The Office," HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "My Name is Earl," "The Forgotten" and "My Own

Worst Enemy."

Following his film debut in 1985 in "The Legend of Billie Jean," Slater's extensive film credits

prove his versatility in various genres. As an action hero, Slater was seen in John Woo's

"Windtalkers," opposite Nicolas Cage, and "Broken Arrow," with John Travolta. Slater has por-

trayed characters who gained a cult following, including his unforgettable performances as Clarence

Worley in "True Romance," as Robert Boyd in "Very Bad Things," and as Jason Dean in Michael

Lehmann's cult classic "Heathers." His other film credits include "The Contender," "Bed of Roses,"

"Murder in the First," "Interview with the Vampire," "Untamed Heart," "Pump Up the Volume,"

Jean-Jacques Annaud's "The Name of the Rose," Francis Ford Coppola's "Tucker: The Man and His

Dream," "Gleaming the Cube" and "Churchill: The Hollywood Years."

Slater's producing credits include "Basil" and "Hard Rain," both of which he also starred in. He also

served as an executive producer on Peter Berg's "Very Bad Things." In 1996, Slater made his direc-

torial debut with "Museum of Love," a short film for Showtime.

As an alum of the prestigious Dalton School and the Professional Children's School in New York

City, Slater debuted on Broadway at the age of nine in "The Music Man," alongside Dick Van

Dyke, and went on to play the title lead in "Oliver." Slater garnered critical acclaim in 1998 for his

starring role in the Broadway production of "Side Man." "Macbeth," "David Copperfield" and

"Merlin" also number among his Broadway credits. Off-Broadway, Slater has been seen in such

productions as "Landscape of the Body," "Between Daylight," "Boonville," "Dry Land" and

"Somewhere's Better."

JON SEDA (Louis) portrayed legendary Medal of Honor-winning Marine John Basilone in the

award-winning HBO World War II miniseries "The Pacific." On the big screen, he was seen in Tom

Hanks' romantic comedy "Larry Crowne," starring Hanks and Julia Roberts.

A New Jersey native and former amateur boxer, Seda hung up his gloves in 1992 when he made his

screen debut as a fighter in Rowdy Herrington's "Gladiator." Over the next few years, Seda ap-

peared in such films as "Carlito's Way," "Twelve Monkeys" and "Primal Fear."



In 1996, Seda received critical acclaim for his performance in Michael Cimino's "The Sunchaser,"

which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and in which he starred with Woody Harrelson and

Anne Bancroft. He then starred opposite Jennifer Lopez in the hit biopic "Selena," playing the love

interest to the legendary tejano singer.

On television, he first gained fame for his starring role as Detective Paul Falsone on "Homicide:

Life on the Street." He has since had regular or recurring roles on the series "Third Watch," "UC:

Undercover," "Oz," "Kevin Hill," "Close to Home" and HBO's "Treme." He has also guest starred

on such shows as "Hawaii Five-0," "The Closer," "Burn Notice," "House M.D," "CSI: Miami,"

"Ghost Whisperer," "Las Vegas," "Law & Order" and "NYPD Blue," among others.

JASON MOMOA (Keegan) is well known for his portrayal of the warlord Khal Drogo in the criti-

cally acclaimed HBO series "Game of Thrones," based on the popular book series A Song of Ice and

Fire, by George R.R. Martin. The series chronicles an epic struggle for power set in a vast and vio-

lent fantasy kingdom. As a member of the hit show's cast, Momoa shared in a 2012 Screen Actors

Guild Award® nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

Momoa first established a wide fan base for the role of Ronan Dex on the SyFy series "Stargate:

Atlantis," on which he starred from 2005 to 2009. In 2011, Momoa starred in the title role of Conan

in the franchise reboot of "Conan the Barbarian," directed by Marcus Nispel.

His upcoming features include David Hayter's horror thriller "Wolves," and "Road to Paloma," an

independent drama that marks his directorial debut from a script he wrote. He also is starring in and

producing the film.

In 2011, Momoa was honored by the National Association of Theatre Owners with the Rising Star

Award at CinemaCon.



About the Filmmakers

WALTER HILL (Director), over the course of his remarkable career, has been a writer, director

and producer on projects ranging from classic westerns to action-packed thrillers and buddy come-

dies, all marked with his unique visceral style. A veteran director of 20 feature films, he has also

made a successful foray into television, working on a variety of projects for HBO, receiving both

the Emmy and DGA Awards for the 2004 pilot of the groundbreaking neo-western "Deadwood."

He has been praised by both critics and audiences for his work on films ranging from intimate char-

acter studies to full-blown blockbusters.

Hill directed AMC's acclaimed Emmy Award-winning debut television movie "Broken Trail,"

chronicling a story of five lost immigrant women and their trail driving rescuers during the waning

days of America's West. This critically applauded film starred Oscar® winner Robert Duvall and

Oscar® nominee Thomas Haden Church and premiered on AMC in June 2006 to record-breaking

numbers for the network. Hill received the DGA Award for his work on "Broken Trail," which was

nominated for 16 Emmy Awards and won for Outstanding Miniseries, Lead Actor, Supporting Ac-

tor and Casting. Hill received an Emmy Award for producing and was Emmy-nominated for Out-

standing Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or Dramatic Special.

