Cormans Hollywood, a 13-episode documentary series teeming with archival footage and insights from seven decades of filmmaking by Roger Corman and his wife, Julie, has been set by Shout! Studios, Ace Film HK Co. and Friendship Films.
Thirteen 50-minute episodes were shot over four months in LA, drawing heavily on the library of the Cormans New Horizons Pictures, which Shout! and Ace acquired earlier this year. The series traces the Cormans trail-blazing path as independent producers, including their mentorship of young film talent who would go on to become Hollywood royalty.
There is a long list of A-listers who cut their teeth working with Roger Corman, producer of 350 films and director of 60 titles, including the likes of A Bucket of Blood, The Wild Angels and The Little Shop of Horrors. Among them are Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese, James Cameron, Ron Howard, Peter Fonda and Jonathan Demme. Julie Corman, who chaired the graduate film department at NYU, also worked with Demme, as well as John Sayles, Catherine Hardwicke, Bill Pullman, Martin Sheen and Mario Van Peebles, among others.
The series was created, written, and co-produced by Ashley Sidaway and Robert Sidaway of Friendship Films. Shout! Studios, the production arm of Shout! Factory, will distribute this series in North America. Red Sea Media is handling international sales, excluding China, where Ace Film will handle distribution.
In a press release, the Cormans described the trip back through the decades as “a rewarding and emotional experience.” They added, “Our hope is that audiences get as much pleasure and fun from this series as we had making these films.”
Roger Cormans films “entertained and stunned millions around the world,” said Bob Emmer and Garson Foos, founders and CEOs of Shout! Factory. “His and Julies ingenuity and independent spirit resonate far beyond the silver screen and todays entertainment industry. Its important that their insights and stories continue for generations to come.”
Henry Luk, CEO of Ace, said the project was just the beginning of the effort to mine the New Horizon Pictures library. “We look forward to many more,” he said.
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