Veteran screenwriter Chris Collins (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum) has partnered with producer and film executive Kelly McKee (Paterno, The Crow), and entertainment attorney Ken Browning to launch Generator Entertainment, a new entertainment company that will develop, produce, and finance projects across film, TV, and other areas.
Primarily focusing on action, sci-fi, and elevated horror in the budget range of $5 million to $20 million, Generator launches in partnership with Hill Country Studios, a $250M studio development outside Austin, Texas, which will be the first purpose-built production facility of its kind in the state, offering access to 12 sound stages, four workshops, dedicated production offices, and 1,500 acres of backlot space. Under the partnership, Hill Country will back Generator’s ongoing development and contribute to the financing of upcoming productions, two of which are set to shoot at the studio in late 2025, and two of which are planned for the following year.
Ahead of launch, Generator’s principals have been busy securing rights to major IP, including a screenplay from an Academy Award winner which they won in a bidding war and will partner on with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way. The company already has attached several A-level filmmakers to other projects on their slate, which will be announced next year. Generator is also focused on strategic partnerships in Japan and Korea, where they are acquiring major IP and working with premier local talent, creatively bridging the East and the West.
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In a statement on the launch of Generator Entertainment, Collins, McKee, and Browning hared, “We are hyper focused on establishing a new brand in Hollywood that works with and supports filmmakers to make top shelf horror, action, and sci-fi that will appeal to true genre fans. Additionally, we will focus on international projects and filmmakers.”
The trio continued, “We are lucky to have a veteran writer in-house to maintain quality control of the projects we take on, as well as a balanced team of founders to make sure we are strategic in our decisions. We loved Cord Jefferson’s statement at the Oscars earlier this year [Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies] and hope that we can be a part of making that happen with our partners at Hill Country and the state of Texas.”
Added Hill Country Studios COO Kevin Bar, “We are thrilled to join forces with Chris, Kelly, and Ken, and to support Generator’s exciting slate of projects. This partnership underscores our dedication to positioning Hill Country and Texas as a leading destination for world-class film production.”
Generator Entertainment principal Collins first emerged on the scene as a writer on the final two seasons of HBO’s critically acclaimed series The Wire, winning a WGA Award for his work there. Other credits include FX’s Sons of Anarchy, Amazon’s The Man in the High Castle, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Starz’s Crash, and Lionsgate’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. He is represented by UTA.
Serving as the Head of Production at Pressman Film for nearly a decade under legendary producer Edward R. Pressman, McKee co-exec produced Lionsgate’s The Crow and Mary Harron’s DaliLand starring Ben Kingsley, also co-producing HBO Films’ Paterno directed by Barry Levinson and starring Al Pacino, which was nominated for two Emmys.
Browning has over 30 years of experience as an entertainment and transactional lawyer, and has represented numerous production companies, actors, writers, directors, financial institutions, and distributors throughout his career.
Former US Assistant Secretary of State and private equity professional, Bernard Aronson, will serve as an advisor to the new company.
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