Hill's career began in the early 1970s with screenplay credits for "The Getaway," starring Steve

McQueen and Ali MacGraw, and "The Drowning Pool," starring Paul Newman and Joanne Wood-

ward. In 1975, he made his directorial debut with "Hard Times," a Depression-era street fighting

drama, starring Charles Bronson and James Coburn. From there, Hill chose a succession of projects

that found both cult and mainstream audiences.

In 1979, Hill was a producer on the science fiction blockbuster "Alien," starring Sigourney Weaver,

and served as producer or executive producer on the three sequels of the legendary film series.

Among his other credits, Hill directed the smash hits "48 Hrs." and "Another 48 Hrs.," both starring

Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. Those hits, together with such films as "The Warriors"; "Southern

Comfort," starring Keith Carradine and Powers Boothe; "Last Man Standing," starring Bruce Willis,

Bruce Dern and Christopher Walken; and "Johnny Handsome," teaming Mickey Rourke and Mor-

gan Freeman, established Hill as one of the foremost action filmmakers in Hollywood.

Hill began his exploration of the American Western in 1980, when he directed the Cannes Film Fes-

tival Palme d'Or nominee "The Long Riders," starring David and Keith Carradine, James and Stacy

Keach, Randy and Dennis Quaid, and Chris and Nicholas Guest. This film marked the beginning of

Hill's Western trilogy, which continued with "Geronimo: An American Legend," starring Jason

Patric, Wes Studi and Gene Hackman, and ended in 1995 with "Wild Bill," which starred Jeff

Bridges, Ellen Barkin and John Hurt.

For his worldwide contributions to film culture, Hill has received retrospectives at the

Cinémathèque Française in Paris (2005), the Torino Film Festival (2005), the British Film Institute

(1991), and the Pacific Film Archives at the University of California (Berkeley, 2007). He was also

honored with film retrospectives by the San Sebastian Film Festival (2011), the American

Cinematheque (2006), and at the 9th Annual Maine International Film Festival, which also present-

ed Hill with a Lifetime Achievement Award in July 2005. He also received a Lifetime Achievement

Award and mini retrospective at the Savannah Film Festival (2006).

Hill won the critics' prize as Best Director at the Cognac Film Festival in 1983 with "48 Hrs." The

Torino Film Festival honored Hill and "Broken Trail" for Best Film and Best Director with the Film



Critica Bastone Bianco Prize in 2007. Hill was the recipient of two Golden Boot Awards, one on

behalf of "Broken Trail" and the other for lifetime achievement, and he has twice won the Western

Heritage Wrangler Award, for his work on "Geronimo: An American Legend" and "Broken Trail."

His other awards include: a Saturn Award from the Academy of Science Fiction and Fantasy

(1979); a Cable ACE Award for Best Director of a Series for his work on the "Tales From the

Crypt" episode "Deadline" (1992); and a Best Director of the Year Award – Motion Picture,

Kinema Jumpo (1983, Japan). Hill was most recently honored with the Maverick Director Award at

the 2012 Rome Film Festival.

ALESSANDRO CAMON (Screenwriter) was honored with an Academy Award® nomination in

the category of Best Original Screenplay for the acclaimed 2009 feature "The Messenger," a con-

temporary drama about military officers delivering casualty notifications. For the film, Camon also

received a Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlin Film Festival, where the film also won the

Peace Award, and Independent Spirit Award and Humanitas Prize nominations.

His recent screenplays include "Madame T," about the life of Madame Tussaud, and "The Green

Hat Gang," about American computer hackers.

Camon served as an executive producer on Oliver Stone's "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps." His

other producing credits include "Owning Mahowny," for which he received a Genie Award nomina-

tion; "Thank You for Smoking"; "The Cooler"; and "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans."

His publications include a study of American crime movies, The Killer Inside Us, Bertani, Italy, and

an essay on "The Godfather" in The Godfather Trilogy, Cambridge University Press.

ALEXANDRA MILCHAN (Producer) is an independent producer who currently has a large slate

of film, television and digital projects in various stages of production and development. In 2007,

Variety named her one of the "10 Producers to Watch."

Currently, Milchan is serving as an executive producer on Martin Scorsese's drama "The Wolf of

Wall Street," based on the book by Jordan Belfort. Due out in 2013, the film stars Leonardo

DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Jonah Hill. She is also a producer on several more upcom-

ing films, including Robert Luketic's thriller "Paranoia," starring Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and

Liam Hemsworth; and James Marsh's "Hold On to Me," starring Robert Pattinson and Carey Mulli-

gan.

In 2011, Milchan returned to New Regency as the Executive Vice President of Production. There,

she is overseeing the development and production of a number of projects, including "Assassin's

Creed," an adaptation of the massive Ubisoft video game franchise, which will star Michael

Fassbender; "Splinter Cell," another blockbuster Ubisoft title, with Tom Hardy to star and Eric

Warren Singer adapting; and "Fraggle Rock," a film based on the classic Henson property.

