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Running Time: 117 minutes Release Date: Genre: Adventure/Drama Language: English Rating: 14A (14A) Following a grueling five-week shift at an Alaskan oil refinery, workers led by sharpshooter John Ottway (Liam Neeson) are flying home for a much-needed vacation. A brutal storm causes their plane to crash in the frozen wilderness, and only eight men (Frank Grillo, Dermot Mulroney), including Ottway, survive. As they trek southward toward civilization and safety, Ottway and his companions must battle mortal injuries, the icy elements, and a pack of hungry wolves. |
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- Notes provided by Open Road Films - THE GREY ONCE MORE INTO THE FRAY In THE GREY, Liam Neeson's character leads an unruly group of oil-rig roughnecks when their plane crashes into the remote Alaskan wilderness. Battling mortal injuries and merciless weather, the survivors have only a few days to escape the icy elements - and a vicious pack of rogue wolves on the hunt - before their time runs out. "This is a hard-core survivalist film," says director and co-writer Joe Carnahan, whose previous hits include NARC and SMOKIN' ACES. In THE GREY, a group of men must fight for their lives against the extreme cold and snow as well as a hungry pack of wolves protecting their den. "If you're afraid of wild animals or plane travel, this movie will put you off for a good, long time." "The picture crosses numerous genres," says producer Jules Daly. "It's a thriller. It's a horror film. It's a character-driven drama of men struggling to survive." Based on the short story "Ghost Walker" by Ian Mackenzie Jeffers, THE GREY marks the second collaboration between Carnahan and international superstar Liam Neeson (TAKEN, STAR WARS EPISODE 1, SCHINDLER'S LIST)), who previously teamed for the 2010 action-comedy THE A-TEAM. Serving as producer and executive producer respectively on THE GREY are Ridley and Tony Scott, who were also behind THE A-TEAM. "THE GREY triggered something very primal inside of me," says Neeson, who initially heard of the project while conducting a string of press interviews with Carnahan for THE A-TEAM in Berlin and later asked the director about the project over a lively dinner in London. After seeing the script, he quickly signed on for the lead, knowing full well that Carnahan would strive for realism by shooting on location near the sub-artic zone. "When I read the script, I was 57 years old, and the little boy inside me thought it would be great to take on such a demanding role," says Neeson. "I wanted audiences to say 'Wow, how did you guys do that?' At the same time, I was thinking, 'Jeez, can I physically do this?'" THE STORY THE GREY's storyline fired up Neeson's imagination as well. The film begins at a refinery in Alaska, where crude oil is broken into various elements for commercial use. Workers endure grueling five-week shifts 24/7, then have about two weeks off for vacation. One group of men heading back home encounter a brutal storm, causing the plane to crash in the Alaskan tundra. All on board are killed except for eight survivors who head south toward civilization, pursued by a pack of mysterious, almost mystical wolves practically prehistoric in their size and ferocity. Neeson portrays John Ottway, a sharpshooter who has been hired by the refinery to keep bears, canines and other wild beasts from attacking oil workers during their shifts. "Boy, I tell you what," enthuses Carnahan. "In terms of what I thought the film was going to be and what it is now, it would be tough to imagine anybody other than Liam in the role. How this character evolved and later shaped by him as an actor has wildly surpassed my expectations. He was able to bring a deeper, more profound sense of what life and death is about. When talking to younger actors, they didn't understand their own mortality. Liam is nearly sixty and, as vibrant and strong and tough as he is, he understands how we're all on the clock, every one of us. We're all being stalked by time." Carnahan strongly believes, "There's really no good or evil in the film -- there simply 'is'." He feels these basic thematic concepts of "predators" and "prey" protecting their territories might have been lost on a younger, more naive actor. While appreciating his character's own vulnerability, Neeson also recognizes the duality of his sharpshooter figure - serving as antagonist as well as protagonist. "My character has a specific relationship to these wolves," explains Neeson. "He works on the refinery's fence line and his job is to make sure the animals don't approach the men at work. What weighs heavily on Ottway's mind is that, perhaps, the wolves are now coming for revenge. THE ORIGINS Carnahan's interest was sparked by a short story by writer Jeffers called "Ghost Walkers" about oil workers hunted by a pack of rogue wolves following a plane crash. Jeffers crafted a rough screenplay, and Carnahan spent the next four years, on and off, developing the various characters and narrative. "It took a lot of time, but the story sparked my interest in a primal way," says the writer-director. "It mirrors what a man holds dear and important, and I also found that evolving as time went by." The "survival story" became infused with far more existential questions as the years of rewriting proceeded. "I wanted something that had deeper meaning, something that questioned nature and life and God. The wolves are part of that. They're as omniscient and all powerful as the rivers or the blizzards or anything else they encounter. I wanted to show these men as