Scott Pilgrim vs the World Production Notes

Production Information

We’ll get to the notes in a minute.But first, a word from our director/producer/co-writer, EDGAR WRIGHT: “I first

heard of Scott Pilgrim in 2004 when BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY’s recently released first volume was pressed into my hands. Given that my previous work has strived to mix up the mundane with the insane, I was hooked immediately. I loved Bryan’s use of manga and video-game iconography to depict the emotions of these young characters.

“Adapting these books was a gift, as they are not only funny, charming and relatable, but have increasingly crazy diversions into the fantastical. To be able to do romance, comedy, action and fantasy in the same feature was an intriguing challenge.

“The best way to describe the world of Scott Pilgrim vs the World is that it’s a normal world of a normal young man, filtered through his overactive imagination. Bryan Lee O’Malley describes Scott as ‘the hero of the movie in his own head.’ My goal is to make that very movie.

“The emotions and interactions throughout the film are infused with the mass media that this generation has grown up with - not just in music, film and animation, but in over 30 years of video games. Our characters’ life experiences are completely governed by the enormous amount of time they’ve spent with their Nintendo consoles. For the twenty-something characters in the film, the incidental music for ‘Zelda’ is as resonant as nursery rhymes.

“In the world of Scott Pilgrim, minor disagreements are resolved in mortal combat. Our hero is thrown into a world of pain when he dates the girl of his dreams. The mysterious Ramona Flowers has something of a hex on her where her seven evil exes challenge her new boyfriend to a series of duels to the death. Many people have jumped through many hoops to pursue someone unobtainable. Scott must literally fight for his new relationship if he wants it to survive.

“The increasingly crazy events of the film are almost the result of wild exaggeration. When teens or twenty-somethings describe the events of a night out, they are usually blown out of all proportion. My take on the fights in the film is that they are

Scott Pilgrim vs the World - Production Information 2

hugely amplified versions of events. Someone might gossip about the ‘huge fight’ that broke out the night before. And here we see the huge version of that fight.

“The fight sequences in Scott Pilgrim play out like big production numbers. In our film, people break out into fights the same way they explode into a song and dance number in a musical. When the emotion is too great to convey in mere words, characters in a musical will sing out. In Scott Pilgrim, they throw down.

“The film is set in a world of first apartments, crappy bands, thrift stores and coffee shops that we all know and love. It covers young love, loud music and big emotions. We see the world through a cast of young people who have a lot to give and a lot to learn. Oh, and people totally explode into coins.”

NOW, HERE WE GO…Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim (MICHAEL CERA of Juno, Superbad).

A bass guitarist for garage band Sex Bob-omb, the 22-year-old has just met the girl of his dreams...literally. The only catch to winning the elusive, mysterious Ramona Flowers (MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD of Live Free or Die Hard, upcoming The Thing)? Her seven evil exes are coming to kill him.

Scott Pilgrim has never had a problem getting a girlfriend. It’s getting rid of them that proves difficult. From the girl who kicked his heart’s ass - and now is back in town - to the teenage distraction he’s trying to shake when Ramona rollerblades into his world, love hasn’t been easy. He soon discovers, however, his new crush has the most unusual baggage of all: a nefarious league of exes controls her love life and will do whatever it takes to eliminate him as a suitor.

As Scott gets closer to Ramona, he must face an increasingly vicious rogues’ gallery from her past - from infamous skateboarders to vegan rock stars and fearsome identical twins. And if he hopes to win his true love, he must vanquish them all before it really is game over.

Joining Cera and Winstead for the principal cast of Scott Pilgrim vs the World are KIERAN CULKIN (Igby Goes Down, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys) as Scott’s awesome roommate, Wallace Wells; CHRIS EVANS (The Losers, upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger) as pro-skateboarder/action star Lucas Lee; ANNA KENDRICK (Up in the Air, Twilight series) as Scott’s younger, not-putting-up-with-it sister, Stacey Pilgrim; BRIE LARSON (television’s United States of Tara, Greenberg) as the girl who kicked Scott’s heart in the ass, rocker chick Envy Adams; ALISON PILL (Milk, Pieces of April) as Sex Bob-omb’s disaffected drummer, Kim Pine; AUBREY PLAZA (Funny People, television’s Parks and Recreation) as Stephen Stills’ obnoxious sometime-girlfriend Julie Powers; BRANDON ROUTH (Superman Returns, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) as power vegan bassist Todd Ingram; JASON SCHWARTZMAN (Funny People, Fantastic Mr Fox) as the leader of the League of Evil Exes, Gideon Graves; JOHNNY SIMMONS (Jennifer’s Body, Hotel for Dogs) as Sex Bob-omb super fan Young Neil; MARK WEBBER (Broken Flowers, The Memory Thief) as the band’s lead singer/songwriter, Stephen Stills; MAE WHITMAN (television’s Parenthood, Arrested Development) as Ramona’s scorned ex-girlfriend Roxy; and newcomer ELLEN WONG as Scott’s high-school crush, Knives Chau.


The accomplished behind-the-scenes team is led by producers MARC PLATT (Wanted, Legally Blonde, the musical Wicked), ERIC GITTER (Leaves of Grass, O), NIRA PARK (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) and Edgar Wright. The talented crew of filmmakers who have joined the production includes director of photography BILL POPE (The Matrix trilogy, Spider-Man 2), production designer MARCUS ROWLAND (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead), costume designer LAURA JEAN SHANNON (Iron Man, Elf), VFX producer LUCY KILLICK (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Hellboy II: The Golden Army), SFX coordinator LAIRD MCMURRAY (The Incredible Hulk, Dawn of the Dead), fight choreographer/stunt coordinator BRAD ALLAN (Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Kick-Ass), editors JONATHAN AMOS (television’s Ashes to Ashes, Spooks) and PAUL MACHLISS (television’s Spaced, The IT Crowd) and concept designer OSCAR WRIGHT (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead). The legendary NIGEL GODRICH (Paul McCartney: Chaos and Creation, Radiohead: In Rainbows) composes and executive produces music for the film. Godrich collaborates with BECK for the music and lyrics of Sex Bob-omb’s songs.

Scott Pilgrim vs the World’s screenplay is written by MICHAEL BACALL (upcoming 21 Jump Street) & Edgar Wright, based on the Oni Press graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Executive producers for the film are RONALDO VASCONCELLOS (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead), J MILES DALE (Talk to Me, Hollywoodland), JARED LEBOFF (Wanted) and ADAM SIEGEL (Wanted).

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Smashing Genres: Scott Pilgrim Begins

Producer Marc Platt was introduced to Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series when his colleagues Jared LeBoff and Adam Siegel brought O’Malley’s first

“Scott Pilgrim” book to his attention in 2004. “I was immediately struck by the buoyancy and vibrancy of the material and how it seemed to capture a moment in time and a generation of characters that were relatable,” Platt recalls. “They’re living in this world that is part comic book, part ninja, part kung fu, part anime, part manga. Yet, at the heart of it are these appealing, accessible kids that you recognize, who have accessible and emotional journeys.”

Platt found the characters in O’Malley’s comics so relatable that he believed they would translate well on film. He notes: “I was moved by the angst of Scott Pilgrim, his romantic yearnings for the girl of his dreams. He has to overcome challenges in order to get where he wants to go.”

Soon after they had seen Edgar Wright’s first feature-length film, Shaun of the Dead, LeBoff and Siegel suggested to Platt that the genre-fusing filmmaker direct the material the team had optioned. Platt acknowledges: “I recognized immediately that the sensibility Edgar would apply to this material was a combustible combination. The moment he said he was interested, the excitement that I had over the source material quadrupled. He works harder than any filmmaker I know, and the work paid off because it’s a complex film where everything has to dovetail into the next piece. Edgar has thought about every piece so it fits perfectly. He is meticulous in his preparation, inspires fun and loves the characters and the material.”


Co-writer/director Wright learned of the property in 2004 when O’Malley’s first book, Oni Press’ “Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life,” was given to him by LeBoff and Siegel at an LA. preview screening of Shaun of the Dead. “It had only just been released, and these two enterprising fellows said it was perfect material for me,” Wright says. “The book then sat in my bag for at least a month of the Shaun US press tour before I finally read the now-battered copy on a flight. I was thoroughly enjoying it from the first page but then was utterly hooked by the time it came to the scene where Scott Pilgrim receives a written warning of his impending death by e-mail. Even before I’d finished the first volume, I was trying to imagine how it could work as live action.”

Wright was impressed not only by the story, but by the video-game and manga iconography that O’Malley used to underscore the extreme emotions and melodrama the characters experience. He continues: “It actually reminded me of the TV series I did with Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes called Spaced. I had longed to do something that took the magical realism of that show even further. I was excited to take on the challenge of bringing the books to life and some of the more insane action sequences to the big screen. I’ve always strived in my career to make comedy visually interesting, and this adaptation was the great chance to let my imagination run wild.”

Joining Wright in his latest endeavour would be his long-time producer Nira Park. The head of Big Talk Productions entered into her fourth collaboration with Wright on Scott Pilgrim vs the World. “Edgar and I have worked together since the television series Spaced. To see the growth he’s achieved from that show to his acclaimed efforts as director of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz has been astonishing. All of our projects have been labours of love, and Scott is the culmination of that partnership.”

Adapting the novels into a screenplay became a joint effort when writer/performer Michael Bacall joined the team to co-author the script with Wright. Bacall remembers the five-year-plus writing process that began before Wright shot his sophomore effort, the action-comedy hit Hot Fuzz: “We collaborated in every way possible - trans-continentally, in the same room; he’d type with his left hand, I’d type with my right. The ‘Battleship’ thing with laptop to laptop. We’d write consecutive scenes, then trade and rewrite. Sometimes, we’d even write the same scene concurrently and see where that took us.”

By his fellow screenwriter’s account, Wright is intensely driven by vision and passion for his projects. As they created the structure for the script that began to mirror a video game - with Scott having to perform evermore death-defying feats to win - Bacall found a kindred spirit. “Collaborating with Edgar, who is highly self-motivated and has an indomitable work ethic, was truly inspiring,” the writer adds. “The man doesn’t sleep. His focus on every detail of story and script made for an exciting process. We both enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes from a tight deadline and a quadruple espresso.”

