EXCLUSIVE: Jacki Weaver (Silver Linings Playbook) and Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) will lead the cast of the upcoming feature film The Wonder Yard from writer Beth Curry. Lauren Miller Rogen (Like Father) is set to direct.
Elevate Entertainment will produce alongside LYLAS Pictures. Concourse Media has attached to finance and handle worldwide sales, repping domestic sales alongside CAA.
The Wonder Yard follows Dinah (Weaver), who becomes a widow after 50 years of marriage. Following her husband’s death, Dinah throws her energy into building an eclectic wonderland in her front yard. Her adult children wonder if their mom has lost it, but through her wonder yard, Dinah discovers it’s never too late to chase a dream as she finds her voice, herself, and love at the seasoned age of 73.
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Shalhoub will portray Yusuf, a Middle-Eastern man who finds a second lease on life when he becomes invested in Dinah’s journey. Casting is currently underway for the remaining supporting roles.
“The message that we can find love at any point in life is powerful. Dinah and Yusuf may not be superheroes, but their story—which has its own sprinkle of Dollar Store magic—will entertain and will inspire,” Lauren Miller Rogen tells Deadline in an exclusive statement.
“This project has been a labor of love for us since the beginning,” shared Alex Cole, President of Elevate Entertainment. “It’s a coming-of-age story for a woman in her seventies, which is just not something you see a lot of. We have found great partners in LYLAS Pictures and Concourse Media to bring Beth Curry’s beautiful screenplay to life.”
Weaver is an Academy Award nominated actress with a career spanning close to 5 decades. For her work in David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom, she was nominated for the 2011 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Weaver also received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress in David O. Russell’s The Silver Linings Playbook. She recently wrapped work on the new FX series The Sterling Affairs starring as Shelly Sterling and prior to that in the Taylor Sheridan’s series Yellowstone for Paramount+. She is repped by Elevate Entertainment and CAA.
Shalhoub is an Emmy and Tony award winner who is best known for portraying obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk in the hit series Monk. He is set to reprise the role in the Peacock TV movie Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie premiering on Dec. 8. Shalhoub is also recognized for his role as Abe Weissman in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Currently he can be seen in Eva Longoria’s Flamin’ Hot also on Peacock. Shalhoub is repped by CAA and Skrzyniarz and Mallean.
Curry is a true multi-hyphenate as a writer and actor and winner of the 2020 Nicholl Fellowship. In addition to Wonder Yard, Curry has several projects in the works including her feature Almost Normal, which is being produced by Mike Medavoy and Phoenix Pictures. She is represented by Elevate Entertainment and IAG.
Elevate Entertainment is a full-service management and production company. Upcoming projects include the TV series Butchers from Jim Piddock starring Vinnie Jones and Malcolm McDowell, the action comedy feature Low Life Kings from Hugh Dillon, and a TV adaptation of The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane from Lisa See. The company is represented by Weintraub Tobin
LYLAS Pictures was founded by filmmaker Lauren Miller Rogen and producer and manager Jen Ray to tell female-driven stories. Their credits include Focus Features’ For A Good Time, Call… and Netflix’s original film Like Father, which was written and directed by Rogen. Miller Rogen and LYLAS are repped by CAA.
Concourse Media is a film finance and distribution company launched in 2011 by Matthew Shreder who serves as CEO. Notable titles include the recently completed action thriller Chief Of Station starring Aaron Eckhart and Olga Kurylenko, the upcoming Sovereign starring Nick Offerman and Dennis Quaid and Percy vs Goliath (2020) starring Christopher Walken, among others.
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