Her previous film producing credits include Jon Avnet's crime drama "Righteous Kill," teaming

Robert De Niro and Al Pacino; the horror thriller "Mirrors," starring Kiefer Sutherland under the

direction of Alexandre Aja; and David Ayers' action thriller "Street Kings," starring Keanu Reeves

and Forest Whitaker.

Milchan graduated from Emerson University in Boston with a degree in Marketing and Communi-



cations. She began her career at New Regency, where she was an executive for 13 years, 10 of

which were in the film division. During her tenure, Milchan was involved with such projects as

"Copycat," directed by Jon Amiel; Michael Mann's "Heat"; "A Time to Kill," directed by Joel

Schumacher; Curtis Hanson's award-winning drama "L.A. Confidential"; and the Gary Fleder-

directed dramas "Don't Say a Word" and "Runaway Jury." She also contributed to the television di-

vision, overseeing the series "Michael Hayes," starring David Caruso, and the telefilm "L.A. Confi-

dential," directed by Eric Laneuville and starring Kiefer Sutherland.

MILES MILLAR and ALFRED GOUGH (Producers) are creative partners who first paired up

while attending the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC. The duo have since become prolific

writers and producers.

They most recently co-wrote the screenplay for the hit sci-fi thriller "I Am Number Four," produced

by Michael Bay. Their previous screenplay credits include the action-adventure "The Mummy:

Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," for director Rob Cohen; Sam Raimi's blockbuster "Spider-Man 2,"

starring Tobey Maguire; the hit action-comedy "Shanghai Noon" and its sequel "Shanghai Knights,"

both staring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson; and "Lethal Weapon 4," starring Mel Gibson and Dan-

ny Glover. They also produced the smash hit film "Hannah Montana: The Movie," starring Miley

Cyrus, which marked the first film produced under the Millar Gough Ink banner.

Millar and Gough have also enjoyed success on television. The team created and served as execu-

tive producers of the critically acclaimed action-adventure series "Smallville." The show became

the longest-running comic book-based series of all time and was the number one show in the history

of the WB Television Network.

Currently, Millar and Gough have a range of projects in development, including "Prodigal," based

on an original Stan Lee idea, which they are attached to direct, and "Bermuda Triangle," as well the

screenplay for "Monster High," based on Mattel's new line of books, webisodes, animation, and

toys.

KEVIN KING-TEMPLETON (Producer) has, for over two decades, been associated with Rogue

Marble Productions, the production company of writer, director and actor Sylvester Stallone. Dur-

ing his tenure, he has found his forte in the action genre, producing projects with a global reach,

from the remote jungles of Brazil and Thailand to the most cosmopolitan of cities. In addition to

Stallone, King-Templeton has worked with such acclaimed acting heavyweights as Robert De Niro,

Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harvey Keitel, Mickey Rourke, Michael Caine and Anthony

Quinn.

The films in which British-born King-Templeton has been involved have showcased some of the

most ambitious action sequences ever accomplished, including those shot on location in Bulgaria

for the recent box office hit "The Expendables 2," which topped the box office for two weekends

this past summer. Directed by Simon West, the film stars Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Bruce

Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren, Liam Hemsworth Jean Claude Van Damme, Jet

Li and Chuck Norris. His other credits as a producer include "The Expendables," directed by Syl-

vester Stallone and released in Summer 2010, where it was number one at the box office for two

weeks. King-Templeton also produced "Inferno: The Making of the Expendables," an independent

documentary which gives audiences an unvarnished look inside the filmmaking process of "The

Expendables."



Previously, King-Templeton produced the latest installment of "Rambo," which was shot in the re-

mote inner jungles of Burma and continued the saga of the heroic Vietnam vet John Rambo, and

"Rocky Balboa," a critical and audience success, which again confirmed both Sylvester Stallone

and Rocky as iconic cultural symbols. King-Templeton also produced "Avenging Angelo" and

"Driven," and served as associate producer on "Get Carter" and the critically-acclaimed "Cop

Land," for director James Mangold. For television, he developed and produced a CBS pilot entitled

"Father Lefty."

He produced the upcoming action thriller "The Tomb," starring Stallone and Schwarzenegger, and

is producing the feature "Homefront," starring Jason Statham and James Franco, under the direction

of Gary Fleder. For television, he is the executive producer of "The Last Cop," which will air on

TNT in 2013. Additionally, for the stage, he is an executive producer of the musical production

"Rocky," based on the original 1976 Academy Award®-winning motion picture, for Stage Enter-

tainment, which recently debuted in Hamburg, Germany, to critical and audience acclaim.

STUART FORD (Executive Producer) founded IM Global, a major international sales and distri-

bution company with offices in Los Angeles, London, and Mumbai, in March 2007. The company

is one of the leading film financing, sales and distribution companies in the world, championing a

wide variety of projects, including mainstream commercial, art house, foreign language, and genre

fare, and is a prominent presence at the major international film festivals and markets. In May 2010,

Ford sold a significant shareholding to Reliance Entertainment, part of Indian conglomerate Reli-

ance ADA Group.