When the author of “Scott Pilgrim” was approached about translating his graphic novel series into a film, he had just completed the first book and wasn’t sure where the rest were going thematically. Bryan O’Malley laughs: “I pretended I knew and then wrote an outline for them.” Of his process of creating each successive graphic novel, he offers, “It’s like writing a script to begin with, but the next step involves a slow, fractured, confusing process of turning it into artwork.”

O’Malley describes the similarity between the world of the books’ characters with the one he and his friends shared in Toronto when they were in their early twenties:


“Scott is a wish-fulfilment character for me. He’s a bit of an idiot, happy-go-lucky; women fall for him, and he can fight like a superhero. I’d made some new friends and was in a band and thought it would be fun to make something they’d enjoy that would also reflect our lives.

“‘Scott Pilgrim’ has the Japanese comics, indie rock, classic rock and video games I enjoyed,” he continues. “My goal was to merge these over-the-top, exciting elements with my mundane life experiences. It’s a dual world of total reality and abstraction, each just as real as the other.”

Oni Press’ Eric Gitter served as a producer on the film and helped to bring the world of the graphic novels from page to screen. He offers: “The creators of our comics are primarily interested in telling good stories and publishing what entertains them. While I don’t think Bryan envisioned ‘Scott Pilgrim’ as a movie when he was originally writing the comic, both are visual mediums. It’s easy to see the connection and how the material was right for translation.” As development progressed, Gitter was impressed by how the screenwriters were so adamant about keeping O’Malley involved as a collaborator in the screenwriting process. The producer notes: “Edgar and Michael worked very closely with Bryan when adapting the comic. They were incredibly faithful and respectful of the source material.”

Wright and Bacall weren’t only interested in learning where the characters would go as he wrote his next books, but they also wanted the author to serve as a guardian of all things “Scott Pilgrim.” The screenwriters aimed to be as faithful as possible to O’Malley’s world while expanding the stories for their medium. As their process evolved, O’Malley would create the next chapter of Scott’s saga and send Wright and Bacall transcripts of the book.

“First and foremost was the challenge of how to take the sensibility and spirit of the books to the big screen,” explains Wright. “Partly that was the tone of the dialogue. Bryan and I have similar senses of humour and both enjoy undercutting the most insane incidents with deadpan reactions. We also share an interest in starting a story in a naturalist world and then exploding into craziness.”

With the script penned and the production greenlit, it was time to begin populating the world of Scott Pilgrim with the friends and foes of O’Malley’s intricate universe.

Good Friends and Evil Exes: Casting the Action-ComedyCasting the more than a dozen characters from the graphic novels would prove a

challenge for the production. On seeing the actors chosen to become the Toronto residents of his books, O’Malley says it was, simply, “an amazing, gratifying, weird, eerie experience.”

Scott and Ramona: “Have you seen a girl with hair like this?”

Michael Cera had read the first two “Scott Pilgrim” novels before he was approached about playing the title role. Cera knew it was helpful to have a well-defined part for Scott with which to begin. “Bryan Lee O’Malley created such a unique, distinct character that it made it easy for me to get into character,” Cera notes. On the other hand,


he admits, “It was a little intimidating because ‘Scott Pilgrim’ has such a following, but Edgar was very helpful in finding the right tone and helping me not go too over-the-top.”

As he prepared for an arduous shoot, Cera trusted his director’s vision more and more. “Right off the bat, you feel like there’s a voice that the movie has that is all its own; that’s what Edgar does well with all of his films,” he says. While the team moved into production, inhabiting the universe that O’Malley had created became second nature for the cast and crew. Cera summarizes: “As we all rehearsed for weeks, it started to become a world that we all believed in, something very real.”

Known for playing über nice guys in such hits as Superbad and Juno, Cera welcomed the chance to show an edgier side to his performance. That was precisely what the filmmakers wanted to evoke. Platt says that what makes the actor so talented is “his seemingly casual approach that appears as though he’s doing so little; it’s genius, very precise. He embodies the character completely. People will be shocked to see Michael fighting the way he does and displaying a toughness that audiences haven’t seen from him. It’s been fun to watch Edgar bring that out in him.”

Still recovering from his break-up with Envy Adams, the girl who “kicked his heart in the ass,” Scott is dumbfounded when he meets Ramona Flowers, a mysterious American whom he believes he has willed into existence. Cera explains the attraction: “Scott becomes obsessed with Ramona when he sees her in his dreams. Then, when she appears in real life, he can’t quite figure her out; she keeps slipping away from him, and that’s what draws him to her. But he’s also got this other girlfriend now, so he is not allowed to like her…and that starts to make him like her more.”

Ramona can be aloof and distant, which of course makes her that much more attractive to the pining Scott. After all, she has a League of Evil Exes tracking her every move. According to O’Malley, these exes were given “a title meant to sound ominous and silly,” but they are dead serious when it comes to ruining Ramona’s potential for newfound love…especially with the confidence-challenged Scott.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who was introduced to global audiences with her role in Live Free or Die Hard, was cast to play the subspace-travelling Ramona after she met with Edgar Wright. The actress explains what attracts her character to the latest guy in her life: “Scott’s a new kind of love interest for Ramona. He doesn’t seem to be the same as all the other guys that she’s been with. She’s been with a lot of dark, tough and mysterious characters. Now, Scott’s this sweet little lovable idiot that she’s taken under her wing.”

As Ramona and Scott are in the majority of scenes in Scott Pilgrim vs the World, Winstead and Cera were required on set for nearly the entirety of the shoot. Because the seven evil exes roll into their lives over the course of the action-comedy, it felt like making one new movie after another for the actors. Explains Winstead: “Every few weeks, we had a new energy on set as a new ex came through. It was fun to have all these different personalities coming in.”

Cera commends of his leading lady: “Mary’s amazing. She did most of her own fighting and is completely believable at that, yet has this delicate quality that’s also convincing.”


“We are Sex Bob-omb: One, two, three, four!”

In addition to Mr Pilgrim, his band, Sex Bob-omb, is made up of drummer Kim Pine and lead singer and songwriter Stephen Stills. The band’s biggest fan and hanger-on (before Knives Chau hits the scene) is aspiring bassist Young Neil.

Kim, the most intelligent one of the group, dated Scott in high school and dislikes many people…possibly everyone. The production team cast Toronto-native Alison Pill in the role of the young woman who serves as the disaffected voice of reason for her friends. Kim knows Scott the best, and they have the longest history of anyone in the group. She’s quiet and dour until she’s on stage, and then she will rock your face off. To prepare for the part, Pill worked with drumming guru CHARLIE DRAYTON and Sloan front man CHRIS MURPHY to hone her percussion skills.

Front man and singer/songwriter Stephen Stills cares the most about the success of Sex Bob-omb, but he’s incredibly neurotic about performing. Actor Mark Webber was asked to play Stephen. Of the process, Webber recounts a strategy that Wright, O’Malley and Bacall had for the core cast: “Before the first week of rehearsal, Edgar gave each of us a private list with 10 things about our characters that we were supposed to keep to ourselves. There were a few on there that were a little shocking.”

Completing Scott’s immediate circle is Jennifer’s Body star Johnny Simmons. He was brought onto the production as the often-confused Young Neil, Stephen’s roommate and the band’s No. 1 groupie.

The League of Evil Exes: “Wait…we’re fighting over Ramona?” “Didn’t you get my e-mail?”

Scott’s journey to winning the heart of Ramona involves achieving enough self-awareness, self-respect and maturity along the way that he doesn’t become just another evil ex himself. As he fights his way through the League of Evil Exes, Scott gets stronger and stronger with each defeat.

Newcomer Satya Bhabha was cast as Ramona’s First Evil Ex, Matthew Patel (from her junior high school days). Though he takes Scott by surprise when he breaks through the ceiling at the club with his demon hipster chicks, to be fair, Matthew did e-mail Scott and warn him of his untimely demise. Unfortunately for Scott, he simply skimmed the e-mail. Cera explains Matthew’s presence at the club: “The First Evil Ex that shows up is Patel, and it’s out of nowhere. You’re just getting used to this world, and everything’s starting to make sense. Then all of a sudden, it all doesn’t make sense at all, and people are flying through the air.”

Scott Pilgrim vs the World marks the first time that Chris Evans portrays a super-villain. Known for his roles in the action flicks Fantastic Four and The Losers, and as the title superhero in the upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger, Evans was happy to mix it up with this part. He was cast to play the ultimate caricature of an action star as Ramona’s Second Evil Ex, the pro-skateboarder turned action hero/ultimate tool: Lucas Lee.

Evans discusses his interest in joining the action-comedy: “I get to be big and over-the-top and ridiculous. Lucas is very obnoxious and the character you love to hate.” Though he’d never before been on a skateboard, the actor was up for the challenge of looking like he’d been doing it his entire life. He recalls: “My character had to ease up onto a stair rail and grind the gigantic rail for 200 steps.”


While many performers are quick to point out that they tried to do a majority of their own stunts, Evans acknowledges that the film’s outrageous feats required the expertise of some athletic and unsung heroes: the stunt performers. “I would have no career without stuntmen, based on the movies I’ve made,” he says. “God bless ’em all. They’re crazy. We actually had a stunt where Michael’s stuntman fell from a building eight times over. It looked like it would break me in half, but this guy stood up, brushed himself off and said, ‘Let’s do it again.’”

Heading from the world of characters in the Marvel universe to those in DC Comics, Superman himself, Brandon Routh joined the cast as Ramona’s Third Evil Ex: Todd Ingram. A power vegan who is now dating Envy Adams and plays bass for The Clash at Demonhead, the bleached blonde telekinetic is as arrogant as he is vapid. While Scott knows he can never vanquish Todd through a flurry of side punches and combination of roundhouse kicks, he does believe he can outsmart him.

Though Scott is initially certain that Ramona’s League of Evil Exes only consists of guys whom she’s dated, he gets a lethal surprise when the Fourth Evil Ex, Roxy Richter, shows up and challenges him to a fight to the finish. Spewing invectives and brandishing a lethal chain belt, Roxy’s martial arts skills are as deadly as her vicious tongue. Parenthood’s Mae Whitman (rejoining Cera, her former co-star on television’s Arrested Development) was brought aboard the production as the scorned lover/invisibility-cloaked ex.