interlopers, the clash of industry versus the natural world. The centerpiece of the film is definitely these men and their journey. But I also wanted it to be more than just an interesting action film in which the audience knows where it's going." CASTING Bringing the diverse cast on board and making sure they complemented each other was like ''putting together a big puzzle," says producer Daly, explaining the director deliberately selected relative unknowns including Frank Grillo, Dallas Roberts, Joe Anderson, Nonso Anozie, Ben Bray, and James Badge Dale to fill out the testosterone-heavy lineup. If few of those names pop out, there's good reason. The key to casting was finding believable actors who could endure the physical rigors but who weren't easily identifiable. Explains Mulroney, "In most films, if you see a bunch of people getting on a plane and you already recognize six of them, then you already know who's going to survive the movie, and that kind of blows it. So Joe cast the film with really strong, dedicated actors -- some you might have seen before, but not all of them, not yet. Mulroney grew a beard for the role, and wears glasses so he's barely recognizable from his usual screen image. Grillo, a longtime friend of Carnahan's, portrays sociopathic John Diaz, and the actor even spent a night on Riker's island to prepare for his role. Grillo recalls screening the male bonding epic Deliverance with the rest of the cast early on to help prepare for their performances. "We wanted to see a group of guys who don't really know who they are when faced with dire circumstances," he says. "They're forced to transform. Maybe the hero isn't really so brave by the end of the film. Maybe the bad guy isn't so evil." Says Carnahan, "I always looked at it in a way that each of these characters is a different facet of Ottway's own personality -- there's the tough guy, the coward, the sensitive one, the husband. I tried to metaphorically set it in that way, but without drawing too much of a line to any one thing. The story asks simply, 'Who are you? How do you want to live? How do you want to die?'" SHOOTING IN SMITHERS, BRITISH COLUMBIA Connecting was made easier as the crew gathered on a remote mountain set in Smithers, a small town of 5,500 in British Columbia, Canada about a 12-hour drive north of Vancouver. "There's that great Sir Ernest Shackleton quote about what the ice wants, the ice takes," says Carnahan. "We certainly experienced that on the mountain. We were completely at the mercy of nature's whims, and, as frustrating as it was, I also found it fascinating." From the get-go, the director insisted on realism, keeping actors hip-deep in snow and facing bracing winds on the mountain slope. "There were icicles on my eyelashes, it was that insane," says Roberts, who portrays Hendricks. "It was the coldest place I'd ever been in my life," says Grillo. "Eighty mph winds, freezing out there for hours. I'd be trying to say a line and my mouth wouldn't move. Says Carnahan, "We got kicked off the mountain three times by complete white-outs. I had partial frostbite on my fingers and toes." "Absolutely freezing -- it shocked me to my very core," concurs Anozie. Mulroney adds, "All the preparation you do on the script, the reading about airplane wrecks, the research into wolves -- it all goes out the window. Because when you're standing on a mountain and it's 20 below zero with 60 mile an hour winds snowing sideways, none of that matters. You're just being there." "You know, it's tough to fake cold weather," says Carnahan. "There's a common tool used to create wind on screen called 'the ritter fan.' but when you see some of the windy shots in The Grey, there aren't enough ritter fans in the world that could create that effect of what mother nature did to us up on that mountain. i could have set the script in tahiti with wild boars, but that didn't occur to me. Instead, we were on this godforsaken mountain freezing our asses off. You can't act it, you just have to behave it because it's so damn cold." Adds producer Daly, "We needed it to be tough on everybody, because we knew that the more the cold affected the actors, the more realistic it would appear on screen." Says Mulroney, "When I say 'cold,' I mean intensely, painfully, near-frostbite cold. It was excruciatining. Joe conceived of and wrote the movie with that in mind -- man going through the most extreme conditions and harshest environment imaginable. He was determined to make a movie in which the actors truly suffered." "We got great stuff because of the weather, man, just some beautiful scenery," says stunt coordinator turned actor Ben Bray. "There's nothing that matches that look on a studio set or a soundstage. When audiences see us out there, it's clear that it's not a mock-up, it's not fake, it's not CGI. This is real snow, blowing at 70, 80, 90 miles an hour, and it's pretty gnarly stuff." Adds Joe Anderson, who portrays young oil rigger Todd Flannery, "the snow became its own character." Conditions were challenging for everyone on the shoot, to say the least. "You could only access the set by snow cat or snowmobile," says Carnahan. "There were no creature comforts out there. No perks." In between shots on the mountain set, from 7:30 in the morning until late in the afternoon, there was no lounging in lavish trailers. Because of the extreme weather conditions, the cast holed up in small tractor boxes and shipping crates to keep warm. The male bonding taking place over those long hours of below-zero temperatures led to some unusual circumstances while shooting. Perhaps the most memorable incident took