Prior to founding IM Global, Ford joined resurgent First Look Studios in August 2006 as President

of First Look International. Previous to that, Ford was at Miramax Films for seven years, where he

was co-head of the Miramax Acquisitions division, which was responsible for acquiring the best

foreign language and independent product for distribution in the US and internationally. He later

became co-head of Miramax International, the studio's powerful international distribution and sales

arm.

While co-head of the Miramax Acquisitions division, Ford's 18-strong team acquired such box of-

fice and critical hits as "Amelie," "City of God," "Hero," "Dirty Pretty Things," "Fahrenheit 911"

and "The Station Agent." As co-head of Miramax International, Ford oversaw the company's offices

in New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Beijing and Sydney and all of Miramax's international distribu-

tion activities, including strategy, marketing, publicity, physical distribution, legal and finance. Ford

was just 32 when he took the reins at Miramax International and was profiled by the Hollywood Re-

porter in 2004 as one of Hollywood's top executives under the age of 40. Miramax International

was a major player in the international film sales arena and Ford oversaw a prolific sales team that,

at the time, was recognized as one of the major suppliers to the independent marketplace in much of

Europe, Asia and Latin America. Overall, Ford and his team handled the sale and/or distribution of

about 30 titles a year in more than 42 countries.

Shortly after leaving Miramax, Ford executive produced FIFA's 2006 Official World Cup documen-

tary feature and Disney's trilogy of "Goal!" soccer movies.

Ford was born in Liverpool, England and educated at the Bluecoat School at St Edmund Hall, Ox-

ford, where he gained both a BA and MA (Hons) in Law. After graduation, Ford was for six years a

successful attorney at U.K. entertainment law firm, Olswang, specializing in film production, fi-



nancing and distribution.

Ford is a regular speaker and panelist around the world on the subject of international film sales and

distribution and independent film financing, and was recently named one of the Film Power 100 in

The Guardian, a ranking of the most influential people in the British film industry.

BRIAN KAVANAUGH-JONES (Executive Producer) is currently the President of Automatik, a

Los Angeles based production and financing company. Automatik is a joint venture between IM

Global and Alliance Films.

His first Automatik release was "Insidious," which was 2011's most profitable film, grossing more

than $50 million domestically. Kavanaugh-Jones served as an executive producer on the film,

which was directed by James Wan. He more recently produced the horror thriller "Sinister," written

and directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Ethan Hawke, and the comedy "The Babymakers,"

starring Paul Schneider under the direction of Jay Chandrasekhar. In addition, he was an executive

producer on the sci-fi thriller "Skyline"; Jeff Nichols' "Take Shelter," which won the Critics Week

Grand Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival; Boaz Yakin's "Safe," starring Jason Statham; Rob

Zombie's "The Lords of Salem; and "The Bay," directed by Barry Levinson.

He is also a producer or executive producer on a number of upcoming titles, including "Welcome to

the Punch," starring James McAvoy and Mark Strong; "The Last Days of American Crime"; "Ends

of the Earth"; "Angry Little God," starring Ron Perlman; "A Haunted House," starring Marlon

Wayans and Cedric the Entertainer; "Dark Skies," starring Keri Russell; "Hummingbird," starring

Jason Statham; and "Dead Man Down," starring Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace and Terrence How-

ard.

Previously, Kavanaugh-Jones was an agent in the film finance department at Creative Artists Agen-

cy, where he was instrumental in the financing and selling of independent features. Among the

many films Kavanaugh-Jones helped bring to fruition are Oren Peli's "Paranormal Activity," which

cost $11,000 and went on to gross over $200 million worldwide; the Nicole Kidman starrer "Rabbit

Hole"; Larry Charles' "Religulous"; John Woo's epic action drama "Red Cliff"; "The Killer Elite,"

starring Robert De Niro, Jason Statham and Clive Owen; and the Zach Galifianakis starrer "It's

Kind of a Funny Story."

Kavanaugh-Jones received his Fine Arts degree from the University of California Santa Cruz.

DEEPAK NAYAR (Executive Producer) is a highly respected independent producer. He began his

career in his native India, collaborating with the Merchant Ivory group on such films as "Heat &

Dust," "The Deceivers" and "The Perfect Murder."

Moving to Los Angeles, Nayar set up his own production company, Kintop Pictures, and produced

David Lynch's highly acclaimed 1997 feature "Lost Highway." Under the Kintop banner, Nayar

went on to produce three Wim Wenders-directed features: "The End of Violence"; the Oscar®- and

BAFTA Award-nominated documentary "Buena Vista Social Club"; and the dramatic thriller "The

Million Dollar Hotel," which he produced alongside Bono. He also collaborated with Wenders on

the music video "Willie Nelson at the Teatro," for which they earned a Grammy Award nomination.