Much like Ramona’s other exes, Roxy doesn’t feel threatened by Scott’s presence; she just wants to annihilate anyone who tries to date the girl who broke her heart. Whitman explains: “It’s beyond the threat level now. Roxy knows that she’s lost Ramona, but she just can’t stand the thought of it. The most upsetting part for her is when Ramona says, ‘Well, it wasn’t a big deal; it didn’t even count.’ That’s what makes Roxy so angry: her legacy with Ramona gets diminished so quickly.”

Another one of Ramona’s experimental phases is revealed by the arrival of the next exes. Enter Evil Exes No. 5 and No. 6, Kyle and Ken Katayanagi, played by identical twins Keita and Shota Saito. The final puppets in Gideon’s army that Scott must defeat, the Katayanagi brothers are the last battle before Scott alone must confront the most evil of exes. But first, to destroy the twins, Scott and Sex Bob-omb go amp versus amp in a battle-of-the-bands fight to the finish. Two bands enter and one band leaves in an epic struggle that pits the Katayanagi’s white dragon avatars against Sex Bob-omb’s green-eyed yeti.

If Scott can survive his battles with all of these exes, he will advance to the bonus round to meet and fight Gideon Graves, the evil ex who wields the most power over Ramona. Cera describes Gideon: “He’s the evil ex boyfriend behind it all, the one who Scott can’t stand the most, and Jason Schwartzman is fantastic in the role because he is so funny and charming and detestable all at the same time.”

It doesn’t help matters that Gideon is interested in signing Sex Bob-omb to his record label. Schwartzman discusses his manipulative character: “Gideon is so good at being bad because he’s actually kind of likeable. Passive-aggressive…like a mosquito bite. He won’t bother you, but if you start to scratch him, you’re in for a rough night. You might start to bleed. Scott unleashes the dark side of Gideon.”

Schwartzman was impressed by his fellow performers, but most of all with his on-set archenemy. He found Cera to be a workhorse throughout their time together.


“Michael is half-man, half-superman,” he says. “He worked almost every single day for six months and never let it show.”

Supporting Players in Scott’s World: “We all know you’re a total lady killer wannabe jerky jerk.”

Scott Pilgrim’s relationship with his roommate, Wallace Wells, is quite unique. The 26-year-old Wallace owns almost everything in their shared apartment, and he is constantly amused by Scott’s floundering relationships with girls. As flummoxed as Scott is with the ladies, Wallace is just as smooth with the many guys with whom he hooks up. Played by veteran young actor Kieran Culkin, Wallace epitomizes awesomely hip. And he will steal your boyfriend if you look the other way.

Scott’s kid sister is 18-year-old coffee shop barista Stacey Pilgrim. Much more sensible than her self-absorbed older sibling, Stacey is the voice of reason in the Pilgrim family. She also has an uncanny ability to know what mischief her brother is up to at any given time. With Wallace on speed-text, she is constantly kept up-to-date and forever shaking her head at Scott’s insane life choices. She also loves playing the part of “older” sister. For the role, Wright and the producers brought onto the production Oscar- and Tony-nominated actress Anna Kendrick. Critically lauded for her work in Up in the Air, the performer has previously matched drama with teen angst in the Twilight series.

Newcomer Ellen Wong was committed to becoming wide-eyed schoolgirl/ninja assassin Knives Chau. Terrific for Scott’s confidence boost, the 17-year-old Knives dated Scott and remains Sex Bob-omb’s No. 1 fangirl. Michael Bacall describes the relationship: “When we first meet Scott and Knives, they have a great connection in their mutual immaturity. Everything they do is in sync - the way they speak, flip through records, play video games.”

Still hurting over the loss of her first love, Knives has (temporarily) moved on to date Young Neil. The Scarborough, Ontario, native describes her character: “Knives starts off as this unblemished Catholic schoolgirl, 17 years old, hasn’t really seen life yet…or the harsh realities of the world. When she meets Scott, he opens this Pandora’s box for her, and she can’t go back to her old life anymore.” Naturally, that also means challenging Ramona to a fight to the finish.

Scott’s she-who-will-not-be-named, Envy Adams, was brought to life by Brie Larson. The actress, who has broken out on television’s United States of Tara, portrays the stone-cold rocker who is the lead singer of The Clash at Demonhead. Simultaneously self-absorbed and terrifying, Envy still holds a strangling power over ex-boyfriend Scott and is more than happy to watch him get his ass kicked by her current boyfriend, Todd Ingram. Surprise - Todd also happens to be one of Ramona’s evil exes.

Last but not least, young comic actress Aubrey Plaza was asked to join the production as Julie Powers, the super-hateful, sometime girlfriend of Stephen Stills. Julie works with Stacey, and she just can’t wait to see Scott get what’s coming to him. Known for her work on television’s Parks and Recreation and her breakout role in last summer’s Funny People, Powers brings a purse-lipped bitchiness to the obnoxious Julie that sends Scott scampering when she opens her mouth to ream him.


We Are Sex Bob-omb!: Music of Scott Pilgrim

Throughout the history of comics and graphic novels, musical references have been a big part of the medium. So is the case with O’Malley’s books, as Scott’s band takes on other bands in music battles. O’Malley notes: “It’s a tradition in comics, way back to ‘The Archies.’”

As he constructed the film, the director knew that the soundtrack of Scott Pilgrim vs the World should reflect the universe in which Scott and his friends live, as well as speak to a generation that has grown up gaming. Wright offers: “I am a huge music fan, so the idea of blowing people back into their seats with the soundtrack appealed to me immensely.”

Bacall remembers when he and Wright discussed how to approach the musical performances. He states: “Edgar initially commented that most ‘live’ music in movies kind of sucks. We were coming up with gags to get around hearing the bands play until Edgar went out and got some of the most amazing musicians in the world to create original songs perfectly pitched for the film.”

To accomplish the task of choosing and producing the talent, Wright and the producers turned to prolific music producer Nigel Godrich. Having collaborated with such giants as Radiohead and Paul McCartney, Godrich was intimately familiar with the sounds that Wright wanted for the action-comedy. One of Godrich’s most successful collaborators, Beck, would provide the sounds for Sex Bob-omb.

Beck, who contributed all of Sex Bob-omb’s tracks, worked with Godrich and Wright to create songs that showcase the band’s growing skills as the story unfolds. When we are first introduced to the band, they are finding their footing. Naturally, Stephen Stills’ vocals are a little shaky (as are his skills on the lead guitar). As the group confronts each challenge - from facing off against Crash and the Boys to the epic battle against the Katayanagi twins - the music becomes more confident and powerful.

Canadian alternative indie rock band BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE (fronted by KEVIN DREW) contributed the songs for the film’s band Crash and the Boys. Named after the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game “Crash ’n the Boys: Street Challenge,” the band boasts 10-year-old drummer Trasha (played by ABIGAIL CHU), a young prodigy who would prefer to not see another girl drummer (ahem, Kim Pine) steal her thunder.

Fellow countrymen METRIC performed its song “Black Sheep” for The Clash at Demonhead (led by Scott’s own evil ex, Envy Adams). Fronted by lead singer EMILY HAINES, the Toronto-based quartet creates a haunting song that seduces Scott back into Envy’s world. While Knives and Julie are both obsessed by the power of Envy’s vocals for The Clash at Demonhead, Scott knows that falling for her comes at a big price. Interestingly enough, the name for this band is based on another NES game, “Clash at Demonhead.”

DAN THE AUTOMATOR contributed the music for Matthew Patel’s (and his Demon Hipster Chicks) Bollywood sequence, as well as the sounds for Knives and Scott’s other passion, the game “Ninja Ninja Revolution.” Finally, the cult Japanese artist CORNELIUS (led by KEIGO OYAMADA) contributed instrumentals for the Katayanagi twins’ face-off against Sex Bob-omb.


To ensure that Sex Bob-omb, Crash and the Boys, The Clash at Demonhead and the Katayanagi twins looked and performed as if they were actual bands, Sloan front man Chris Murphy was brought on as the musical performance supervisor.

As for the cast’s experience in the field, Cera had a bit of musical background and Simmons had previously played guitar. Pill had never played drums, but by the end of the shoot she was playing along like a pro. Webber had his own catching up to do, but now feels confident he can bring the house down.

Sword Fights and Spin Kicks: Stunts of the Film

It was important to Wright that the actors did a good portion of their own fighting and that stunt teams supplemented that work. He felt that it added to the authenticity of the piece. Additionally, the cameras were set at quite wide angles, so there was simply no cheating it in a number of the key sequences. For his fights, Wright once again relied upon his childhood for ideas. He offers: “I wanted to draw inspiration from the same sources as Bryan, as I too have grown up with video games, Japanese animation and kung fu seared onto my brain.”

Part of Jackie Chan’s and Jet Li’s legendary teams would lead the cast in learning to defy gravity. “The fight sequences in Scott Pilgrim are designed to dazzle; they combine the fantastic fight choreography of Brad Allan [also second-unit director] and fellow fight coordinator PENG ZHANG, with kaleidoscopic animation special effects,” Wright says. “We struggled to come up with a snappy description of the unique action sequences in the film; at one point ‘fightsical’ was bandied around to describe the musical aspect to the action. We also described the John Hughes’ coming-of-age comedy mixed with brutal kung fu as ‘Hughes fu.’” He pauses…“It looked better written down then it did said aloud.”

Cera, Winstead, Schwartzman and Whitman began training in Los Angeles in January 2009, before the April shoot began. From cardio work that included many push-ups and endless running, as well as stunt and kung fu training, it was intense, to say the least. All agree it was a bonding experience working alongside the incredible martial artist Zhang as they learned how to throw punches and kicks, as well as to perform the necessary flips and tumbles and to master their various weapons (while on wires).

Fight trainer and stunt coordinator Allan started with the talent by simply getting them into fighting shape and increasing their stamina. Cera learned to perform a lot of his fighting and swordplay. He remembers: “I learned there is lot of trust involved because you’re literally depending on the guy who’s holding the rope. They had us doing all kinds of things that my body has absolutely no capability or desire to do and that I will probably never do again, but it was amazing. I’m planning on just sitting around and never doing another push-up for the rest of my life.”

Determined to keep up, Wright worked out with the actors every day in Toronto; the cast would train up to five or six hours a day to learn the moves taught in the boot camp run by Li’s and Chan’s trainers. Winstead recalls that Wright did many of the tough workouts right alongside them. “He got to feel our pain,” she says, but she admits the process brought her “an amazing sense of accomplishment.”

