Industry veterans and producers Frida Torresblanco (Pan’s Labyrinth) and Frank Murray (First Reformed), have launched Hangtime, a transatlantic production company headquartered in both London and New York.
Unveiled Tuesday as the duo works from the Cannes Film Festival and market, Hangtime will develop and produce U.S. and regional content with global appeal.
The partnership will focus on specialist and mainstream content across film, television, and documentaries in both English and Spanish language. The team is backed by an eight-figure investment out of New York and are in the late stages of securing an additional development fund.
Their lineup across film and television will span all genres including drama, crime, thrillers, action/adventure, horror, and sci-fi.
Whilst remaining true to “unwavering creative integrity, the company is built as an agile development-to-delivery operation with a focus on the fundamentals of production efficiency.” Hangtime will also work with partners to be market leaders in tech-forward production solutions.
In addition to incubating its own projects, Hangtime will also be an IP aggregator to service established studios and companies, as well as producer friends and strategic partners on both sides of the Atlantic.
The company will prioritize producing content in key markets alongside the U.S. and Spain, including U.K., Ireland, Australia, Canada, and Latin America.
“We are so very thankful to our backers for believing in our vision for Hangtime,” Murray said. “As a collective, we were quick to recognize the value of marrying Frida’s commitment to prestige auteur projects to my own devotion to hard and elevated genre. The global appetite for stories that excite, challenge, and even play to the darker corners of our nature is what I am personally committed to satiating.”
Torresblanco added: “Blurring the lines between the seen and the unseen, our aim is to craft stories that resonate deeply, cross every border, and celebrate the unity of the human spirit. We aim to unveil not just in films and series, but windows into new realities—where every voice is heard, and where every story has a chance at making a universal impact.”
Murray was most recently scripted head of production in the U.K. at Amazon MGM Studios from 2020-2023. He oversaw production on several original series including thriller The Devil’s Hour with Peter Capaldi and Jessica Raine which is currently filming its third season, and science fiction thriller The Power starring Toni Colette and John Leguizamo.
Previously, Murray was an independent producer, producing Paul Schrader’s critically acclaimed First Reformed starring Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried, which world premiered in competition at the Venice Film Festival and garnered an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.
Torresblanco was most recently CEO of Braven Films, which she founded in 2010. Her credits whilst there included Disobedience, written and directed by Sebastian Lelio and starring Rachel Weisz, Rachel McAdams and Alessandro Nivola. The film, produced in conjunction with Film4 and Ed Guiney (Poor Things) was nominated for five British Independent Film Awards, including Best British Independent Film.
Prior to Braven Films, Torresblanco co-founded Esperanto with producing partner and four-time Oscar-winning filmmaker, Alfonso Cuarón. During her tenure, she produced the critically acclaimed and three-time Oscar-winning Pan’s Labyrinth, written and directed by Guillermo del Toro.