In 2001, Nayar produced Gurinder Chadha's hugely successful "Bend It Like Beckham," which



earned both Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations for Best Picture. He reunited with

Chadha on the cross-cultural box office hit "Bride and Prejudice" and "The Mistress of Spices," the

latter of which was co-written by Chadha.

Nayar's other notable film credits include Paul Schrader's thriller "The Walker" and Mika

Kaurismäki's "L.A. Without a Map."

In addition to collaborating with noted filmmakers, Nayar has given many up-and-coming filmmak-

ers their first big break, including Stephen Berra on "7-teen Sips"; William Jennings on "Harlem

Aria"; Matt Dillion, who made his directorial debut on "City of Ghosts"; Jonathan Newman on

"Swinging With The Finkels" and "Foster"; Mahesh Mathai on "Bhopal Express" and, later, "Bro-

ken Thread"; and Eli Craig on his directorial debut, "Tucker and Dale vs. Evil," which premiered at

the 2010 Sundance Film Festival won the Audience Award at SXSW.

He also partnered with Reliance Entertainment as an executive producer on the projects "Safe,"

starring Jason Statham; "Jesus Henry Christ," starring Toni Collette and Michael Sheen; and "Dredd

3D," starring starring Karl Urban. Their future projects include "Enchanted Kingdom 3D"; "Dead

Man Down," starring Colin Farrell; "Walking with Dinosaurs 3D"; and "Paranoia," starring Gary

Oldman, Harrison Ford and Liam Hemsworth.

Nayer has also had a notable career in television production, producing such episodic shows as "On

the Air," "Hotel Malibu" and "Second Chances"; the telefilm "White Dwarf"; and the HBO minise-

ries "Hotel Room."

In addition to producing films, Nayar is the co-founder of Filmaka, an award-winning global digital

entertainment studio. Filmaka produces multi-platform branded and non-branded entertainment

content through an online community of filmmakers in over 150 countries. Nayar also co-founded

India Take One Productions, a production services company based in Los Angeles and India. India

Take One has worked on films such as "Holy Smoke," "Alexander the Great," "Slumdog Million-

aire," "Eat, Pray, Love," "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," "The Best Exotic Marigold Ho-

tel," "Life of Pi," and "Zero Dark Thirty."

STEVE SQUILLANTE (Executive Producer) has worked on a wide array of studio and independ-

ent films. Under the IM Global banner, he has a broad range of films upcoming, including Cathe-

rine Hardwicke's "Plush"; Daniel Stamm's "Angry Little God"; Niels Arden Oplev's "Dead Man

Down," starring Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace; Stephen Knight's "Hummingbird," starring Jason

Statham; and "A Haunted House," written by Marlon Wayans, who also stars with Cedric the Enter-

tainer.

Over the last several years Squillante served as an independent producer. He was also the produc-

tion supervisor in Thailand on Todd Phillips' record-breaking comedy hit "The Hangover Part II."

He has also consulted for QED International, Grindstone Entertainment (owned by Lionsgate Enter-

tainment), Arclight Films, Taewon Entertainment, Platinum Studios, IDG Films/Asia Fund, XME

(Xinhua Media Entertainment), Leeding Media, and Radium/Reel FX Entertainment.

Squillante began his career by working his way up in just 16 months from intern, to Harvey Wein-

stein's assistant, to Director of Development and Production at Miramax/Dimension Films on the

team overseeing a slate of 12 films. The titles included such breakout franchise successes as

"Scream 2 & 3," "Scary Movie 1 & 2," and "Spy Kids 1 & 2." Subsequently, Weinstein signed



Squillante to a two-year producing deal on projects, including "Shanghai" and "Nine." Squillante

also oversaw the $285 million Asia Fund, dedicated to funding film properties to be shot in Asia.

In addition to the U.S., Squillante has lived and worked in Canada, Western and Eastern Europe,

Asia, and Africa. Squillante received his B.A. in History from Northeastern University in Boston,

and studied at the Graduate level at Harvard University and Emerson College.

JOEL SILVER (Executive Producer) is one of the most prolific and successful producers in mo-

tion picture history. He has produced more than 65 films, including the groundbreaking "The Ma-

trix" trilogy, the blockbuster four-part "Lethal Weapon" franchise, and the seminal action films "Die

Hard" and "Predator." To date, Silver's catalog of films have earned over $12 billion in worldwide

revenue from all sources.

In 2009, Silver produced the worldwide hit "Sherlock Holmes," which earned more than $518 mil-

lion at the global box office. Directed by Guy Ritchie, the film starred Robert Downey Jr. and Jude

Law as Holmes and Dr. Watson, respectively. Silver more recently produced the worldwide hit

"Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," which reunited Downey and Law, again under the direc-

tion of Ritchie. The film grossed more than $500 million. He also served as an executive producer

on the outrageous hit comedy "Project X."