Like many performers, Schwartzman had long wanted to fight in a film but never had the chance. He offers of the experience: “It was a thrill to be able to just devote myself to learning how to sword fight. But it was hard to fight Michael. I love the guy.”


One of Gideon’s sparring partners, Knives Chau herself, Ellen Wong, was more than ready for the training sessions in which she would face off against Gideon and Ramona. She says: “Who wouldn’t be excited about running up the wall and flipping back, doing a 360 in the air? It was just cool.”

Toronto as Toronto: Locations, Design and Camera Work

Often referred to as “Hollywood North,” Toronto has doubled for every major city in the United States, as well as many in Europe and Asia. Scott Pilgrim vs the World marks one of the few times that Toronto has played itself in a major motion picture.

Locations and Design

As the books are set in Toronto and because the city has the infrastructure in place to host a film the size of Scott Pilgrim vs the World, the decision to shoot there was obvious. Many of Toronto’s haunts that are given centre stage in O’Malley’s books were sure to be recognized in the film. These include Casa Loma, Honest Ed’s, Lee’s Palace, Pizza Pizza and Second Cup - places O’Malley says “are ubiquitous in Toronto. I have a soft spot for them.”

As Wright and production designer Marcus Rowland developed the look of the action-comedy, they knew they wanted to celebrate the Ontario city. It wasn’t simply bringing lines from the novels into the movie that interested them. “I wanted to represent Bryan’s artwork as much as possible, but also use the real locations that he used as reference for his books,” Wright comments. “In several key scenes, we shot the actual houses, libraries, parks and music venues that Bryan took photos of in 2003.”

Rowland adds: “We embraced all that’s great about the flavour and texture of Toronto itself. It’s known as one of the most multicultural cities in North America, and Scott Pilgrim vs the World was shot at the real locations where Bryan drew the pictures.”

The designer explains that he used a multitude of colours to reflect the emotion of the story, down to the colour of the swords that Scott and Gideon use to duel. O’Malley marvels: “Marcus did an incredible job bringing the comic universe to the screen, right down to the last detail of each character’s apartment. One of the craziest moments for me was when I walked on the set of Wallace’s apartment. It was as though it had jumped off the comic-book page.”

On stages in Toronto, Rowland created the apartments of Wallace and Scott, as well as Ramona’s one-bedroom. O’Malley adds: “They are just as I visualized them, only more real. It’s a little strange.”

For her part, Ramona Flowers felt right at home. Laughs Winstead: “It was like we were really there. All the places they’ve built, the clubs they’ve built…it doesn’t feel like we were on a set at all. I wanted to just move into my apartment. It felt so authentic.”

Setups and Camera Work

Cinematographer Bill Pope, known for his stunning camera work in blockbusters from Spider-Man 2 to The Matrix series, first met with Wright when the director was in Los Angeles to publicize Hot Fuzz. It would take a few years before the two men would


work together, and Pope was keen to join Wright for this production. “This is absolutely what Edgar was meant to do,” the DP compliments. “His enthusiasm is catching.”

For Pope, the hook of Scott Pilgrim vs the World was a strong one. “I read the script and realized that I’ve never seen this movie before,” he offers. “It was incredibly fresh and a phenomenal step up, but also a mammoth piece of work - so much so that a three-day test shoot was done months before the movie was to film, just to prove that all of the graphics, speed, wires and blue screens, irony and self-reflection would work.”

The camera style is busy, to say the least. Pope explains: “There are a huge number of shots because the movie has so many characters woven together, is influenced by fast-paced video games and moves forward by means of the edit. The camera is always moving - whip pans, dollies, cranes, zooms, snap zooms, snap zooms with whip pans off. There is no scene without all these mannerisms, and the speed and pacing is critical.”

The challenge for the cinematographer was in the record number of setups that Wright and Bacall’s script demanded. “To give you reference, the movie Clueless had about 500 setups, Chinatown had about 600 and Scorsese’s early movies had 800, maybe,” Pope explains. “Scott Pilgrim has more than 4,000. Edgar knows exactly what the pacing and cutting is more than anyone I’ve ever worked with.”

The majority of the time, Pope used two cameras to capture the action and the multitude of characters who populate this world. Indeed, there is so much in every frame of this film that the audience can watch it multiple times and discover something new with each viewing. As Wright gives clues to the evil exes all throughout the film (e.g., the number three on Todd’s sport short and the address of the club (four) where Roxy picks her fight.

Creating the visual effects on Scott Pilgrim vs the World was a long and involved process. There was so much required in terms of editing and special effects that when Wright and the DP shot a scene, it was only the beginning for VFX producer Lucy Killick, SFX coordinator Laird McMurray and editors Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss. Throughout production, everyone on Wright’s team had to think many steps ahead to understand where the shot would eventually lead them.

Marshmallowing Snow: Visual Effects

Instead of the typical, technical 3-D previsualisation done for many films, the previz for Scott Pilgrim was created in homage to the graphic style of O’Malley’s novels, with additional animated elements inserted to round it out. During the pitching phase of the project, a black-and-white animatic was designed to give the look and feel of the first fight, the one in which Scott Pilgrim faces off against Matthew Patel.

With panels taken straight from the pages of the books, Scott Pilgrim was designed by blending a mixture of references to Japanese anime and video games from multiple eras. This allowed for a concept piece that illustrated the energy Wright wanted for his live-action. Before the project was green-lit, this animatic became the basis for a live-action test to convince the studio the film was feasible.

As the project moved into full production, UK-based VFX company DOUBLE NEGATIVE - with additional work from Toronto-based digital studio MR. X - created similar animatics for the remaining fight sequences, performances and other parts of the film that would benefit from bringing the comics to life. The majority of Mr X’s work


involved cleanup and simplification of practical locations, as well as adding stylized snow.

Once preproduction began, the entire film was storyboarded by Oscar Wright in the style of the novels. Wright was responsible for crafting the film’s concept art and graphics. Wherever possible, exact panels from the books were duplicated to set up shots, and then coverage was filled in to flesh them out for the film version. The visuals were always imagined by asking a simple question: Is this something that Bryan would have drawn?

Each day of shooting, the storyboards were distributed to the crew, who used the panels to compose the live-action shots. The production design and art direction were underpinned with the constant focus on graphic simplification in line with the comic artwork, which flowed through every element of the design - including sets, wardrobe and props.

Because of practical considerations, it wasn’t always possible to maintain this look through the art department alone; naturally, VFX became heavily involved… especially on location. Though the film is shot in Toronto, the teams had to extend a good deal of the location shots to achieve the hyper real look Wright wanted (e.g., as Scott and Ramona walk through snow to the swings). As it was impossible to blanket an entire street with perfect-looking snow in the middle of the summer, much of the team’s work involved simplifying the look of practical locations and dressing them in the wintry style of the film.

For the VFX crews, the hero text graphics (once animated) became a favourite part of the production. On set, the teams would overlay a simple static graphic on the video-assist so shots could be composed. Once they were rendered, it was exciting to see memorable copy from O’Malley’s novels burned across the screen.

Approximately six months before preproduction began, production designer Rowland began scouting locations. Because O’Malley drew a fair number of his exterior panels while looking at the actual locations that inspired him (e.g., Wallace’s apartment, Wychwood Library, Goodwill, Stephen Stills’ place, Ramona’s apartment, the house in which Scott grew up and Knives’ high school), the team was fortunate enough to use the actual locales described in the books.

VFX team members accompanied Rowland and took still photographs that precisely matched the angle and composition of the panels in the books. From there, they put together a package that showed each of the locations with various levels of simplification - ranging from the photographs by themselves to looks that precisely matched O’Malley’s style. With Wright’s guidance, the collaborators netted out visuals that landed somewhere in between the two styles.

The result became a mix of live action, with the details heavily reduced on screen. The team stopped before it began to make sets look too artificial…or as if they couldn’t have photographed the scenes. For example, the VFX crew “pruned” trees and took off all but the thickest branches as they designed. They then dialled that look back for a few smaller saplings to make it look realistic. The treatment of the snow dressing was very specific and came from dozens of reference photographs of perfect, untouched, freshly fallen “marshmallow”-style lumps of powder. All traces of slush or granularity had to be cleaned up. On set, the rule was that they would have practical snow, or snow blankets,


within 20 feet from camera and that everything past that point would be extended with VFX.

For the falling snow, the team developed a highly controllable and directable 3-D snow particle system. This could be fine-tuned for the amount of precipitate, speed of the snow and wind acting upon it, as well as for the character and the style of the weather pattern. Early in preproduction, the crew presented Wright with a range of possibilities for the “snow performance.” The weather patterns were treated as if they were a character - going from a perfectly photo-real snow system all the way to a whimsical, artificial, cartoonish version inspired by panels in O’Malley’s books.

The filmmaker responded well to the various options, and Wright came upon the idea to use almost all of it - by changing the character of the snow when the mood called for it. This is especially apparent in the park scene in which the snow builds up from light wisps to a heavy whiteout…just as Scott and Ramona begin to fall for one another.

****Universal Pictures Presents A Marc Platt/Big Talk Films Production: Scott

Pilgrim vs the World, starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman. Scott Pilgrim vs the World’s music is by Nigel Godrich. The film’s costume designer is Laura Jean Shannon. The editors are Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss; the production designer is Marcus Rowland. The director of photography is Bill Pope ASC, and the executive producers are Ronaldo Vasconcellos, J Miles Dale, Jared LeBoff and Adam Siegel. Scott Pilgrim vs the World’s producers are Marc Platt, Eric Gitter, Nira Park, Edgar Wright. The action-comedy is based on the Oni Press graphic novels by Bryan Lee O’Malley, and the screenplay is by Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright. Scott Pilgrim vs the World is directed by Edgar Wright. ©2010 Universal Studios www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com

http://www.scottpilgrimthemovie.com/


ABOUT THE CASTMICHAEL CERA (Scott Pilgrim) has become one of the most sought-after

actors in the business. After garnering major critical acclaim for his portrayal of George-Michael Bluth in the Emmy Award-winning television series Arrested Development, Cera quickly found himself amongst the young comedy elite when Judd Apatow cast him as the lead in the hit film Superbad. The film, written by Seth Rogen, nabbed the top box-office gross two weeks running and quickly became one of the most talked about films of 2007. On the heels of Superbad, Cera co-starred opposite Ellen Page and former Arrested Development co-star Jason Bateman in the Oscar-nominated film Juno. Most recently, Cera starred in Youth in Revolt, a film based on Cera’s favourite book, for director Miguel Arteta and The Weinstein Company. His other film work includes Mandate Pictures/Sony Screen Gems’ Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist and Sony Pictures’ Year One, in which he co-starred opposite Jack Black for director Harold Ramis. Additional credits include a young Chuck Barris in George Clooney’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Frequency, with Dennis Quaid.

