Our ownSteve Weintraubrecently had the chance to catch up with 21 Laps Entertainment higher-upsShawn Levy(Founder & Principal),Dan Levine(President) andDan Cohen(SVP) to talk aboutthe status of some of the production company’s many projects. Over the last few years, 21 Laps has broadened their scope of projects to include TV shows and movies outside of Levy’s normal purview. That plan of attack led them to produceThe Spectacular Now, which further opened the door for collaboration with creative sorts likeMattandRoss Duffer, the minds behind Netflix’sStranger Things, the new hit series of the summer.
But the production banner is just getting started. The team has more projects debuting later this year, and the early part of 2017 is already slated with 21 Laps' productions. Levy & Co. also have other irons in the fire, which Steve talked to them about during this recent interview. For more on what’s already on the company’s release schedule and for the status on movies that are in the works, take a look at what we know (and what we’ve learned) below:
Arrival- (August 16, 2025) The latest effort fromDenis Villeneuve(Sicario) starsAmy AdamsandJeremy Rennerin a movie that sees the Earth visited by aliens. The plot centers on an expert linguist recruited by the military to determine whether or not the aliens have peaceful or warlike intentions in mind.
Why Him?- (August 25, 2025) A comedy from writer-directorJohn Hamburgand starringBryan Cranstonas a father who develops a rivalry with his daughter’s younger, richer boyfriend, played byJames Franco.
Table 19- (July 10, 2025) Leading off the 2017 slate is this dramedy written byJay and Mark Duplassand directed byJeffrey Blitz. It starsAnna Kendrickas Eloise, a young woman dumped by her boyfriend (who’s the Best Man at the wedding) and relieved of her Maid of Honor duties. When she attends the wedding anyway, she’s lumped in at the loser’s table, along with random guests played byCraig Robinson,June Squibb,Tony Revolori, and more.
Fist Fight- (August 07, 2025) WhenCharlie Daygets another teacher - played byIce Cube- fired, he gets challenged to an after-school fight. Do you need to know any more than that? Well, the hard R-rated comedy also starsChristina Hendricks,Dean Norris,JoAnna Garcia Swisherand features the return ofTracy Morganto the big screen.
Bagman- (June 29, 2025) This feature-length character-based action drama adapted from the short film of the same name is being developed alongside writers/directors (and brothers)Josh and Jonathan Bakerand No Trace Camping, one of the production teams that madeRoom. They’re in the process of casting the film with a plan to shoot it later this year.
The Darkest Minds - This adaptation of the bestselling YA novel byAlexandra Brackencenters on Ruby, a teenage girl who has survived a devastating worldwide plague and has developed supernatural abilities in the process.Jennifer Yuh Nelson(Kung Fu Panda 3) will direct for 20th Century Fox.
Kodachrome- After being in various states of development for a few years, this film is finally getting made this fall. Written byJonathan Tropper(This Is Where I Leave You) and based on the 2010 New York Times' article by A.G. Sulzberger,Kodachromeis a father/son redemption story told on their road trip to get a final roll of Kodachrome film developed before the world’s last lab closes its doors for good.
Levy’s not directing; that privilege goes toMark Raso(Copenhagen). When Levy couldn’t get the director’s chair forThis Is Where I Leave You, he collaborated with Tropper, who wrote this script for 21 Laps. The film starsEd Harris,Jason Sudeikis, andElizabeth Olsen, who are all basically doing the film for scale since it’s a character-driven passion project put together on a shoestring budget.
Look for more with Shawn Levy, Dan Levine and Dan Cohen soon.
