Los Angeles, CA (February 27, 2019) – Two-time Academy Award®-winning actor Mahershala Ali is set to star in a new sci-fi film project titled SOVEREIGN which Entertainment One (eOne) will produce alongside 21 Laps Entertainment’s Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen. The trio recently produced the Netflix sensation “Stranger Things” as well as the Academy Award and BAFTA-nominated ARRIVAL. Marc Munden will direct the project from a screenplay originally written by Greg Weidman and Geoff Tock, with Jack Thorne, Scott Beck (A QUIET PLACE) and Bryan Woods (A QUIET PLACE) writing recent drafts. eOne will also finance the film.

The logline for the sci-fi project is currently being kept under wraps.

“We have long loved this project and have been patiently waiting until we found the right leading actor, which we no doubt have found in the incredibly talented Mahershala Ali,” stated Nick Meyer, eOne’s President of Film. “The cast is clearly shaping up well and is backed by a creative team with a proven track record and the ability to tell a story that will resonate with audiences around the world.”

"Much like our film ARRIVAL, this project is for us a dream pairing of an inspired screenplay with a truly visionary director. Marc Munden has been an exceptional collaborator in shaping this singular story into one that jumps off the page and with the phenomenally talented Mahershala Ali at the heart of this film, we feel we now have the dream creative partners to tell a story that audiences won't forget,” stated Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen of 21 Laps Entertainment.

Ali won the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 2017 for MOONLIGHT as well as in 2019 for his supporting role in GREEN BOOK, which he also won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in Motion Picture. Ali’s expansive list of credits also includes his role in the TV show, “TRUE DETECTIVE” and the Academy Award-winning film SPIDER-MAN INTO THE SPIDERVERSE.

A three-time BAFTA-Winning director, Munden is known for his work on the Hulu mini-series “NATIONAL TREASURE,” Amazon Prime Video series “ELECTRIC DREAMS” and the hit sci-fi TV series, “UTOPIA.” Munden most recently directed THE SECRET GARDEN for HeyDay Films and Studio Canal which is currently in post-production.

Scott Beck and Bryan Woods most recently wrote the screenplay for the Critic’s Choice Award-Winning box office hit, A QUIET PLACE. Greg Weidman and Geoff Tock’s recent credits include the TV series “ZOO” and “LIMITLESS.” Jack Thorne wrote the Olivier and Tony® Award-winning play “HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD” as well as the films WONDER and THE SECRET GARDEN.

Ali is repped by WME and Anonymous Content. Munden is repped by WME and Independent Talent Group. Beck and Woods are repped by Anonymous Content and ICM Partners. Weidman and Tock are repped by WME and Grandview. Thorne is repped by Casarotto Ramsay & Associates and UTA.

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About Entertainment One

Entertainment One Ltd. (LSE:ETO) is a global independent studio that specialises in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. The Company’s diversified expertise spans across film, television and music production and sales; family programming, merchandising and licensing; digital content; and live entertainment. Through its global reach and expansive scale, powered by deep local market knowledge, the Company delivers the best content to the world. 

Entertainment One’s robust network includes international feature film distribution company Sierra/Affinity; Amblin Partners with DreamWorks Studios, Participant Media, and Reliance Entertainment; Makeready with Brad Weston; unscripted television production companies Whizz Kid Entertainment and Renegade 83; live entertainment leaders Round Room Entertainment; world-class music labels Dualtone Music Group and Last Gang; and award-winning emerging content and technology studio Secret Location. 

About 21 Laps Entertainment

21 Laps Entertainment is a film and television production company founded in 2005 and run by director-producer Shawn Levy. Encompassing multiple genres, 21 Laps’ slate of film and television projects have seen massive worldwide success, including the Academy Award-nominated ARRIVAL, the critically-acclaimed THE SPECTACULAR NOW, and the Emmy Award-nominated “Stranger Things.” Along with Levy, the company’s leadership includes partners Dan Levine and Dan Cohen, along with president of 21 Laps Television, Josh Barry.

21 Laps’ upcoming projects include: the highly-anticipated third season of “Stranger Things” for Netflix, the Ryan Reynolds-lead FREE GUY for Fox, the rebooted “Unsolved Mysteries” series for Netflix, the film adaptation of the hit musical BE MORE CHILL, an Anne Hathaway-lead Sesame Street feature film for Warner Bros., the Dylan O’Brien-lead adventure comedy MONSTER PROBLEMS for Paramount, a Netflix series based on the best-selling “Shadow and Bone” fantasy novels, and the coming-of-age series “I Am Not Okay With This” for Netflix.