Cera’s television credits include Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! and Tom Goes to the Mayor; regular roles on the series I Was a Sixth Grade Alien and The Grubbs; a guest-starring role in the popular Veronica Mars; and the telefilms Custody of the Heart, The Familiar Stranger, Walter and Henry and the award-winning My Louisiana Sky.

Last year, Cera launched the web-based series Clark and Michael at www.clarkandmichael.com, which he co-wrote, directed, produced and starred in with Clark Duke. The series received tremendous attention and was nominated for several Webby Awards.

MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD (Ramona Flowers) is a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award- and Young Artist Award-nominated American actress. She is currently shooting Universal’s The Thing, a prequel to John Carpenter’s 1981 classic, which will cement her leading lady status. Recently, she starred in the dance film Make It Happen, which showcased her background in dance, a passion of hers since childhood.

In 2007, Winstead co-starred in a pair of high-profile event films. Quentin Tarantino cast her as a well-intentioned but vapid and naive actress in his high-speed Grindhouse Presents: Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof. In the film, Winstead displayed her singing talent and performed the song “Baby It’s You.” Hot off the heels of Death Proof’s release, Winstead received another shot at action and played Lucy Gennaro McClane in Live Free or Die Hard, starring alongside Bruce Willis. The film earned more than $130 million domestically and drew excellent reviews. That same year, Winstead received a SAG Award nomination for her performance in the ensemble film Bobby, which included such esteemed actors as Sir Anthony Hopkins, Laurence Fishburne, Sharon Stone and William H Macy. She also co-starred in the remake of the 1974 horror classic Black Christmas.

In 2005, she starred in the mainstream Walt Disney Pictures confection Sky High, a financially and critically successful project. The next year, Winstead was the female

http://www.clarkandmichael.com/


lead in Final Destination 3. In 2006, she made an appearance alongside Guy Pearce and Sienna Miller in the film Factory Girl.

Winstead began her acting career on the small screen in the late 1990s, guest-starring in episodes of the CBS dramas Touched by an Angel and Promised Land, and from 1999 to 2000 was cast as Jessica Bennett in the NBC soap opera Passions. She subsequently starred in the CBS drama series Wolf Lake.

Winstead, a cousin of the legendary actor Ava Gardner, is no stranger to the stage. She spent her early career in the performing arts as a dancer and singer, and trained extensively in ballet, tap, jazz and classical voice. She performed in many stage productions throughout her childhood including The Nutcracker and the Broadway musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, with Donny Osmond.

KIERAN CULKIN (Wallace Wells) made a formidable impression on film audiences in the title role in Burr Steers’ Igby Goes Down, for which he was honoured with a Golden Satellite Award, a Critics’ Choice Award and a Golden Globe nomination. His recent work includes the independent feature Lymelife, which co-starred Alec Baldwin and Cynthia Nixon and was directed by Derick Martini.

Culkin co-starred opposite Jodie Foster and Jena Malone in the Foster-produced feature film The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys. His other features include The Cider House Rules, opposite Michael Caine and Tobey Maguire, and Music of the Heart, opposite Meryl Streep, both for Miramax. Culkin made his starring-role debut, opposite Sharon Stone, in the film The Mighty as a young Einstein with a degenerative growth disorder who forms a close bond with his next-door neighbour as they both discover the true meaning of friendship. Culkin appeared in his first motion picture as Fuller McAllister in the John Hughes international mega-hit Home Alone, followed by its sequel, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. His other films include She’s All That, Nowhere to Run, It Runs in the Family, Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II.

On stage, Culkin starred in Eric Bogosian’s production of Suburbia at Second Stage Theatre and in the London production of Kenneth Lonergan’s play This is Our Youth.

CHRIS EVANS (Lucas Lee) has emerged in recent years as one of Hollywood’s most in-demand young actors for both big budget and independent features. Evans was recently cast as Captain America in the upcoming film The Avengers. He recently starred opposite Dakota Fanning in Paul McGuigan’s Push. The action-packed sci-fi thriller involves a group of young American ex-patriots with telekinetic and clairvoyant abilities who are hiding from a clandestine US government agency. He also starred in Street Kings, opposite Keanu Reeves and Forest Whitaker.

Evans starred in Jodie Markell’s The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, opposite Bryce Dallas Howard. The dramatic film, written by Tennessee Williams, centres on class tensions in 1920s Memphis and on a romance between a society woman (Howard) and a plantation worker (Evans). The film premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival.

In 2007, Evans reprised the role of Johnny Storm (aka Human Torch) in the summer action hit Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. He reteamed with Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis and Ioan Gruffudd as a group of astronauts who gain individual super


powers after being exposed to cosmic radiation, that squares off against the powerful Silver Surfer and the planet-eating Galactus to save the earth.

Raised in Massachusetts, Evans began acting in regional theatre before moving to New York, where he studied at the Lee Strasberg Institute. He made a few guest appearances on television series before landing his first feature film in a starring role in the comedy spoof Not Another Teen Movie. Evans’ other film credits include Danny Boyle’s critically acclaimed Sunshine, with Cillian Murphy and Michelle Yeoh; David Ellis’ Cellular, opposite Kim Basinger and Jessica Biel; Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini’s The Nanny Diaries, opposite Scarlett Johansson; Brian Robbins’ The Perfect Score, also starring Johansson; Griffin Dunne’s Fierce People, with Diane Lane and Donald Sutherland; and Hunter Richards’ romantic drama London, opposite Jessica Biel.

Actress ANNA KENDRICK (Stacey Pilgrim) notably starred in Picturehouse Entertainment’s Rocket Science, directed by Jeffrey Blitz. Her performance as an ultra-competitive high-school debate team member garnered critical acclaim and the film received a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. For her work in the film, Kendrick was nominated for a Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress.

In 2008, Kendrick was seen in the blockbuster feature film Twilight. She also starred in its sequel, The Twilight Saga: New Moon, which was released in theatres nationwide on November 20, 2009. The second instalment of the popular franchise pulled in record-breaking numbers at the box office. Recently, Kendrick wrapped production on the highly anticipated third film of the Twilight Saga, titled Eclipse.

Kendrick starred in the lauded Paramount Pictures film Up in the Air, opposite George Clooney and Jason Bateman. In the film she played Natalie Keener, a fresh-out-of-college rising star at the company where both she and Clooney’s character are employed. This unique company specializes in “career transition counselling” (a euphemism for firing people). The film, which was directed by Jason Reitman, received rave reviews at its premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and was released nationwide on December 25, 2009.

For her work in the film Up in the Air, the National Board of Review named Kendrick Best Supporting Actress. Additionally, the highly respected Critics’ Choice Movie Awards, the Golden Globes as well as the Screen Actors Guild Awards nominated Kendrick in the Best Supporting Actress category. Kendrick also received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 82nd Academy Awards.

Currently, the budding starlet is filming an as yet untitled dark comedy, opposite Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Kendrick made her feature film debut in Todd Graff’s Camp, a darling of the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. Her performance in the cult hit earned her a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination as well as a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the annual Chlotrudis Awards.

An accomplished theatre veteran, Kendrick began her career as Dinah Lord in the 1997 Broadway musical production of High Society, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. At 12 years old, the honour made her the second youngest Tony Award nominee in award history. Kendrick also


garnered The Drama League and Theatre World awards as well as Drama Desk and FANY award nominations.

Kendrick’s additional theatre work includes a featured role with the New York City Opera’s production of A Little Night Music, starring Jeremy Irons, My Favourite Broadway - The Leading Ladies: Live at Carnegie Hall and Broadway workshops of Jane Eyre and The Little Princess.

She currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

ALISON PILL (Kim Pine) was recently featured alongside Sean Penn in the Oscar-winning film Milk. Her film credits also include Dan in Real Life, Dear Wendy, Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen and Pieces of April. Pill’s television work includes her much-lauded arc on In Treatment, as well as The Book of Daniel and Life With Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows.

On stage, Pill was recently seen starring with Abigail Breslin in Broadway’s revival of The Miracle Worker. She starred in the off-Broadway world premiere of Neil LaBute’s Reasons to be Pretty, for the MCC Theatre, and was recently in the Manhattan Theatre Club’s Broadway production of Mauritius and the off-Broadway hit Blackbird, for which she received Lucille Lortel, Outer Critics Circle and The Drama League award nominations. She was nominated for a Tony Award for her Broadway debut in The Lieutenant of Inishmore and for a Lucille Lortel Award for On the Mountain. She won The Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Ensemble in the US premiere of The Distance From Here, also for the MCC Theatre, and starred in an off-Broadway run of None of the Above.

BRANDON ROUTH (Todd Ingram) is best known as the handsome and clean-cut actor who soared into the media limelight when he was cast as the “Man of Steel” in director Bryan Singer’s highly anticipated revival of the original superhero film franchise, Superman Returns. Routh can be seen in the soon-to-be released independent feature Fling, which premiered at the Long Beach International Film Festival. The film is about a couple in an open relationship that is stretched to the breaking point when each partner finds himself or herself falling in love with other people. He was last seen in Kevin Smith’s film, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, with Seth Rogen and Justin Long. He will soon be seen in Unthinkable, a psychological thriller also starring Samuel L Jackson; Life is Hot in Cracktown, starring opposite Lara Flynn Boyle and Kerry Washington; the dark comedy Miss Nobody, in which he stars opposite Leslie Bibb and Missi Pyle; Table for Three; and Dead of Night.

Routh got his first major role in 1999 on the television sitcom Odd Man Out. This was followed by a four-episode stint on the night-time soap Undressed and an appearance on Gilmore Girls in 2000. He earned steady work on the daytime drama One Life to Live, originating the role of Seth Anderson from 2001 to 2002. His subsequent prime-time credits include guest stints on Cold Case, Will & Grace and Oliver Beene. Routh recently appeared in an episode of NBC’s horror anthology series Fear Itself.

