“Sound of Freedom” is the biggest success story of the summer outside of “Barbenheimer,” with $182 million in box office for the child-trafficking thriller — but its director isn’t taking part in the spoils.
Alejandro Gómez Monteverde sold his back-end participation to get the film finished, which means the filmmaker didn’t get rich off the stunning theatrical success.
“Like any independent film, we ran out of money,” Monteverde told TheWrap. “I decided to sell my points to the producers so we could finish the picture.”
“I don’t even want to think about what those points might be worth,” he added.
The movie took a challenging path to the box office. Produced in 2018 by Sentient Entertainment (which also produced “Map to the Stars” and “Taken”), the picture ended up in limbo after initial distributor Fox Latin America was purchased by Disney. Producer Eduardo Verástegui bought back the rights and approached Angel Studios,...
Alejandro Gómez Monteverde sold his back-end participation to get the film finished, which means the filmmaker didn’t get rich off the stunning theatrical success.
“Like any independent film, we ran out of money,” Monteverde told TheWrap. “I decided to sell my points to the producers so we could finish the picture.”
“I don’t even want to think about what those points might be worth,” he added.
The movie took a challenging path to the box office. Produced in 2018 by Sentient Entertainment (which also produced “Map to the Stars” and “Taken”), the picture ended up in limbo after initial distributor Fox Latin America was purchased by Disney. Producer Eduardo Verástegui bought back the rights and approached Angel Studios,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Recently, Sound of Freedom director Alejandro Monteverde teased a potential sequel to the breakout hit of the summer, but making a Sound of Freedom 2 may be easier said than done. While the film has become a massive financial success ($178 million on a $14.5 million budget), Variety is reporting that given the way the film was financed, many parties involved could lay claim to the right to make a sequel, with Monteverde having only secured the right to make one film based on subject Tim Ballard’s life.
Indeed, producer Mike Ilitch Jr. apparently owns Ballard’s life rights, and he could theoretically make his own follow-up to the film. While it’s possible (and maybe even likely) that Illitch (who isn’t listed as a producer on Sound of Freedom) might team up with Monteverde and Angel Studios for a follow-up (as well as star Jim Caviezel), it’s not as...
Indeed, producer Mike Ilitch Jr. apparently owns Ballard’s life rights, and he could theoretically make his own follow-up to the film. While it’s possible (and maybe even likely) that Illitch (who isn’t listed as a producer on Sound of Freedom) might team up with Monteverde and Angel Studios for a follow-up (as well as star Jim Caviezel), it’s not as...
- 8/23/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
In a summer of many misses, “Sound of Freedom” has become a major and unlikely box office hit, making a sequel seem a foregone conclusion. But who exactly holds the rights to tackle a new outing? Well, it’s complicated.
A representative for producer Mike Ilitch Jr. told Variety that her client signed a deal with Tim Ballard, the anti-human trafficking activist who is the subject of the breakout film, “for exclusive life rights” and that the pair recently began developing a follow-up. Ilitch Jr., the son of Mike Ilitch, billionaire owner of Little Caesars Pizza, wasn’t going to stop there. He also planned a scripted series and a docuseries about Ballard’s various missions rescuing children from sexual exploitation.
The “Sound of Freedom” franchise plan also included leveraging an unnamed Ballard nonprofit and other nongovernmental organizations “to provide targeted resources, specific calls to action and further real-life and...
A representative for producer Mike Ilitch Jr. told Variety that her client signed a deal with Tim Ballard, the anti-human trafficking activist who is the subject of the breakout film, “for exclusive life rights” and that the pair recently began developing a follow-up. Ilitch Jr., the son of Mike Ilitch, billionaire owner of Little Caesars Pizza, wasn’t going to stop there. He also planned a scripted series and a docuseries about Ballard’s various missions rescuing children from sexual exploitation.
The “Sound of Freedom” franchise plan also included leveraging an unnamed Ballard nonprofit and other nongovernmental organizations “to provide targeted resources, specific calls to action and further real-life and...
- 8/23/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
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