Saban Films Gobbles Ensemble "FRIENDSGIVING" Produced by Ben Stiller

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Saban Films announced today that they have acquired U.S. rights to Nicol Paone's (Funny People, "The Big Gay Sketch Show") directorial debut Friendsgiving.  Malin Akerman is producing along with Ben Stiller, Nicholas Weinstock and Haroon Saleem for Red Hour Films.

The comedy's ensemble cast includes Malin Akerman (Rampage, "Billions"), Kat Dennings ("2 Broke Girls," "Big Mouth"), Chelsea Peretti ("Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Big Mouth"), Christine Taylor (Zoolander, "Arrested Development"), Golden Globe Award® winner Jane Seymour (Wedding Crashers, "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"), Aisha Tyler ("Archer," Death Sentence), Deon Cole ("Black-ish"), Wanda Sykes ("Black-ish"), Margaret Cho and Fortune Feimster ("The Mindy Project").  Tara L. Craig will executive produce.  Saban Films is planning a theatrical release for 2020.


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Friendsgiving follows Molly (Akerman), a glamorous, newly divorced actor, and Abby (Dennings), her recently-dumped lesbian best friend. Together, along with their motley crew of close friends and strange acquaintances, they host a dysfunctional, comical and chaotic Thanksgiving dinner.

Friendsgiving is co-financed by Red Hour and Endeavor Content, who is also handling international sales.

"We are thrilled to be championing Friendsgiving along with Red Hour and Endeavor Content," said Saban Films' Bill Bromiley.  "This is a witty and relatable story, along with an outstanding and endearing ensemble cast that our audiences will be enjoying next holiday season."

Bill Bromiley and Jonathan Saba negotiated the deal for Saban Films along with Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers. 


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Saban Films continues to grow its presence in the industry, remaining active in the acquisition, production and distribution space. The company's successes have run the gamut from critically acclaimed theatrical films such as The Homesman starring Hilary Swank, to two of the biggest Fathom events with horror icon and heavy metal mastermind Rob Zombie's 31 in 2016 and 3 From Hell earlier this month.


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As well as Kevin Smith's highly-anticipated Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, the sequel to the 2001 comedy Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back which the company partnered on after coming onboard at script stage.  Its upcoming slate includes: Steven C. Miller's Line of Duty; Will Forbes' John Henry starring Terry Crews and Ludacris and executive produced by Matthew Antoun.  

About Saban Films

Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group ("SCG"), is a film acquisition and distribution company which acquires high-quality, feature films to distribute in North America.  


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Focusing on commercial, talent driven films, the company looks at projects in all stages of production for release across multiple platforms, including a day and date theatrical/VOD release strategy. Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and is led by Bill Bromiley who serves as President, Shanan Becker, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer and Ness Saban, Vice President of Business Development.

About Endeavor Content

Endeavor Content is a global leader in the development, financing and sales of premium film, television, theater and audio content. Endeavor Content seeks to facilitate more ownership and creative freedom for artists, creators and production companies in an ever-evolving media landscape. Endeavor Content is a division of Endeavor, a global entertainment, sports and content company.