JASON SCHWARTZMAN (Gideon Graves) made his motion picture acting debut starring opposite Bill Murray as Max Fischer, an eccentric high-school sophomore,


in Wes Anderson’s acclaimed comedy Rushmore. His performance garnered a 1999 nomination for Most Promising Actor from the Chicago Film Critics Association.

Currently, Schwartzman can be seen in HBO’s new television series, Bored to Death, and recently lent his voice to the animated film Fantastic Mr Fox, which reunited Schwartzman with director Wes Anderson. Schwartzman is also attached to star opposite Jonah Hill in the film The Adventurer’s Handbook.

Schwartzman’s other screen credits include David O Russell’s I Heart Huckabees, with Dustin Hoffman, Naomi Watts and Jude Law, and with Steve Martin and Claire Danes in Shopgirl, the film adaptation of Martin’s best-selling novel. In 2007, he co-starred and made his writing debut with The Darjeeling Limited (co-written with Roman Coppola and Wes Anderson). Other acting credits for Schwartzman include Spun, Slackers, S1m0ne, Marie Antoinette and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

As a musician, Schwartzman was lead drummer for the Los Angeles-based band Phantom Planet, and then created an indie rock solo project with Coconut Records. Coconut Records’ debut album, titled “Night-timing,” was released on Schwartzman’s Young Baby Records in 2007. The album is the product of Schwartzman, who wrote all of the songs and performs the majority of the instruments. The song “Summer Day” was featured on the Spider-Man 3 original soundtrack. The song “West Coast” can be heard in an episode of The OC. and the movie Cloverfield.

BRIE LARSON (Envy Adams) has built an impressive career as a film and television actress and as an accomplished recording artist. Larson can currently be seen opposite Ben Stiller in Noah Baumbach’s comedy Greenberg.

Recently, Larson starred in Showtime’s breakout drama United States of Tara as Kate, the sarcastic and rebellious daughter of Toni Collette. The series was created by Academy Award-winning writer Diablo Cody and based on an original idea by Steven Spielberg.

Larson’s past work includes the comedy House Broken, starring Danny DeVito; the coming-of-age drama Tanner Hall; and the dark comedy Just Peck, starring Marcia Cross and Keir Gilchrist. Larson earned critical praise for her role in the independent feature Remember the Daze, in which she starred opposite Amber Heard and Leighton Meester, and was singled out by Variety as the scene-stealer of the film.

Larson starred in the feature film Hoot, opposite Logan Lerman, and wrote and recorded an original song for the soundtrack, which featured Maroon 5 and the legendary Jimmy Buffett.

A native of Sacramento, Larson started studying drama at the early age of six and was the youngest student ever to attend the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. She starred in one of Disney Channel’s most watched original movies, Right on Track, as well as The WB’s Raising Dad and MGM’s teen comedy Sleepover - all before graduating from middle school.

In addition to her talents as an actress, Larson has simultaneously nurtured an ever-growing musical career. At 13, she landed her first record deal at Universal Records with Tommy Mottola, who signed her sight unseen. Her first release, in 2005, led to her first nationwide tour. She currently performs in the band Baby Mongrel.


AUBREY PLAZA (Julie Powers) currently stars as uninspired intern April Ludgate in the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation. The new series, from the creators of The Office, is a half-hour mockumentary that looks at the world of local government. Co-starring Amy Poehler and Rashida Jones, the series was recently picked up for a third season.

Plaza was last seen starring opposite Adam Sandler, Leslie Mann and Seth Rogen in Judd Apatow’s Funny People. The film follows a seasoned comedian who takes an up-and-coming performer under his wing when he has a near-death experience. Plaza played Daisy, the love interest for Rogen’s character, Ira.

Plaza also recently starred in Dan Eckman’s Mystery Team. The film revolves around a group of high-school detectives committed to solving child-sized mysteries in their small town. When a neighbourhood girl asks them to find out who killed her parents, the team must take on a violent cartel of drug lords and strippers, the likes of which their small town of Oakdale has never seen.

Her additional credits include the hit online series The Jeannie Tate Show and ESPN’s original web series Mayne Street, as well as a guest appearance on 30 Rock. Plaza has been performing improv and sketch comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre since 2004. She also recently began performing stand-up comedy and has appeared at the Laugh Factory and the Improv.

Originally from Wilmington, Delaware, Plaza is a graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She currently resides in Los Angeles.

JOHNNY SIMMONS (Young Neil) is set to become one of the most sought-after young actors in Hollywood. It did not take long for Simmons, who hails from Texas, to get his first role, opposite Steve Carell, in the Universal Pictures film Evan Almighty. Most recently, Simmons was seen opposite Samuel L Jackson, Eva Mendes and Scarlett Johansson in The Spirit. Simmons was also seen opposite Emma Roberts, Don Cheadle and Lisa Kudrow in Hotel for Dogs, and in the lead role of Chip, opposite Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried, in Academy Award winner Diablo Cody’s follow-up film, Jennifer’s Body.

Simmons can currently be seen opposite Susan Sarandon and Pierce Brosnan in the character drama The Greatest. The film tells the painful, yet redemptive story of a family dealing with the loss of a child. The film premiered at Sundance in 2009 and was singled out by The Hollywood Reporter as one of 10 films, out of the 118 films that screened, to watch.

MARK WEBBER (Stephen Stills) starred opposite Kevin Spacey in Shrink, which made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009. In 2008, Webber wrote and directed his first feature, Explicit Ills, which was executive produced by Jim Jarmusch, won the Audience Award at the South by Southwest Film Festival and boasts a cast that includes Rosario Dawson, Paul Dano, Lou Taylor Pucci and Tariq Trotter. Webber was at Sundance in 2008 with the film Good Dick, and he had two movies in the 2007 Sundance competition: The Good Life, with Zooey Deschanel, and Weapons, which he also produced. In The Hottest State, directed by Ethan Hawke, Webber played the lead alongside Michelle Williams, Laura Linney and Catalina Sandino Moreno. This feature


premiered in 2006 at both the Venice and Toronto international film festivals. Also in 2006, Webber’s film Just Like the Son was at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Webber worked with Jessica Lange, Bill Murray and Sharon Stone on the Jim Jarmusch film Broken Flowers, and he was a lead in the Thomas Vinterberg film Dear Wendy. Webber worked with Anthony LaPaglia in Winter Solstice, and Webber’s feature Bomb the System was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He received phenomenal reviews in the lead role of Scooby in Todd Solondz’ Storytelling, the story of an oddball teenage boy growing up in the suburbs.

Webber was seen in HBO’s critically acclaimed The Laramie Project, which depicts the aftermath of the 1998 beating death of Matthew Shepard. Webber was also featured as Woody Allen’s son in the DreamWorks feature Hollywood Ending, and he played Al Pacino’s assistant in People I Know.

He has also appeared in Chelsea Walls, directed by Ethan Hawke; Snow Day, with Chevy Chase; Animal Factory, directed by Steve Buscemi; the 20th Century Fox feature Drive Me Crazy; Fox Searchlight’s Whiteboyz, directed by Sundance Film Festival award winner Marc Levin; and Jesus’ Son, with Billy Crudup.

Webber is an accomplished stage performer. He played the lead in Neil LaBute’s The Distance From Here, which premiered at London’s Almeida Theatre and continued its run in New York, where it won a Drama Desk Award. Previously, Webber garnered rave reviews starring as Bobby in both the sold-out London and New York stage productions of David Mamet’s American Buffalo, opposite William H Macy and Philip Baker Hall.

MAE WHITMAN (Roxy Richter) currently stars in the new television series Parenthood, which is produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. She was recently seen playing Gabriel Byrne’s daughter in multiple episodes of In Treatment, and Diane Lane’s daughter in Nights in Rodanthe. She will soon be seen starring opposite John Cusack in the thriller The Factory.

When Whitman was three and a half, she inadvertently wandered into her mother’s commercial audition…and booked the job. A year later, she was cast in her first feature film, When a Man Loves a Woman, starring Meg Ryan and Andy Garcia, followed by the comedy Bye Bye Love, with Randy Quaid, Paul Reiser and Amy Brenneman. Next came the record-breaking Independence Day, in which she appeared as the president’s daughter, and One Fine Day, as George Clooney’s daughter. Robert Altman and Kenneth Branagh introduced her to improvisation with The Gingerbread Man, and she worked alongside Sandra Bullock and Harry Connick Jr, in Hope Floats. Next came a trio of independents films: the award-winning An American Rhapsody, with Scarlett Johansson; Henry Jaglom’s Going Shopping; and the festival hit Bondage, with Illeana Douglas and Michael Angarano.

Whitman continued to show her versatility with the suspense/horror picture Boogeyman 2, the comedic Emmy-winning television series Arrested Development and the film Spring Breakdown, with Amy Poehler, Parker Posey and Amber Tamblyn.

Whitman travelled to New Orleans to shoot the Emmy-winning six-part miniseries Thief, with Andre Braugher. She has guest-starred on Grey’s Anatomy, Justice, Desperate Housewives, Cold Case, Presidio Med, Century City, Judging Amy, Friends, Providence, Early Edition and PBS’ acclaimed televised radio play Merry Christmas,


George Bailey. Some other television series credits include the title role in State of Grace and recurring roles in Chicago Hope and JAG. Whitman’s made-for-television movie appearances include Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, Naomi & Wynonna: Love Can Build a Bridge, Degree of Guilt, Invisible Child, After Jimmy and two for Hallmark, A Season for Miracles and Love’s Abiding Joy. Whitman has continued her love for cartoons by voicing the character of Katara in Nickelodeon’s wildly successful anime-style series Avatar: The Last Airbender. For Disney, she plays both Rose and her alter ego Huntsgirl on American Dragon: Jake Long, and she co-starred with Haley Joel Osment, as the voice of Shanti in The Jungle Book 2. You can also hear her as Little Suzy on Johnny Bravo, Leslie on Teacher’s Pet and various characters on Fillmore, The Wild Thornberrys, Duckman: Private Dick/Family Man, Superman and Max Steel. Most recently, Whitman gave a voice to the previously voiceless Tinker Bell in Disney’s latest animated franchise, Tinker Bell.

ELLEN WONG (Knives Chau) was born and raised in Ontario, Canada, where she currently resides with her family. The first film she ever watched in a movie theatre was Titanic. Wong was so inspired by Kate Winslet’s performance that she knew instantly she wanted to be an actress.

