Family Room guns for Hooks to helm 'Caliber'

Brown penned urban drama

By DANA HARRIS

Kevin Hooks ("Fled," "Passenger 57") is in final negotiations to direct "High Caliber," an urban drama that will be the first title under the banner of Family Room Entertainment, a publicly traded holding company controlled by Randall Emmett, George Furla’s Emmett/Furla Films and venture capitalist Peter Benz.

Gerard Brown penned the "High Caliber" script about a young gun dealer who struggles to escape the life he has created. Coolio is attached in a supporting role.

Emmett and Furla will produce the picture with Maria Bryant and Thomas Sammon of production company the Tribunal. Budget is expected to be in the $6 million range.

Family Room is designed to fund Emmett/Furla’s film production slate as well as the company’s move into television production and Internet content development.

With Family Room in place, Emmett/Furla plans to produce four or five titles budgeted at $6 million-$12 million, plus another budgeted at $15 million-$20 million. Emmett/Furla's production credits include "Held for Ransom," starring Dennis Hopper; "After Sex," starring Brooke Shields; and "Speedway Junky," starring Daryl Hannah and Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

Along with the boost in funding, Emmett/Furla has beefed up its production staff with the appointment of James Knownes, who serves as exec in charge of production, and the promotion of Dal Walton, who now serves as veep of development.

Emmett/Furla also has a first-look deal with indie production and financing company First Miracle Group.

Emmett, Furla and attorney Rick Rosenthal of Grakal, Root & Rosenthal negotiated for the producers. UTA, Steve Burkow of Ziffren, Brittenham, Branca & Fisher and Alan Greenspan of International Arts negotiated on behalf of Hooks.