place when the gang of actors was literally buried up to their thighs in ice-cold snow, a white-out obscured everyone's vision, and the camera operators faced serious problems with a planned crane shot because the oil needed to move the machinery was frozen solid. "It was just a physically impossible time during the first few days," Neeson remembers. "We had lines to memorize and our brains were freezing and all we could think about was how to stay warm." During that unbearable moment, hulking British actor Nonso Anozie suddenly launched into a Shakespearian oratory about the elements from Othello in his booming baritone. "He was just so exhilarating and it made us all feel so...right," recalls Neeson. "It reminded us that, yes, it may be minus forty degrees outside but we're actors, damn it, and we're going to get through this scene no matter what. It filled us all with this great warmth, and I'll never forget hearing that man's voice for as long as I live." But months later the cast and crew recall the extreme weather really as something that bonded their relationships, in some ways reflecting the harsh struggles faced by the fictional characters in the script. Perhaps Bray, who portrays the character Hernandez, put it best when describing the dilemma faced by the cast. "We play the riffraff, the ex-cons, the journeymen, the guys who are just happy to keep a job and get some time off to be with their families. We all seem to be completely opposite but, eventually, we've all got to work together as a team to try and get out. There's this mystery about what is out there. We're in the middle of nowhere. We don't know what's going to happen. All we're trying to do is survive and it's a hell of a challenge. It really is. And it is really, really, really spooky." THE WOLVES "You're completely boned if you can't sell those wolves," insists Carnahan. "We've always said that if we didn't get the wolves right, we don't get the movie right," says producer Daly. Though the director could have taken the conventional route and added all the creatures with computer generated images in post-production, Carnahan smartly used CGI as an adjunct to various other systems, such as giant puppet animatronics and trained live animals. Carnahan watched hours of nature documentaries, read Shaun Ellis' books on wolf behavior, and learned all he could about the actual creatures. Yet he wanted something more mysterious and fantasy-like. "I wanted it to be realistic, and at the same time I wanted the wolves to be bigger than normal," he explains. "By their nature, wolves are not gigantic animals, yet we found examples of 250-pound wolves that would actually fight with grizzly bears." Academy Award and Emmy-winning special effects wizard Greg Nicotero served as Creatures Supervisor for the KNB Effects with Mike Fields, Alex Diaz, David Wogh, and Bethamber Hathaway manipulating wolf ``puppets. James Paradis coordinated special effects, with more than a dozen assistants working in the effects shop. Gerry Thierien of Action Animals was in charge of overseeing the actual wolves. "The combination was really the way to go," concludes Daly. "One technique alone probably would not have worked, but together they complement each other." Says actor Dallas Roberts, "We used some amazing puppets that can realistically move and bleed and snarl. It's great because it's not all computer stuff with green screens and ping-pong balls. Instead, there's a wolf actually standing there, breathing heavily just inches from my own face." Agrees Carnahan, "Having the actors interacting with something real was the best way for them to work -- as opposed to saying, 'Okay, here's a tennis ball on a stick. Now just pretend you're wrestling with a gigantic wolf that's trying to kill you.'" Carnahan has heard from conservationists who believe that wolves never attack humans, and says his creature creations are different from real life beasts. "While I'm deeply appreciative of the idea that wolves don't attack people, they are still very much wild animals and part of nature. I was never trying to portray wolves as vicious killers. However, they're in the wild and they'll protect what is theirs." For Academy Award-nominated Neeson, it was the chance to reteam with a solid director and a story touching on extreme emotions that served as the major draws. "On THE A-TEAM I learned about Joe's phenomenal passion and energy, and, on THE GREY, those qualities seem to have doubled," concludes the actor. "He's also a very funny guy, and I think you need a sense of humor because in certain scenes you go into some really dark places. It's all about survival, about keeping your body and soul together, because if the elements don't get you then the wolves most definitely will. When the camera is turned on and you're facing those kinds of incredibly intense situations, that's what real acting is all about." Or, to quote the great ice explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton once more, "We had seen God in His splendors, heard the text that Nature renders. We had reached the naked soul of man."
