Artisan Entertainment has snatched up two projects for producers Tracie Graham and Alison Rosenzweig: "Ladies Night," a pitch delivered by scribe Maisha Yearwood; and "The Manifestant," a script by Eric Heisserer.
Dana Reid, Artisan's director of development, will oversee both projects.
"Ladies Night" sold for low-to-mid-six figures. Graham and Rosenzweig will produce jointly for Graham/Rosenzweig Films with Ice Cube and Matt Alvarez, as part of Cube Vision's second-look deal with Artisan. Alvarez initially brought the project into Artisan.
"We have found a wonderful home for both of these projects at Artisan," said Rosenzweig and Graham.
" 'Ladies Night' is a good-spirited, slightly naughty, totally fun and entertaining movie. Girls just want to have fun, too," Artisan prexy of production Jon Shestack said.
Described as a black woman's version of "Bachelor Party," "Ladies Night" tells the story of a bride-to-be suffering from cold feet who is taken to a bachelorette party attended by every man with whom she had ever been involved.
Writer Yearwood pitched the idea to Artisan, based on an original idea developed by Graham and Rosenzweig. Nicole Jefferson, a UCLA Film School graduate and director of the short film "Party Over Here," will helm.
Yearwood is repped by Kimber Wheeler at Preferred Artists; Jefferson is managed by Larry Kennar, agent Marti Blumenthal at Writers & Artists; Artisan's Eric Sherman handled the company's end of the pact.
Heisserer's "The Manifestant" will be produced by Graham and Rosenzweig. Director is Ronny Yu, who helmed "Bride of Chucky" and "Bride With White Hair."
"The story has wonderful magical characters that I hope we will want to return to again and again," Shestack said of this project.
Described as a Gothic adventure and fantasy thriller in the vein of "The Matrix," "Manifestant" concerns a man who is struck by lightning and suddenly sees the truth that has been hidden from him: that we are all surrounded by magical forces and live side by side with wizards and shape-shifters.
Heisserer is managed by Brian Overland at Overland Literary Management, who brokered his deal. Yu's deal was brokered by Sandra Lucchesi and Richard Arlook at Gersh; Artisan's Beck Sloca handled the company's end of the pact.
Along with Terrence Chang, Graham and Rosenzweig are producing the Nicolas Cage starrer "Windtalkers," to be directed by John Woo; production is slated to begin in September.
Graham and Rosenzweig's deals, for both projects, were brokered by Stephen Espinoza at Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman and Machtinger.
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