Coming from a very traditional family, Wong was encouraged to complete her education prior to following her dreams. She started off in the industry by working behind the scenes on local film and television productions, as well as working at a television network where she read scripts and watched auditions. Through her experience behind the camera, Wong knew that it was her time to pursue acting. Her first role was on the award-winning television series This Is Wonderland, followed by an appearance on The CW’s Runaway.

After auditioning many hopefuls across Canada and the United States for the role of Knives Chau, director Edgar Wright knew instantly he wanted to work with Wong. She was perfect for the role because she showcased herself as a unique actress with the ability to take on intense fight choreography, wirework and weaponry. In fact, Wong was nicknamed “The Ellen-nator” by the on-set trainer.

Wong also guest-starred on the television series Unnatural History as Hoshi, a fearless Japanese kendo fighter who is determined to bring out the warrior within herself, while also defending her family’s honour.

Wong trains in World Tae kwon do Federation (WTF) tae kwon do, Xtreme Skills Development (XSD), acrobatics and weapons. She enjoys the adrenaline and discipline that come with training, and she plans to explore as many martial arts as possible. Her favourite action stars are Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Jackie Chan, Tony Jaa and Yanin Vismistananda (aka Jeeja Yanin).

In addition to her love of fight training, Wong also loves to travel and to learn about different cultures, food and people. One of Wong’s most life changing experiences was her first big backpacking trip through Asia, where she visited China, Japan, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Wong is always open to new experiences, and she embraces the unending opportunities life has to offer!


ABOUT THE FILMMAKERSAlthough he is only in his mid-thirties, award-winning filmmaker EDGAR

WRIGHT’s (Directed by/Produced by/Screenplay by) list of credits reads like that of a seasoned veteran. With projects like the UK series-turned-international-cult-phenomenon Spaced, the rom-zom-com Shaun of the Dead and action-comedy opus Hot Fuzz, he’s evolved from a young film geek wanting to prove himself to one of the most sought-after geeks working in film today.

Raised in Somerset, England, Wright embarked on his first epic at age 14 with a Super 8 short film titled Rolf Harris Saves the World. He continued to make many more shorts after he won a Video 8 camera in a Comic Relief contest for his film I Want to Get Into the Movies, an animated allegory about wheelchair access.

At age 20, he made A Fistful of Fingers, a no-budget feature film starring local teen actors and shot on 16 mm. The unlikely British Western was put on a limited theatrical release and paved the way for his foray into television with the Paramount Comedy Channel. While there, Wright directed the fledgling sketch show Mash and Peas for future Little Britain stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and Asylum, for which he joined forces with future collaborators Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes.

Still in his early 20s, Wright also directed several comedy shows for the BBC including Merry-Go-Round, Is It Bill Bailey?, Murder Most Horrid, Sir Bernard’s Stately Homes and French and Saunders.

Wright gained notice in the UK when he directed two seasons of Spaced for Channel 4. The series, which starred Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes, won two British Comedy Awards, was nominated for two BAFTAs and was nominated at the International Emmy Awards. Over the years, the show built an international cult following and, in 2008, Wright, along with Pegg and Hynes, embarked on a four-city tour of the US in honour of the DVD release.

The series served as a launching pad for Shaun of the Dead, Wright’s first feature film that he directed and co-wrote with Pegg. The film gained attention and critical praise internationally and was nominated for two BAFTAs. Named by Time magazine as one of the top-25 horror films of all time, it earned an Empire Award for Best British Film, a British Independent Film Award for Best Screenplay and a Saturn Award for Best Horror Film. Original zombie master George Romero went as far as to proclaim it as his “favourite zombie film.”

In 2007, after spending two years writing and a year in production, Wright returned with Hot Fuzz, which he again directed and co-wrote with Pegg. The film grossed £21 million at the UK box office, topped the charts for three weeks and grossed $90 million worldwide. The film won a 2007 National Movie Award and a 2008 Empire Award, both for Best Comedy.

While his first two films made him a fan favourite, thanks in part to the notoriously fun international press tours for which he’s known, Wright was also sought after by his peers. He was tapped by directors Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez to contribute the faux trailer Don’t for the epic Grindhouse, and, most recently, he was brought onboard by Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg to co-write The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn with Joe Cornish, which is currently in production with Jackson producing and Spielberg directing.


Wright’s other upcoming projects include The World’s End, the third film in his trilogy with Simon Pegg, the screen adaptation of Ant-Man for Marvel Studios, and Baby Driver for Working Title.

MICHAEL BACALL (Screenplay by) made his stage debut as the wicked Crocodile in a third grade production of Rudyard Kipling’s How the Elephant Got His Trunk. A talent agent in the audience recommended he pursue a career in child acting. He went on to perform in several films and guest-star on iconic television shows such as The A-Team and The Wonder Years.

Bacall continued acting in film and television while attending UCLA, where he earned degrees in English literature and communications studies. Following graduation, Bacall wrote Manic, in which he co-starred with Don Cheadle, Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. His upcoming feature film projects as a screenwriter include Psycho Funky Chimp, an original screenplay produced by Todd Phillips, and 21 Jump Street, an action-comedy produced by Neal Moritz and starring Jonah Hill.

Bacall last performed on-screen for Quentin Tarantino in Grindhouse Presents: Quentin Tarantino’s Death Proof and Inglorious Basterds.

BRYAN LEE O’MALLEY (Based on the Oni Press Graphic Novels by) was born in London, Ontario, Canada. He started writing stories and drawing pictures from an early age, including dozens of issues of his own superhero comics in middle school and many unfinished fantasy epics in his teens. O’Malley spent his early twenties in Toronto, where he threw himself into the world of comics and storytelling by doing minor work for Udon Studios, Marvel Comics and Oni Press. He also joined his friends’ band, Imperial Otter, and continued playing with them throughout their various incarnations while living in Toronto. In 2003, his first graphic novel, “Lost at Sea,” was published by Oni Press, and earned O’Malley both critical acclaim and a dedicated fan base.

O’Malley’s years in Toronto were the inspiration for his next graphic novel project, an ambitious six-volume series about a twenty-something trying to date the girl of his dreams, titled “Scott Pilgrim.” The first volume, “Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life,” debuted in 2004 and the “Scott Pilgrim” series has been synonymous with O’Malley’s career ever since. Noted for it’s genre-bending storytelling, “Scott Pilgrim” has garnered O’Malley numerous awards and accolades, and the popular success of the series has brought comics to non-comics readers for years.

O’Malley left Toronto in 2005 shortly after marring Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Hope Larson. They currently live in Los Angeles with their dog and three cats.

ERIC GITTER (Produced by) has quickly become a familiar face at every studio in town. He recently completed production on the film Leaves of Grass, directed by Tim Blake Nelson and starring Edward Norton, Keri Russell, Susan Sarandon and Richard Dreyfus. In 2008, Gitter was named one of Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch.”

Born in New Jersey, he made his way out to Hollywood and produced the controversial and well received film O, starring Josh Hartnett, Julia Stiles and Mekhi Phifer. He went on to form Closed on Mondays Entertainment, the production arm of leading independent comic/graphic novel publisher Oni Press.


Gitter has many projects in various stages of feature development from preproduction to postproduction including Universal’s The Leading Man, teaming once again with producer Marc Platt, and Resurrection, with producer Scott Stuber. Gitter is also developing The Return of King Doug, with Ben Stiller; The Last Call, with Barry Josephson; Julius, with director F Gary Gray; Billy Smoke, with producer Basil Iwanyk and actor Matthew Fox; and Ciudad, with writers and directors Joe and Anthony Russo. Gitter will pair up with Parkes/MacDonald Productions to produce The Damned and Courtney Crumrin and the Night Things.

MARC PLATT (Produced by) stands among the few producers who have successfully bridged the worlds of theatre, film and television. His projects have garnered a combined seven Oscar, 16 Tony, 12 Golden Globe and 19 Emmy nominations. Prior to founding Marc Platt Productions, Platt served as president of production for three movie studios (Universal Pictures, Tri-Star Pictures and Orion Pictures), produced film, television and theatre, practiced as an entertainment attorney and handled business affairs at a major talent agency.

For the theatre, Platt is the producer of Broadway’s blockbuster hit musical Wicked, which The New York Times recently called “the defining musical of the decade.”

The show has earned a Grammy Award, three Tony Awards, six Drama Desk Awards (including Outstanding Musical), four Outer Critics Circle Awards (including Best Musical) and the 2004 Drama League Award for Distinguished Production of a Musical.

Wicked, which continues to break box-office records for the Gershwin Theatre, is a show Platt created, based on the novel of the same name by Gregory Maguire. The show premiered on Broadway in October 2003. The original Wicked cast recording CD broke the debut sales records for all Broadway shows since Rent and has been certified platinum. Eight companies are now playing worldwide, including Broadway, London, Tokyo, Oberhausen, Sydney, San Francisco and two North American tours.

Platt also produced the Broadway debut of Tony Award-winning playwright Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain, starring Julia Roberts, Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper, and directed by two-time Tony Award winner Joe Mantello. Additionally, Platt produced Matthew Bourne’s ballet Edward Scissorhands, a smash hit in London, Asia and the US, for which he won his second Drama Desk Award, as well as the 2008 Broadway production of Pal Joey, starring Stockard Channing. This Rodgers and Hart show featured a new book by Richard Greenberg and was directed by Joe Mantello.

Among the films Platt has produced are the smash hits Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde, starring Reese Witherspoon, which have each grossed more than $150 million worldwide; the film musical Nine, directed by Rob Marshall (Chicago) and starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson and Fergie; and the critically acclaimed Rachel Getting Married, which reunited him with Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme. This Sony Pictures Classics movie stars Anne Hathaway and also includes Bill Irwin, Debra Winger, Rosemarie DeWitt and Anna Deavere Smith. Platt also produced the 2008 summer hit Wanted, based on the popular comic book by Mark Millar. This Universal Pictures action film stars Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman and was directed by critically acclaimed Russian filmmaker Timur


Bekmambetov. In addition, Platt produced the Warner Bros. comedy Cop Out, starring Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan; Universal Pictures’ teen crowd-pleaser Honey; The Perfect Man, starring Hilary Duff; Josie and the Pussycats, whose hit soundtrack was certified gold; and The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising, for 20th Century Fox and Walden Media.

