Lionsgate has renewed its long-standing film slate deal with Grindstone Entertainment Group after signing new agreements with Grindstone president and CEO Barry Brooker and principal Stan Wertlieb.
The new deal, set to run through 2027, will cover upcoming releases like action-thriller Alarum, starring Sylvester Stallone and directed by Mike Polish; Dito Montiel-directed Riff Raff, starring Jennifer Coolidge and Ed Harris and recently acquired in Toronto; Wish You Were Here, Julia Stiles’ directorial debut toplined by Isabelle Fuhrman, Kelsey Grammer, Jennifer Grey, and Mena Massoud; and prolific genre director Brian Skiba’s The Gunslingers, starring Stephen Dorff, Nicolas Cage, and Heather Graham.
Lionsgate last re-upped its near-17 year deal with Grindstone in 2020 and before that in 2017.
“Our relationship has been a model of success for nearly 20 years because Barry and Stan anticipate and understand what the market wants and needs in a way that has been consistently profitable for both of our companies,” Ron Schwartz, president and COO of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group, said in a statement on Monday.
Over the years, Grindstone has expanded into the multiplatform streaming space with day-and-date theatrical/VOD releases and increased its strategic partnerships with international producers and other content creators worldwide.
“We couldn’t imagine a better home for our team or our filmmaking partners than Lionsgate, They are dominant worldwide leaders in handling the titles that have been our core specialty. As the demand for content continues to evolve, especially in the multiplatform arena, we couldn’t be in better or more capable hands,” Brooker and Wertlieb added in their own statement for Grindstone.
Recent Grindstone releases include Scott Mann’s survival thriller Fall, which has become a franchise; Damaged, with Samuel L. Jackson and Vincent Cassell; How the Gringo Stole Christmas, starring George Lopez; Desperation Road, Manadrome with Jesse Eisenberg; and Lamborghini with Frank Grillo, Mira Sorvino and Gabriel Byrne.