Film News Roundup: ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Producer SK Global Hires Fox Exec Xian Li
By Dave McNary
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – In today’s film news roundup, a Fox veteran is hired by “Crazy Rich Asians” producer SK Global, Garry Pastore will play Albert Anastasia, and Ed Wood’s “Take It Out in Trade” is getting a release.
EXECUTIVE HIRING
“” producer and its Ivanhoe Pictures has hired Fox International Productions executive Xian Li as senior vice president of production.
Li will work alongside the executive teams of Ivanhoe Pictures and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and will be charged with enhancing and expanding the company’s slate of Asian-focused global film and TV projects.
“After focusing on Asia in the past years, I’m truly inspired by the fascinating creative talents and materials available, and how they differ from the current domestic creative landscape,” Li said. “The success of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is a strong manifesto that the audience deserves to see more diverse content from Hollywood, and there couldn’t be a better timing for us to build on this success and momentum.”
While at Fox International, Li helped expand Fox’s global projects by overseeing development and sourcing materials across Asia, in addition to securing key international properties to adapt as English-language features for Fox. She was involved in the South Korean hit “The Wailing,” the Japanese-language feature “Memory of Antique Books” from director Yukiko Mishima, and Ji-hoon Kim’s South Korean drama “I Want to See Your Parent’s Faces.”
Li also worked on the international marketing and distribution campaigns for “Birdman,” “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” and “Brooklyn.”
CASTING
Garry Pastore has joined the cast of the independent feature “Apalachin,” portraying the gangster Albert Anastasia.
“Apalachin” is based on a 1957 true story and follows local trooper Ed Croswell (David Arquette), who foils the plans of mobster Vito Genovese, who organized 50 of his friends and colleagues to converge upon the rural town of Apalachin in upstate New York for a summit. Croswell’s actions exposed the mob to the American public and changed the face of law enforcement.
Filming is underway in New York City with Danny A. Abeckaser directing. The film is being produced by 2b Productions. Pastore stars in HBO’s “The Duece” as Matty “The Horse” Ianniello.
ARCHIVE RELEASE
Alamo Drafthouse’s American Genre Film Archive has set a November release for Ed Wood’s’ “Take It Out in Trade.”
AGFA, which bills itself as the largest non-profit genre film archive in the world, has created new digital transfers of titles from the Something Weird library. “Take It Out in Trade” is the fifth release in this partnership, following “The Zodiac Killer,” “Bat Pussy,” Wood’s “The Violent Years,” and “Godmonster of Indian Flats.”
Shot in three days in 1970, “Take It Out in Trade” has remained unseen for almost 50 years. The plot centers on a couple who hires a private investigator to locate their missing daughter.
“For decades, we’ve dreamed about discovering film elements for ‘Take It Out in Trade,” said AGFA director Joe Ziemba. “We’re honored to help the world reassess Ed Wood’s importance as a ground-breaking queer filmmaker through our release of this movie with Something Weird.”
The film will screen in theaters beginning on Nov. 1 and the Blu-ray/DVD combo will be released on Nov. 13.
