A Final Wish

An early 2019 theatrical release is planned.Produced by Status Media & Entertainment, the film, which premiered earlier this year at Los Angeles’ Screamfest Horror Film Festival, follows a young man (Michael Welch), struggling in his life and career, who returns home to his devastated mother (Shaye) following the passing of his father, an antiques collector.Once home, he encounters a run of good luck but can’t shake the feeling that there is something sinister at work, and these events may be tied to a mysterious antiquity that, legend has it, grants wishes but kills and steals souls in return. Spencer Locke, Melissa Bolona and Tony Todd also star;The script is based on a story by Reddick, who co-wrote the screenplay with William Halfon and Jonathan Doyle.Woodward Jr produced the film with Lauren de Normandie, Johnny Cleveland, Reddick and Thommy Huston. Executive producers include Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Joe Listhaus, Patrick DePeters, Arthur Wylie and Dale Godboldo.“Anchored by amazing lead performances from Lin and Michael, The Final Wish is a suspenseful horror film with emotionally complex characters and themes that remain with viewers long after the credits roll,” said Yolanda Macias, EVP Acquisitions at Cinedigm. “Timothy and his team further elevate the picture with rich production design and beautiful cinematography and, of course, ample scares that will not fail to satisfy genre fans.”Cinedigm recently pacted for distribution rights to the military drama SGT. Will Gardner, written and directed by Max Martini, who stars alongside Power‘s Omari Hardwick, Lily Rabe, Dermot Mulroney, Robert Patrick, Elisabeth Röhm, JoBeth Williams and Gary Sinise. That also is headed to theaters in January. ...

At 10 years old, he was diagnosed with an inoperable brain stem tumor. During his battle, he was still only thinking of others. "He was more about making other people happy and making sure other people were taken care of," his mother Janet Pollock said. Even though he didn't know at the time that he wouldn't make it to see Christmas that year, he still wanted to give back. "He said, 'Momma, for Christmas, I want to collect toys and dress up like Santa and hand them out to all the sick kids in the hospital,'" Pollock said. Luke would die that September and not get to fulfill his wish, but his mother knew she had to at least try. For the past 10 years, that final wish has grown and hundreds of toys are collected each year to take to sick children in the hospital. "He would be very happy and excited to see that his wish is doing so well," Pollock said. This year, things have changed a bit and several families were picked instead, and their wish lists will be fulfilled by the toy drive. There is still time to help with monetary donations. Click here for more information about the Luke's Wish Toy Drive. ...

First up, Fox Family has picked up Paper Lanterns, a live-action/animation hybrid feature to be written by illustrator Jonny Sun, author of the graphic novel Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too. Chernin Entertainment will produce.Per The Hollywood Reporter, which first broke the news, Fox Family has described Paper Lanterns as a story for all ages “that pays homage to Chinese folklore in a way that feels contemporary and fresh,” and not much else. (Yeah, we don’t have any plot or story details.)Sun recently teamed with Lin-Manuel Miranda for Gmorning, Gnight!: Little Pep Talks for Me & You. He is also a writer for the sixth season of Netflix’s BoJack Horseman.(Via THR)  Meanwhile, Cinedigm has announced that it has acquired the North American Distribution rights to Status Media & Entertainment’s horror film The Final Wish, a film most certainly not for the kids.Written by Final Destination scribe Jeffrey Reddick directed by Timothy Woodward Jr., The Final Wish follows a young man (Michael Welch) struggling in his life and career, who returns home to his devastated mother (Lin Shaye) following the death of his antiques-collecting father.Once home, he encounters a run of good luck, including winning the lottery and reconnecting with an old flame. Still, he can’t shake the feeling that there’s something sinister at work, and his good fortunes may be connected to a mysterious antique that (legend has it) grants wishes but kills and steals souls in return. Spencer Locke, Melissa Bolona and Tony Todd also star.Cinedigm’s Executive Vice President of Acquisitions Yolanda Macias said in a statement: “The Final Wish is a suspenseful horror film with emotionally-complex characters and themes that remain with viewers long after the credits roll.” Added Macias: “Timothy and his team further elevate the picture with rich production design and beautiful cinematography and, of course, ample scares that will not fail t...