THE GREY Ottway LIAM NEESON Directed by JOE CARNAHAN ABOUT THE CAST LIAM NEESON - Ottway Earlier this year, Neeson completed filming for Universal's BATTLESHIP expected in theatres next year, and could be seen opposite Diane Kruger and January Jones in the psychological thriller about stolen identity titled UNKNOWN. Additionally in 2011, Neeson co-starred in the Warner Bros' remake of the 1981 film CLASH OF THE TITANS, which tells the myth of Perseus and his quest to battle both Medusa and the Kraken monster in order to save the princess Andromeda. A sequel is currently in the works for release in 2012. Last year, Neeson appeared in AFTER LIFE opposite Christina Ricci. The film involves a young woman caught between life and death and a funeral director who appears to have the gift of transitioning the dead. Additionally he could be seen in the remake of the popular TV series THE A TEAM alongside Bradley Cooper and Jessica Biel, as an ex-con in Paul Haggis' THE NEXT THREE DAYS and as the voice of Aslan the Lion in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER. 2009 saw the debut of the BBC film FIVE MINUTES OF HEAVEN which received rave reviews at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. In 2008 Neeson starred in TAKEN the runaway box-office hit in about an ex-soldier trying to track down the Albanian slave masters who have kidnapped his daughter. Additionally in 2008 Neeson once again teamed up with Laura Linney in Richard Eyre's THE OTHER MAN. In May of 2008 Neeson appeared in Disney's box office success THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN where he reprised his role as the voice of the Lion, Aslan, in the sequel to the 2005 hit THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE. That same year he also returned to the stage at the Lincoln Center Festival in Gate/Beckett: EH JOE directed by Atom Egoyan. In 2006 Neeson graced the screen in the classic revenge drama SERAPHIM FALLS opposite Pierce Brosnan. In 2005, he appeared in Ridley Scott's crusades epic KINGDOM OF HEAVEN. He also co-starred that year in BATMAN BEGINS directed by Christopher Nolan. Neeson's portrayal of Alfred Kinsey in Bill Condon's KINSEY co-starring Laura Linney, garnered him a Best Actor award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association. Prior to that, Neeson co-starred with Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and Keira Knightly in the Working Title film LOVE ACTUALLY (2003), written and directed by Richard Curtis. Neeson starred in the box-office phenomenon STAR WARS: EPISODE 1 - THE PHTANTOM MENACE (1999) in the role of Qui-Gon Jinn, the Master Jedi Knight who bestows his Force-ful wisdom upon Obi-Wan Kenobi and the young Anakin Skywalker. In the same year, he starred opposite Catherine Zeta-Jones in Jan De Bont's THE HAUNTING (1999).In addition, he starred in the screen adaptation of Victor Hugo's LES MISERABLES in the role of Jean Valjean, co-starring Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes. Also that year, Neeson played Oscar Wilde in David Hare's new play, ¨The Judas Kiss which opened in London's West End and subsequently on Broadway. Neeson starred in the title role in Neil Jordan's MICHAEL COLLINS (1996) for which he received Best Actor honors at the Venice Film Festival, a Golden Globe(R) Best Actor nomination, and London's prestigious Evening Standard Award for Best Actor. The film also received the highest honor in Venice -- The Golden Lion Award. It was in 1993 when Neeson received worldwide attention for his starring role in the Academy Award(R) winning film SHINDLER´S LIST. In addition to winning an Academy Award(R) nomination for Best Actor, he was nominated for a Golden Globe(R) and BAFTA Award. The Irish-born actor had originally sought a career as a teacher after attending Queens University, Belfast and majoring in physics, computer science and math. Neeson set teaching aside and in 1976 joined the prestigious Lyric Players Theatre in Belfast (``The best training any actor could have.), making his professional acting debut in Joseph Plunkett's ¨The Risen People. After two years with the Lyric Players, he joined the famed National Theatre of Ireland, the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. Neeson appeared in the Abbey Theatre Festival's production of Brian ¨Translations and a production of Sean O'Casey's ¨The Plough and the Stars¨ for the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, England where he received a Best Actor Award. In 1992, he starred as both a Nazi engineer in David Seltzer's adaptation of Susan Isaac's best-selling novel SHINING THROUGH opposite Michael Douglas; and as a disgraced policeman accused of murder in the erotic thriller UNDER SUSPICION. Neeson then continued to star in a succession of film, most notably playing the sensitive art historian vying for the affections of Mia Farrow and Judy Davis in Woody Allen's controversial HUSBANDS AND WIVES (1992). His other credits include ETHAN FROME (1993) with Joan Allen, Michael Apted's NELL (1994), starring opposite Jodie Foster and Natasha Richardson; BEFORE AND AFTER (1996) with Meryl Streep; and the title role in Michael Canton-Jones' ROB ROY(1995), co-starring Jessica Lange. Neeson made his Broadway debut in 1993 receiving a Tony(R) Award nomination in the Roundabout Theater's revival of Eugene O'Neill's 1921 drama ¨Anna Christie¨ co-starring Natasha Richardson. FRANK GRILLO - Diaz Grillo's previous film credits include Wes Craven's MY SOUL TO TAKE; MOTHER'S DAY with Jamie King and Rebecca De Mornay; EDGE OF DARKNESS with Mel Gibson and directed by Martin Campbell; Gavin O'Connor's PRIDE AND GLORY with Colin Farrell and Edward Norton; Steven Spielberg's MINORITY REPORT with Tom Cruise; and THE SWEETEST THING with Cameron Diaz and Christina Applegate. Grillo's television credits include starring roles on ``The Shield, ``Prison Break, ``The Gates, ``The Kill Point with John Leguizamo, ``Battery Park with Elizabeth Perkins and ``Blind Justice with Ron Eldard, as well as guest star appearances on ``Law & Order: SVU, ``Without a Trace, ``CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, ``CSI: NY, ``Las