Platt’s upcoming films include Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, starring Natalie Portman, and Charlie St Cloud, starring Zac Efron.

Platt won the Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for producing an adaptation of Richard Russo’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “Empire Falls.” This Golden Globe- and Emmy Award-winning HBO film stars Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ed Harris, Helen Hunt and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Platt also executive produced ABC’s Once Upon a Mattress, starring Carol Burnett and Tracey Ullman; ABC’s Emmy Award-winning miniseries The Path to 9/11, starring Harvey Keitel; and his newest series, MTV’s Taking the Stage, a hit now in its second season, centred on the lives of students who attend a Cincinnati performing arts high school.

Prior to establishing this independent venture, Platt served as president of production for Universal Pictures from 1996 to 1998. Among the first films Platt put into production were the hugely successful Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams, written by Steve Oedekerk and directed by Tom Shadyac; the critically acclaimed One True Thing, starring Meryl Streep, William Hurt and Renée Zellweger and directed by Carl Franklin; and the equally acclaimed Out of Sight, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez. In addition, Platt developed and put into production October Sky, directed by Joe Johnston and starring Laura Dern; Man on the Moon, starring Jim Carrey and directed by Milos Forman; The Mummy, written and directed by Stephen Sommers; and American Pie, written by Adam Herz and directed by Paul and Chris Weitz. Continuing his long association with Oscar-winning director Jonathan Demme and actor Tom Hanks, Platt put into place overall deals with both filmmakers at Universal.

Before joining Universal, Platt served as president of Tri-Star Pictures, commencing in February 1992. Among the films Platt developed and put into production there were the Oscar-winning As Good As It Gets, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt and directed by James L Brooks; My Best Friend’s Wedding, starring Julia Roberts, Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett, written by Ron Bass and directed by PJ. Hogan; Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr., and written and directed by Cameron Crowe; Sleepless in Seattle, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan under Nora Ephron’s direction; Philadelphia, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington and directed by Jonathan Demme; Legends of the Fall, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Julia Ormond and directed by Edward Zwick; Jumanji, starring Robin Williams and Bonnie Hunt and directed by Joe Johnston; and The Mirror Has Two Faces, directed by Barbra Streisand and starring Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Pierce Brosnan and Lauren Bacall.

In the fall of 1987, Platt joined Orion Pictures as vice president of production. He was promoted to senior vice president in the summer of 1989 and became president of Orion Pictures in early 1990. During his tenure as president, Orion produced and released such films as Dances With Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs and Mermaids, starring Cher and Winona Ryder. Platt was also responsible for such films as Little Man Tate,


starring Jodie Foster; The Addams Family (subsequently released by Paramount Pictures); Blue Sky, starring Jessica Lange (for which she won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe); and Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey. While president of Orion, Platt also put into place overall deals with such talent as Jodie Foster, Alec Baldwin, Cher and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Born in Baltimore, Maryland, in April 1957, Platt earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He graduated from New York University Law School in 1982, was a member of the New York University Law Review and was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award. During this time period, Platt produced the off-Broadway musical Frances and associate produced the Broadway production of Total Abandon.

After practicing entertainment law in New York City for a year and a half, Platt joined International Creative Management (ICM), where he worked exclusively with prominent agent Sam Cohn and negotiated agreements on behalf of clients including Woody Allen, Bob Fosse, Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Robert Benton, Nora Ephron, Robin Williams and Cher. Prior to joining Orion, Platt served as vice president of production for RKO Pictures.

Platt is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and The Broadway League. He also serves on the board of trustees for the National Constitution Centre under its chairman, President William J Clinton.

Platt currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Julie. They have five children: Mrs Samantha Platt-Auerbach (age 25), Jonah (age 23), Hannah (age 19), Benjamin (16) and Henry (10).

In 2005, NIRA PARK (Produced by) was selected as one of Variety’s “10 Producers to Watch” and as one of the Breakthrough Brits at the UK Film Council’s inaugural ceremony in Hollywood. Having produced both series of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright’s award-winning comedy series Spaced, Park went on to produce their sleeper hit Shaun of the Dead and the team’s follow-up movie, Hot Fuzz. Subsequent to this, she produced Ringan Ledwidge’s psychological thriller Gone, for Working Title Films. She also produced all three series of the double BAFTA-winning sitcom Black Books, and the 2009 Rose d’Or-nominated dramedy Free Agents.

Park is in postproduction on the Simon Pegg- and Nick Frost-penned Paul, directed by Greg Mottola for Working Title Films. She continues to develop an extensive slate of films and television series in her role as the CEO of Big Talk Productions.

RONALDO VASCONCELLOS (Executive Producer) recently served as a line producer on In Bruges and a co-producer on Pirate Radio. He was a line producer on Rogue Pictures’ hit action-comedy Hot Fuzz, directed by Edgar Wright. He previously collaborated with the Hot Fuzz team as a line producer on their earlier hit, Shaun of the Dead, also a Rogue Pictures release.

Vasconcellos has been working in UK film production for more than two decades. Among the other features he has line produced are Agnieszka Holland’s Copying Beethoven, Andrew Niccol’s Lord of War, Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar, Shane Meadows’ A Room for Romeo Brass and Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking


Barrels. He has also been a producer on telefilms and documentaries - among the latter, Barrie Gavin’s Verdi - A Life in Two Parts, for the BBC via his own Vasconcellos Productions.

Vasconcellos has enjoyed a long collaboration with director Ken Russell, beginning as a production assistant on Gothic; becoming an associate producer on Salome’s Last Dance; line producing The Lair of the White Worm and The Rainbow; and producing Whore and The Insatiable Mrs Kirsch, among others.

J MILES DALE (Executive Producer) recently served as executive producer on Love Happens, starring Jennifer Aniston and Aaron Eckhart; Talk to Me, starring Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award winner Don Cheadle and Chiwetel Ejiofor; and Hollywoodland, a film noir starring Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck and Diane Lane.

Dale’s credits as executive producer also include Danny Leiner’s hit comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle and the family Christmas film Blizzard, directed by LeVar Burton, starring Kevin Pollak, Christopher Plummer and Brenda Blethyn and featuring the voice of Whoopi Goldberg. Dale also produced the hit feature Wolf Girl, starring Tim Curry, Grace Jones and Lesley Ann Warren, as well as James Toback’s feature Harvard Man, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Eric Stoltz.

For television, Dale produced USA Network’s highest-rated movie of 2000, the critically acclaimed All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story, starring Penelope Ann Miller and Mercedes Ruehl. He produced and made his feature directorial debut with The Skulls III, the sequel to the 1999 box-office hit The Skulls. Having spent a number of years producing and directing television pilots and series for most of the major networks and syndication companies, Dale co-executive produced the two-hour pilot and two seasons of the popular action show F/X: The Series and directed multiple episodes.

Dale helped adapt the RoboCop franchise for television and produced the two-hour pilot and 22 episodes of RoboCop for worldwide syndication. He produced three seasons of the popular reality series Top Cops for CBS and three seasons of the now-cult classic television series Friday the 13th. These four series scored numerous Gemini, Emmy and Peabody awards, among other awards for episodes Dale produced and directed. He also produced several dramatic pilots for ABC, CBS and NBC, and he was the production supervisor on Daniel Petrie’s The Execution of Raymond Graham, a live-to-air two-hour Sunday-night movie for ABC that examined both sides of the capital punishment issue and starred Morgan Freeman. He is currently writing his first feature, Stolen Fire, which he also plans to direct.

BILL POPE’s ASC (Director of Photography) film credits include Darkman, Army of Darkness, Clueless, The Matrix, Team America: World Police, Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man 3.

MARCUS ROWLAND (Production Designer) previously worked with the Scott Pilgrim vs the World creative team as a production designer on the movies Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead and the television series Spaced. He works as a production designer on an average of 50 commercials a year. His clients have included M&S, Halifax,


Debenhams, Carlsberg, Mini, Abbey National, Pizza Express, Lancôme and Virgin Mobile. He has also worked extensively with Peter Richardson and The Comic Strip.

JONATHAN AMOS (Editor) has worked on a number of television comedies and dramas with a variety of directors, including Justin Chadwick, James Griffiths, Julian Holmes, Sam Miller, Catherine Morshead and Tristram Shapeero.

His television credits include Free Agents, Ashes to Ashes, Spooks, The Fixer and Peep Show. Amos has also worked as additional editor on feature films such as Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz and Don Mancini’s Seed of Chucky. Scott Pilgrim vs the World is Amos’ first feature as (shared) head editor.

PAUL MACHLISS’ (Editor) recent credits include the television series The IT Crowd and Black Books for Channel 4, as well as How Not to Live Your Life, Peep Show, The Peter Serafinowicz Show and Fear, Stress and Anger for the BBC.

Machliss has worked on a number of documentaries, including Small Railway Journeys, Killing Hitler, Ladies & Gentleman, Renée Fleming, The Real David Beckham and Dispatches: Lie of the Land.

His additional film credits include the comedies Count Arthur Strong: The Musical and Rabbit Fever.

LAURA JEAN SHANNON (Costume Designer) was recently nominated for a Costume Designers Guild Award for creating costumes for the wildly successful Iron Man, directed by Jon Favreau.

Shannon’s work has a wide range. She began her career in New York designing independent cult classics such as Requiem for a Dream, directed by Darren Aronofsky, and Made, directed by Jon Favreau. Over the years, she has had the pleasure of designing many genres including family favourites like Elf, which afforded her a spot in the prestigious costume exhibition 50 Designers/50 Costumes: Concept to Character, curated by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

NIGEL GODRICH’s (Music by) current work includes touring with Thom Yorke on the Atoms for Peace US tour. His past work includes all the Radiohead albums from “OK Computer” to “In Rainbows”; Thom Yorke’s “The Eraser”; Beck’s “The Information,” “Sea Change” and “Mutations”; Air’s “Pocket Symphony” and “Talkie Walkie”; Paul McCartney’s “Chaos and Creation in the Backyard”; Travis’ “The Invisible Band,” “The Man Who” and “The Boy With No Name”; Pavement’s “Terror Twilight”; REM’s “Up”; and Beta Band’s “Heroes to Zeroes.”

- Scott Pilgrim vs the world -

Date post:	31-Oct-2015
Category:	Documents
Upload:	william-fonda
View:	224 times
Download:	3 times

Scott Pilgrim vs the World Production Notes

Documents