Silver structured a deal for his Dark Castle Entertainment production company that gives him

green-lighting power and creative control of all films produced under the label. Dark Castle began

with a string of hit films starting with the record-breaking 1999 opening of "House on Haunted

Hill," followed by "Thir13en Ghosts" in 2001, "Ghost Ship" in 2002, "Gothika" in 2003 and "House

of Wax" in 2005. Dark Castle more recently released Guy Ritchie's critically acclaimed actioner

"RocknRolla," with an ensemble cast led by Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton and

Mark Strong; the horror thriller "Orphan," starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard; the actioner

"Ninja Assassin," directed by James McTeigue; "The Losers," starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe

Saldana and Chris Evans; and Jaume Collet-Serra's "Unknown," starring Liam Neeson, January

Jones and Diane Kruger.

Previously, Silver's 1999 production "The Matrix" grossed over $456 million globally, earning

more than any other Warner Bros. Pictures film in the studio's history at the time of its release. Uni-

versally acclaimed for its innovative storytelling and visuals, "The Matrix" won four Academy

Awards®, including Best Visual Effects. The first DVD release to sell one million units, "The Ma-

trix" was instrumental in powering the initial sale of consumer DVD machines. The second install-

ment of the epic "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Reloaded," earned over $740 million at the world-

wide box office, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. The opening weekend box

office receipts for "The Matrix Revolutions," the final chapter in the explosive trilogy, totaled a

staggering $203 million worldwide. To date, "The Matrix" franchise has grossed $3 billion from all

sources worldwide.

While overseeing production on "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," Silver pro-

duced the integral video game "Enter the Matrix," which features one hour of additional film foot-

age written and directed by the Wachowskis and starred Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong,

who reprised their roles from the films. He also executive produced "The Animatrix," a ground-

breaking collection of nine short anime films inspired by the visionary action and storytelling that

power "The Matrix."



Silver later produced the action thriller "V for Vendetta," based on the acclaimed graphic novel and

starring Natalie Portman; the action comedy thriller "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," written and directed

by Shane Black and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. He also pro-

duced the hit films "Romeo Must Die," starring Jet Li and Aaliyah; "Exit Wounds," starring Steven

Seagal and DMX; and "Swordfish," starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry.

Silver is also a successful television producer. He served as executive producer on the CBS series

"Moonlight," which won the People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama in its debut year.

He was previously an executive producer on the critically acclaimed television series "Veronica

Mars," starring Kristen Bell. Silver also executive produced, with Richard Donner, David Giler,

Walter Hill and Robert Zemeckis, eight seasons of the award-winning HBO series "Tales from the

Crypt," as well as two "Tales from the Crypt" films.

Silver began his career as an associate producer on "The Warriors," and then produced "48 Hrs.,"

"Streets of Fire" and "Brewster's Millions."

In 1985, Silver launched his Silver Pictures production banner with the breakout hit "Commando,"

followed by "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Predator." Silver Pictures solidified its status as one of the

industry's leading production companies with the release of the "Lethal Weapon" series and the ac-

tion blockbusters "Die Hard" and "Die Hard 2: Die Harder." Silver went on to produce "The Last

Boy Scout," "Demolition Man," "Richie Rich," "Executive Decision" and "Conspiracy Theory."

Long before starting his producing career, as a student at Columbia High School in Maplewood,

New Jersey, Silver and a group of his friends developed a game called Ultimate Frisbee. The fast-

moving team sport has since become a global phenomenon supported by tournaments in 50 coun-

tries.

COURTNEY SOLOMON (Executive Producer), a producer, writer and director, is the founder

and CEO of After Dark Films, a film studio known for its commitment to the horror genre. He most

recently completed principal photography on the thriller "Getaway," which he directed and is pro-

ducing. Ethan Hawke and Selena Gomez star in the film, which is slated for release in August 2013.

Solomon established his reputation with "An American Haunting," starring Donald Sutherland and

Sissy Spacek. Solomon wrote, directed, produced, and independently distributed the film, which

reached number one at the box office the opening week of its release.

After Dark Films subsequently acquired and distributed a number of controversial and critically ac-

claimed indie features, including "Captivity," directed by Roland Joffe; "Skinwalkers," starring Ja-

son Behr and Rhona Mitra; "Fierce People," starring Donald Sutherland, Diane Lane, and Kristen

Stewart; "Wristcutters: A Love Story," starring Patrick Fugit and Shannyn Sossamon; "Echelon

Conspiracy," starring Edward Burns, Ving Rhames and Martin Sheen; and "Beyond A Reasonable

Doubt," starring Michael Douglas, Jesse Metcalfe and Amber Tamblyn.

Solomon redefined the traditional film festival with the founding of Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For.

Horrorfest was a weeklong, nationwide theatrical release event featuring eight never-before-seen

horror feature films. These films were then released on DVD in conjunction with Lionsgate. The

fourth installment of this successful franchise was released in 2009.

After four years and 32 films released under the Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For banner, Solomon re-



directed After Dark Films from the acquisition structure to that of marketing, distribution, develop-

ment and production of quality horror films. Eight original titles for release under the banner After

Dark Originals: A New Brand of Fear are: "Seconds Apart," "Husk," "The Task," "51," "Scream of

the Banshee," "Fertile Ground," "Prowl," and "Re-Kill," starring Bruce Payne, Roger Cross,

Daniella Alonso and Scott Adkins. Solomon produced all eight of the first Originals slate, in part-

nership with Syfy and Lionsgate.