Vegas and ``The District. The oldest of three children, Frank grew up in New York City and spent his teen years in Rockland, New York. He migrated back to NYC to study and pursue acting where he eventually landed his first major role on the long running daytime drama ``Guiding Light. After three years, he left the soap to star in his first of many television pilots. He is an avid boxer and martial artist and sits on the board of Love our Children, a charity that educates against child abuse. Grillo lives in New York with his wife and three sons. DERMOT MULRONEY - Talget In November he can be seen in Clint Eastwood's J. EDGAR for Warner Brothers. The film tells the story of J. Edgar Hoover and his life in law enforcement. Mulroney plays 'Colonel Schwarzkopf' to Leonardo Di Caprio's J. Edgar. December 7th debuts the TNT movie SILENT WITNESS. The film shows a prominent defense attorney 'Tony Lord who returns to his hometown to defend an old friend, a teacher accused of murdering one of his students. Dermot returns again in February with the Universal family feature BIG MIRACLE, directed by Ken Kwapis. He stars opposite Drew Barrymore, Kristen Bell, and John Krasinski about a small town newspaper reporter who writes about three California gray whales trapped in the Arctic Circle. Mulroney is a classily trained cellist who has been playing since he was 7 years old. He has worked on numerous projects with Academy Award winning composers such as James Newton Howard and Michael Giacchino Mulroney resides in Los Angeles with his family. DALLAS ROBERTS - Henrick With a colorful list of film credits, Dallas Roberts can be seen in two films with director James Mangold - 3:10 TO YUMA opposite Russell Crowe and Christian Bale and WALK THE LINE opposite Joaquin Phoenix. Also in his repertoire is SHRINK opposite Kevin Spacey, JOSHUA opposite Vera Farmiga and Sam Rockwell, TELL TALE with Josh Lucas and Brian Cox, FLICKA starring Alison Lohman and Tim McGraw, THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE for director Mary Harron, WINTER PASSING directed by Adam Rapp, and a starring role in A HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD opposite Colin Farrell, Robin Wright Penn and Sissy Spacek. Other upcoming films include the independent features THE RIVER WHY with William Hurt and Zach Gilford and INGENIOUS opposite Jeremy Renner. TV includes the recurring role of Alicia's brother Owen in "The Good Wife" opposite Julianna Margulies; series regular roles on AMC's "Rubicon and Showtime's "The L Word"; as well as guest star roles on all three "Law & Order" series. Off-Broadway, Dallas starred in the hit productions of Edward Albee's "Peter and Jerry", Caryl Churchill's ``A Number opposite Sam Shepard, and ``Burn This opposite Edward Norton. He received a Drama Desk nomination for Lead Actor for his performance in Adam Rapp's "Nocturne" at NY Theatre Workshop. He originated the role of ``Edward Kynaston in Jeffrey Hatcher's ``Compleat Female Stage Beauty (at the Contemporary American Theatre Festival) as well as the role of ``Chase in Adam Rapp's ``Finer Noble Gases (at the Humana Festival). Roberts is a graduate of the Juilliard School. JOE ANDERSON - Flannery Not only is Anderson a talented actor but he is also a gifted musician having performed several vocal numbers for the soundtrack of ACROSS THE UNIVERSE as well as playing the bass in CONTROL and THE 27 CLUB. His performance in THE 27 CLUB garnered him the Best Actor Drama award at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in 2008 and has also been recognized by the Rising Star Award at the California Independent Film Festival in 2008. NONSO ANOZIE - Burke Nonso has been recognized with a variety of awards and accolades including the Ian Charleson Award as the First Place Winner for ``King Lear and ``Othello. He was awarded the Screen Nation Award for Emerging Talent in CASS as well as 2011 Male Performance in TV. Nonso won Best Actor for his role in ``Othello by the Chinese Magnolia Awards. ``Occupation won Best Drama with the British Press Guild and BAFTAs. JAMES BADGE DALE - Lewenden Dale just completed SHAME. In SHAME, the second picture directed by Steve McQueen, after THE HUNGER which won international awards, Dale costars with Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan in a very controversial and sexually charged drama which will be release by Fox Searchlight in December 2011. Dale's next project is Marc Forster's WORLD WAR Z based on the highly successful novel by Max Brooks in which he stars alongside Brad Pitt and Ed Harris. Dale was most recently seen on the big screen as 'William Hamilton' in Robert Redford's historical drama THE CONSPIRATOR (Lionsgate) starring Robin Wright, James McAvoy, Justin Long, and Evan Rachel Wood. In television he starred in AMC's critically acclaimed series ``Rubicon. His most recognized role in television was his lead performance as 'Robert Leckie' in the Emmy and Peabody awarded HBO's epic miniseries "The Pacific." The 10-hour event intertwined stories of three U.S. Marines in the Pacific battles against Japan during World War II. Executive produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman. He's also remembered as 'Barrigan' in Martin Scorcese's Academy Award-winning film THE DEPARTED and 'Chase Edmunds', Kiefer Sutherland's younger partner in the hit television series ``24. Dale, who began his film career at an early age in ``LORD OF THE FLIES, is the son of late Broadway, film and television star Anita Morris and two-time Tony Award-winning Director/Choreographer, Grover Dale. Theatre being his passion, he followed his