EXCLUSIVE: Ken Kao‘s prolific financier-producer Waypoint Entertainment has struck a first-look partnership with Watch This Ready, the indie production company co-founded by filmmakers Kyle Marvin and Michael Angelo Covino, alongside producer Emily Korteweg.
The two companies previously collaborated on the Dakota Johnson starrer Splitsville, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year and was picked up by Neon.
Under the new partnership, the companies will work together to develop, finance and produce original features, formalizing an ongoing creative relationship as Watch This Ready expands its slate across independent and studio-backed projects.
The first new film under the deal will be the feature comedy The Pull, written by Zoë Worth, and based on an original story by Marvin, who will also direct. He previously directed the Paramount comedy 80 For Brady.
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Waypoint Entertainment and Watch This Ready are developing The Pull in partnership with Fanatics Studios, the joint venture between Fanatics and OBB Media. The collaboration is due to draw on Fanatics’ sports access and leadership in the trading-card and collectibles space.
The Pull is described as “a propulsive comedic thriller following a small-time hustler mother as she navigates the world of high-value sports cards.” Kao and Josh Rosenbaum will produce for Waypoint alongside Korteweg and Covino for Watch This Ready, as well as Adam Paulsen.
Recent projects backed by Waypoint include Phil Lord & Christopher Miller’s Project Hail Mary; Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters; and Damian McCarthy’s Hokum, the latter produced under its genre banner Cweature Features. I Love Boosters and Hokum both premiered at this year’s SXSW Film & TV Festival.
Through its ongoing partnership with Neon, Waypoint has also co-financed and produced films including Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent, Ugo Bienvenu’s Arco, Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice and Oliver Laxe’s Sirāt.
Upcoming for Watch This Ready, also known for Cannes title The Climb, include The Last Fix, a Netflix comedy directed by Covino; an untitled Christmas movie with Neon; the feature directorial debut of Jeannie Sui Wonders; and an untitled action-thriller from filmmaker Pippa Bianco.
“WTR is a company of unicorns. It’s not often an opportunity arises with creators who can write, direct, act and produce all while having great taste,” said Kao and Rosenbaum. “Mike and Kyle never run out of good ideas and Emily is the linchpin who holds it all together. We are excited to officially join forces and give them the runway and tools to execute.”
“We just want to make great stuff with great people. Ken and Josh share that instinct. They have impeccable taste, work that speaks for itself, and have scaled strategically in ways that complement what we’re building,” added Watch This Ready’s Covino. “It’s a rare alchemy, and a partnership that fuels the expansion we’ve been working toward as filmmakers and producers,” added Korteweg.
Marvin is repped by WME and Canopy Media Partners, and Kim Jaime. Worth is repped by CAA, Canopy Media Partners, and Linda Lichter and David Jalenko.