Solomon recently partnered with filmmaker Joel Silver to produce five original action films. After

Dark's new action franchise includes "Transit," starring Jim Caviezel, James Frain and Elisabeth

Röhm; "Dragon Eyes," starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Cung Le; "The Philly Kid," with

Neal McDonough, Devon Sawa and Wes Chatham; "Stash House," with Dolph Lundgren, Sean

Farris, Briana Evigan, and Jon Huertas; and "El Gringo."

ALLAN ZEMAN (Executive Producer) is the key financial backer of the After Dark Films ven-

ture. Prior to working with the Company, Zeman founded The Colby International Group in 1975 to

source and export fashion apparel to North America. Colby grew to become one of the largest sup-

ply chain management companies in the world with more than 36 offices and clients worldwide. In

late 2000, Colby was sold to Li & Fung Limited for $2.1 billion.

Zeman is Chairman of Lan Kwai Fong Holdings Limited, the major property owner and developer

in Lan Kwai Fong, the premier food, beverage, and entertainment area in Hong Kong. The Lan

Kwai Fong Group also has an entertainment complex in Shanghai called Lan Kwai Fong at Park 97

that has now become one of Shanghai's most famous establishments.

Additionally, Zeman is Chairman of Ocean Park, a major theme park in Hong Kong. He is also on

the Board of Directors of Wynn Resorts and responsible, in part, for that company's new $900 mil-

lion resort-casino in Macau.

STEVE RICHARDS (Executive Producer) is Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment. A veter-

an of the film industry, he was instrumental in launching the Dark Castle brand and in forging the

financial partnership with CIT Group Inc. & JP Morgan, producing a slate of films that includes

Guy Ritchie's "RocknRolla" and Jaume Collet-Serra's "Orphan."

He also executive produced Collet-Serra's "Unknown" and next serves as a producer on the direc-

tor's "Non-Stop." His previous executive producer credits include "The Book of Eli," "Ninja Assas-

sin," "Whiteout," "Orphan," "The Reaping," "Thir13en Ghosts," "Ghost Ship," "Gothika" and

"House of Wax." During the formation of Dark Castle in 1999, Richards organized the foreign fi-

nancing and distribution of the shingle's first film, the remake of William Castle's "House on

Haunted Hill."

In 1995, Richards joined Silver Pictures and is currently Chief Operating Officer of the company.

His film credits with Silver Pictures include "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," "The Matrix Reloaded," "The

Animatrix," and three installments of the "Dungeons & Dragons" fantasy game film adaptations.

Richards earned an MBA from the Andersen School at UCLA and an undergraduate degree from

Temple University. Before joining Silver Pictures, Richards was part of International Movie Group

and Scott Free Productions.



STUART BESSER (Executive Producer) was previously an executive producer on "Big Miracle,"

"The Losers" and "3:10 to Yuma." He more recently served as a consulting producer on "Crossfire

Hurricane," the 2012 documentary about the 50th anniversary of the legendary rock band The Roll-

ing Stones.

The New York native first collaborated extensively with director/writer Alan Rudolph, working as

associate producer on such films as "Trouble in Mind," "Made in Heaven," "The Moderns" and

"Love at Large." He went on to produce "People Under the Stairs" and "Dr. Giggles," and was line

producer on Michael Moore's comedy "Canadian Bacon."

Among Besser's many credits as co-producer are such films as: "Vampire in Brooklyn," "Scream,"

"Finding Graceland," "Music of the Heart," "40 Days and 40 Nights" and "Delivering Milo". He

also was executive producer on "The Sweetest Thing," "Scream 3," "Identity," "Cursed" and "The

Break Up" as well as served as associate producer on director Lindsay Anderson's "Whales of Au-

gust" and supervising producer on "The Verne Miller Story."

For television, Besser produced pilots for the series "Men in Trees" and "Wasteland" as well as pro-

duced the television films "Hollyweird TV" and "Laurel Canyon." He also was associate producer

on the pilot for the long-running series "Beverly Hills, 90210."

LLOYD AHERN (Director of Photography) has enjoyed a long association with director Walter

Hill, dating back almost 30 years. They first collaborated on the 1984 film "Streets of Fire," on

which Ahern was a camera operator. His first full director of photography feature film credit was on

Hill's "Trespass." Ahern went on to lens the director's "Geronimo: An American Legend," "Wild

Bill," "Last Man Standing" and "Undisputed." They also teamed on the AMC miniseries "Broken

Trail," for which Ahern received an Emmy Award nomination, and an episode of HBO's "Dead-

wood."