parents into the arts making his Off Broadway debut in 2003 with The Flea Theatre Company's ``Getting into Heaven. Since then, he has returned to the stage to work with The New Group and New World Stages. BEN BRAY - Hernandez Bray started boxing at a very young age 10 and has over 30 years amateur and professional experience. He started The John Bray Boxing Foundation with his brother who was on the Olympic Boxing Team. The charity group helps keep kids off the streets and away from drugs and violence. He was discovered at a gym when he was 21 by a director looking to cast a real fighter to play a part opposite lead Gary Stretch who was an X WBC world welter champion. The film was called DEAD CONNECTION and starred Michael Madsen. Bray decided to pursue a career as a stuntman. While training in picture fights, high falls, stunt driving, fire burns and wire work, he was accepted into Lee Strasberg's Actors studio and The Rick Walters Theatre Company. After 23 years as a stuntman with over 100 film and television credits such as TRANSFORMERS, IRON MAN, SPIDER MAN, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THE A TEAM, THE FIGHTER,``CSI Miami and ``Sons of Anarchy, he decided to start pursuing his acting career. Acting credits include such films as REEL STEEL, THE A TEAM, I HEART HUCKABEES and THE GREY. He has guest starred on ``Breaking Bad, ``The Shield and ``CSI Miami. He can be seen in the upcoming Oliver Stone film SAVAGES, and SNITCH with Dwayne Johnson. Bray has also served as Second Unit Director on THE GREY, SMOKING ACES and the upcoming film SILVER LINING PLAYBOOK (starring Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro). He is currently writing his first screenplay with Joe Carnahan and plans to star as the lead! ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS JOE CARNAHAN - Director / Writer / Producer IAN MACKENZIE JEFFERS - Writer JULES DALY - Producer RIDLEY SCOTT - Producer Scott has garnered multiple nominations over his illustrious career. In addition to his Academy Award(R) and DGA nominations, he also earned a Golden Globe(R) nomination for Best Director for AMERICAN GANGSTER, starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. As he also served as a producer on the true-life drama, Scott received a BAFTA nomination for Best Film. Scott also received Golden Globe(R) and BAFTA nominations for Best Director for his epic GLADIATOR. The film won the Academy Award(R), Golden Globe(R), and BAFTA awards for Best Picture. In 1977, Scott made his feature film directorial debut with THE DUELLISTS, for which he won the Best First Film Award at the Cannes Film Festival. He followed with the blockbuster science-fiction thriller ALIEN, which catapulted Sigourney Weaver to stardom and launched a successful franchise. In 1982, Scott directed the landmark film BLADE RUNNER, starring Harrison Ford. Considered a science-fiction classic, the futuristic thriller was added to the U.S. Library of Congress' National Film Registry in 1993, and a director's cut of BLADE RUNNER was released to renewed acclaim in 1993 and again in 2007. Scott's additional film directing credits include LEGEND, starring Tom Cruise; SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME; BLACK RAIN, starring Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia; 1492: CONQUEST OF PARADISE; WHITE SQUALL, starring Jeff Bridges; G.I. JANE, starring Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen; HANNIBAL, starring Anthony Hopkins and Julianne Moore; BODY OF LIES, starring Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio; A GOOD YEAR, starring Russell Crowe and Albert Finney; the epic KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, with Orlando Bloom and Jeremy Irons; and MATCHSTICK MEN, starring Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell. Scott's latest directorial effort was the hit version of the timeless tale of ROBIN HOOD marking his fifth collaboration with star Russell Crowe, also starring Cate Blanchett. Ridley and his brother Tony formed commercial and advertising production company RSA in 1967. RSA has an established reputation for creating innovating and groundbreaking commercials for some of the world's most recognized corporate brands. In 1995, Ridley and Tony formed the film and television production company Scott Free. With offices in Los Angeles and London, the Scott's have produced such films as IN HER SHOES, THE A-TEAM, CYRUS, and the Academy Award(R)-nominated THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES. They also executive produced the Emmy(R), Peabody, and Golden Globe(R) winning hit TV show THE GOOD WIFE for CBS, as well as the hit long-running series, NUMBERS, which ran for six seasons also on CBS. In addition, Ridley and Tony also served as executive producers on the company's long-form projects including the Starz miniseries ``The Pillars of The Earth; the A&E miniseries ``The Andromeda Strain, based on the book by Michael Crichton; the TNT miniseries ``The Company; and the award-winning HBO movies RKO 281, THE GATHERING STORM, and INTO THE STORM. In 2003, Scott was awarded a knighthood from the Order of the British Empire in recognition of his contributions to the arts. MICKEY LIDELL - Producer JIM SEIBEL - Executive Producer BILL JOHNSON - Executive Producer Inferno is currently producing 2 to 3 feature films per year in addition to handling international sales on other productions. Since its inception, Inferno has arranged over $400 million in institutional equity and debt financing including deals with Comerica bank, ABN AMRO, and New York based Hedge Fund D.B. Zwirn. In 2008, Johnson orchestrated a multi-picture distribution deal for Inferno with Sony Entertainment. Since 2003, Johnson has produced or executive produced 17 films including recent titles KILLER ELITE (Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro) and COGAN'S TRADE (Brad Pitt). TONY SCOTT - Executive Producer Recently, Scott directed the box office hit UNSTOPPABLE marking his fifth collaboration with Denzel Washington. Previously the two worked together on THE TAKING OF PELHAM 123, MAN ON FIRE, the acclaimed CRIMSON TIDE, and DÉJÀ VU - which also marked Scott's sixth collaboration with producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Scott's first collaboration with Bruckheimer was the mega-blockbuster classic, TOP GUN, which Scott directed starring Tom Cruise. The next year, Scott directed BEVERLY HILLS COP II, starring Eddie Murphy, followed by DAYS OF THUNDER (1990), reuniting Scott with Tom Cruise and Robert Duvall. Scott solidified his place as one of Hollywood's top directors with the critically acclaimed TRUE ROMANCE (1993), starring Christian Slater, Roseanna Arquette and Christopher Walken, with a script by Quentin Tarantino. Scott also released one of the biggest hits of 1998 - reuniting him with Jerry Bruckheimer and Gene Hackman in ENEMY OF THE STATE, starring Will Smith. Scott made his feature debut in 1983 with the modern vampire story THE HUNGER, starring Catherine Deneuve, David Bowie, and Susan Sarandon. Scott's other film credits include: REVENGE (1988), with Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn; THE LAST BOY SCOUT (1991), with Bruce Willis; THE FAN (1996), starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes; SPY GAME (2001) starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt; and DOMINO (2005) starring Keira Knightley as real life bounty hunter Domino Harvey. Born in Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, England, Scott attended the Sunderland Art School, where he received a fine arts degree in painting. While completing a yearlong post-graduate study at Leeds College, he developed an interest in cinematography and made ONE OF THE MISSING, a half hour film financed by the British Film Institute and based on an Ambrose Bierce short story. He then went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts degree at the Royal College of Arts, completing another film for the British Film Institute, LOVING MEMORY, from an original script financed by Albert Finney. In 1967, Scott partnered with his brother Ridley to form the London-based commercial production company, RSA. Over the next decade, Scott created some of the world's most entertaining and memorable commercials, honing his film vocabulary and picking up every major honor in the field, including: a number of Clio awards, several Silver and Gold Lion Awards from the Cannes International Television/Cinema Commercials Festival, and London's prestigious Designers & Art Directors Award. While working as a commercial director, Scott also made three movies for television: two documentaries and a one-hour special entitled ``Author of Beltraffio from the story by Henry James. In 2002, under the RSA banner, Scott produced a series of stylish short film adver-tainments for automaker BMW starring Clive Owen. Scott himself directed one of these shorts entitled ``Beat The Devil that featured Owen, James Brown and Gary Oldman. In 1995, the two brothers went on to form the film and television production company Scott Free. With offices in Los Angeles and London, the Scott's have produced such films as IN HER SHOES, THE A-TEAM, CYRUS, and the Academy Award-nominated THE ASSASINATION OF JESSE JAMES. They also executive produced the Emmy(R), Peabody, and Golden Globe(R) winning hit TV show ``The Good Wife for CBS, as well as the hit long-running series, ``Numbers, which ran for six seasons also on CBS. In addition, Ridley and Tony also served as executive producers on the company's long-form projects including the Starz miniseries ``The Pillars of The Earth; the A&E miniseries ``The Andromeda Strain, based on the book by Michael Crichton; the TNT miniseries ``The Company; and the award-winning HBO movies RKO 281, THE GATHERING STORM, and INTO THE STORM. JENNIFER HILTON MONROE - Executive Producer SPENCER SILNA - Executive Producer Born and raised in Los Angeles, Silna graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois with a bachelor's degree in psychology and theatre. ROSS T. FANGER - Executive Producer In 1986, Fanger became the location manager on the feature BARFLY starring Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway, He spent the next couple of years location managing such films as MIRACLE MILE, LOVERBOY, and THE BOOST. In 1988, he was hired by The Walt Disney Studios as a Production Executive. Over the next 5 years Fanger oversaw production on some 20 features, including, GROSS ANATOMY, BILLY BATHGATE, THE PROGRAM, COOL RUNNINGS, THE MIGHTY DUCKS 1 & 2. In 1995 Fanger moved out of the studio and back in the freelance world, Production Managing, the Adam Sandler picture, BILLY MADISON. Fanger was the production Manager on Walt Disney's TOM & HUCK in 1996. This then led to a job as a Co-Producer Walt Disney's That Darn Cat the following year. And in 1998, Fanger production managed Sony Pictures, DESPERATE MEASURES, starring Micheal Keaton and Andy Garcia. Later in 1998 Fanger went back to Disney to production manage 2 more Disney features, HOLYMAN starring Eddie Murphy, and 10 THINGS I HATE ABOUT YOU, starring Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles. After a successful run at Disney, in 1999 Fanger was hired by 20th Century Fox and Ralph Winter to production manage the original X-MEN, with Bryan Singer directing. In 2001, Fanger teamed up with Winter again, and was the Associate Producer/Production Manager on Tim Burton's PLANET OF THE APES for Fox. The following year, Fanger joined Bryan Singer once more and Co-produced the highly anticipated sequel X-MEN 2, starring Halle Berrie, Hugh Jackman, and Ian McKellan. 