Ahern's additional film credits as a cinematographer include the Jesse Dylan-directed comedies

"Kicking & Screaming" and "American Wedding"; "Supernova"; "Can't Hardly Wait"; and "Turbu-

lence." He also served as either second unit director of photography or additional photographer on

such features as "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," "We Were Soldiers," "Domestic Disturb-

ance," "The X Files," "The Replacement Killers," "Up Close & Personal," "Broken Arrow" and "Ju-

rassic Park."

For television, he has worked on a wide range of series and longform projects. His series work in-

cludes "Drop Dead Diva," "Army Wives," "Hooperman," "Simon & Simon," and "Magnum P.I.," as

well as the pilots for such shows as "Huff" and "Picket Fences," to name only a few. In addition, he

has been the cinematographer on such telefilms as "Madso's War," "It Takes a Village," "Fab Five:

The Texas Cheerleader Scandal," "The Staircase Murders" and "Not Like Everyone Else."

TOBY CORBETT (Production Designer) has collaborated with director Wayne Kramer on the

films "Crossing Over," "Running Scared" and "The Cooler." He also served as the production de-

signer on the John Sayles-directed features "Honeydripper" and "Silver City." His first major mo-

tion picture as a production designer was Kathryn Bigelow's "Blue Steel." His other film credits in-

clude "Iron Maze," "My New Gun," "The Meteor Man," "East Meets West," "Best Men," "The Bad

Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans" and, most recently, the indie release "The Details," which



screened at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. Following "Bullet to the Head," Corbett has three

more films to be released in 2013: "Movie 43," "Barefoot" and "Broken Horses."

On television, Corbett earned three Emmy nominations for his work on HBO's acclaimed come-

dy/variety show "Tracey Takes On." In addition, he was the production designer on a number of

television movies, including "Dead by Midnight," "Don't Look Back," "The Yearling," "Honor Thy

Mother" and "Victim of Love."

A native of London, England, Corbett graduated with a BFA from the University of Washington,

where he studied painting with renowned African-American painter Jacob Lawrence and film stud-

ies with noted scholar Richard Jameson. Corbett's painting skills led to his work as a scenic artist at

two major regional theaters; The Seattle Repertory Theatre and The Mark Taper Forum. After mov-

ing to New York City, Corbett began working as a set designer on numerous off-Broadway produc-

tions. His work in the theatre eventually led to designing for film and television.

TIM ALVERSON (Editor) recently collaborated with director Jaume Collet-Serra on two films:

the hit thriller "Unknown," starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger and January Jones; and the horror

thriller "Orphan," starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard.

Alverson began his career as a production assistant at Robert Altman's post-production house. His

first job in the editing room was as an apprentice on Alan Rudolph's drama "Songwriter." He went

on to work as an assistant or additional editor on more than 20 features.

His first film as an editor was Rand Ravich's "The Astronaut's Wife," starring Johnny Depp and

Charlize Theron. His subsequent credits include "Darkness Falls," "Music Within," "Dragon Wars,"

"Shutter" and "Impact Point."

HA NGUYEN (Costume Designer) collaborated with some of the film industry's leading directors

and biggest stars on a wide range of projects.

Her recent film credits include J. J. Abrams' "Super 8"; "Priest"; the Peter Hewitt directed films

"The Maiden Heist" and "Zoom"; Antoine Fuqua's "Shooter," starring Mark Wahlberg; and "Grace

is Gone," starring John Cusack. Nguyen also designed the costumes for such films as "Mozart and

the Whale," starring Josh Hartnett and Rhada Mitchell; Andrzej Bartkowiak's "Cradle 2 the Grave";

"The Last Castle," starring Robert Redford and James Gandolfini; Dominic Sena's "Swordfish,"

starring John Travolta, Halle Berry and Hugh Jackman; "Payback," starring Mel Gibson; the Rich-

ard Donner-directed films "Lethal Weapon 4" and "Conspiracy Theory," both also starring Gibson;

the Eddie Murphy starrers "The Nutty Professor" and "Vampire in Brooklyn"; "The Mask," starring

Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz; and Oliver Stone's "Heaven & Earth."

For television, she designed the costumes for the pilots of the hit series "Revolution" and "Drop

Dead Diva."

Born in Saigon, Nguyen fled the country with her family one day before the fall of the city, in 1975.

They settled in San Diego, where she graduated from San Diego State University with a Fine Arts

degree. She went on to study at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los

Angeles. With an Associate Arts degree in Fashion Design, Nguyen began her career as a designer

for some of the leading fashion houses in the country. After segueing to film, she designed the cos-



tumes for more than 30 motion pictures.

STEVE MAZZARO (Composer) counts "Bullet to the Head" as his first full feature film score

credit. He previously composed the score for the short film "The Seance," and wrote additional mu-

sic for such films as "The Poker Club," "Skeletons in the Desert" and "Jack Rio." He also worked

on the music for "The Dark Knight Rises," "The Mercy Man" and "SEAL Team VI."

His credits also include additional music composing for the British television documentary series

"Harry Welcomes Arctic Heroes," and the video games "Assassin's Creed III" and "Assassin's

Creed Revelations."

Documents

BULLET TO THE HEAD Production Notes - Visual Hollywood