2004 saw Fanger as the Co-Producer of THE FANTASTIC FOUR for Fox and Marvel. 2005 kept Fanger busy as he Co-Produced on Brett Ratner's X3-THE LAST STAND for 20th Century Fox and Marvel. In 2006 he Co-Produced the next installment of Fox/Marvel's THE FANTASTIC FOUR franchise: Rise of the Silver Surfer. Fanger became head of production at Marvel Studios, in 2007, where he supervised Iron Man and The Hulk. In 2009 Fanger was Executive Producer of The A-team for Fox. MASANOBU TAKAYANAGI - Director of Photography His recent feature film works are THE SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK (2012), WARRIOR (2011), MARLEY (2011, additional photography), THE EAGLE (2011, 2nd unit), MEET MONICA VELOUR (2010), EAT PRAY LOVE (2010, 2nd unit), PROMISES WRITTEN IN THE WATER (2010), AMAR A MORIR (2009), STATE OF PLAY (2009, 2nd unit), BABEL (2006, 2nd unit), etc. ROGER BARTON - Editor Barton has worked on several of Bay's films, including PEARL HARBOR, BAD BOYS 2, THE ISLAND, and the Platinum Dunes released THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (2005). Among his other films are ERAGON, GET RICK OR DIE TRYIN', STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH, and GHOST SHIP. He last edited the Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON starring Shia LaBeouf. JASON HELLMAN - Editor MARC STREITENFELD - Composer GREG NICOTERO - Creatures Supervisor & HOWARD BERGER - Special Effects Makeup 2011 has showcased KNB's talents in both the feature film and television field, lending their expertise to FRIGHT NIGHT starring Colin Farrell, SPY KIDS 4, as well as the creation of animatronic dolphin for Alcon Entertainment's acclaimed family fare, DOLPHIN TALE. Currently, Nicotero, who has been upped to Co-Executive Producer and Director on the smash second season of THE WALKING DEAD, preps their 6 collaboration with Quentin Tarantino on DJANGO UNCHAINED while Howard resides in Oz with Sam Raimi on Disney's OZ: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL.In the past, films like SIN CITY have been lauded. For the character prosthetics created for Mickey Rourke and Benecio Del Toro and won them the 2005 HOLLYWOOD FILM FESTIVAL AWARD for MAKE-UP OF THE YEAR. KNB received the 2001 Emmy Award for Best Visual Effects for the mini-series DUNE as well as multiple nominations and awards from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror in recent years. Their contributions to THE CELL and THE TIME MACHINE earned Academy Award Nominations for Best Make-up while the fantasy characters for THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE won them both the British Academy Award and Academy Award for Best Achievement in Make-up in 2006. This year they were awarded their 3rd Emmy Award for their groundbreaking makeup effects work on AMC's THE WALKING DEAD. Both Howard and Greg met while filming DAY OF THE DEAD in Pittsburgh, PA in 1984 and became fast friends. Greg moved to Los Angeles and worked with Howard at numerous makeup effects studios until the 2 decided to take the chance and begin their own studio, the chance paid off. Greg Nicotero discarded his pre-med schooling and began his career with of director George Romero and effects master Tom Savini in Pittsburgh and quickly relocated to Hollywood. His skills as a prosthetics coordinator helped him adapt easily to the needs of the film industry. Greg's good natured personality and devotion has won over directors such as Frank Darabont, Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino. Greg lives in Tarzana with his wife and 2 children. Greg continues to expand his directing skills, having conceived and directed a series of webisodes for THE WALKING DEAD that received over 4 million hits while his a short film, a period 1950's newsreel homage to classic monsters, entitled THE UNITED MONSTER TALENT AGENCY, played on AMC's FEARFEST. Greg also serves as second unit director on THE WALKING DEAD as well as such films as LAND OF THE DEAD and THE MIST. Howard Berger met his idol, the legendary Stan Winston, when he was 13 years old. Stan took him under his wing and encouraged him to be an up-and-coming artisan. Stressing the importance of education, Winston promised to hire Berger after high school with the understanding he maintain high grades and prove his attention to detail. Winston lived up to his promise and hired Berger at 18 years old to work on PREDATOR and ALIENS, Berger soon went on to work with another of his idols, Rick Baker, on HARRY AND THE HENDERSONS for which Baker earned an Academy Award for Best Makeup. Howard lives in Sherman Oaks with his wife and 3 children. Recently relocating to a state of the art 20,000 square foot facility located in Chatsworth, California is now the new home to a variety of tremendously skilled designers, sculptors, painters and lab technicians. From extensive prosthetic character makeups to fully animatronic puppets, Greg and Howard have been able to pride themselves on working with some of the most talented artists in Hollywood. Their personal devotion to each project has endeared them to the best directors in the business, making KNB EFX the place to go to. |
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