BACKFREAKY TALES SETS LEADING CAST WITH STARS PEDRO PASCAL, BEN MENDELSOHN, AND JAY ELLIS FROM ENTERTAINMENT ONE AND MACRO FILM STUDIOSLOS ANGELES November 16, 2022 Entertainment One (eOne) and producers MACRO Film Studios announced today that FREAKY TALES, the Oakland-centered dramatic thriller written and directed by CAPTAIN MARVEL's Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, has set a cast starring The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal, Emmy Award winner Ben Mendelsohn, and TOP GUN: MAVERICK's Jay Ellis.
The film, financed by eOne and produced by eOne and MACRO Film Studios, began principal photography November 14th and will also feature cast including Jack Champion (AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER, SCREAM 6), Angus Cloud (Euphoria), Dominique Thorne (BLACK PANTHER: WAKANDA FOREVER), Normani (The Proud Family), and Atypical's Keir Gilchrist and Michelle Farrah Huang, as well as a collection of notable Oakland natives.
eOne's Jillian Share, Jen Gorton, and Chanel Vidal will oversee the film's production with Share and Gorton executive producing. MACRO Film Studios' Jelani Johnson and Poppy Hanks will serve as producers and Charles D. King and James F. Lopez as executive producers. Also executive producing are Too Short and his manager David Weintraub, while Grammy-winning Oakland native Raphael Saadiq is overseeing the film's music.
Set in Oakland in 1987, FREAKY TALES is a wholly original, immersive film inspired by Ryan's experience growing up in the bay. The film is comprised of four interconnected stories each featuring distinct characters, real life locations and noteworthy historical events (some real, some imagined).
In addition to playing the title character in Disney's 14-Emmy-winning The Mandalorian, Chilean-born Pascal is known for his roles in smash hits like HBO's Game of Thrones and Netflix's Narcos. On the film side, he starred with Matt Damon in THE GREAT WALL and in this summer's THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT.
Mendelsohn took an Emmy for his work on the Netflix drama Bloodline. The same year, he played the main villain in the Academy Award-nominated box office smash ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY. He also starred in Steven Spielberg's Academy Award-nominated READY PLAYER ONE and has been in such critical darlings as KILLING THEM SOFTLY and PLACE BEYOND THE PINES.
Ellis recently starred opposite Tom Cruise in the blockbuster TOP GUN: MAVERICK, which is nearing $1.5 billion in global box office. He will next be seen opposite Amazon Studio's SOMEBODY I USE TO KNOW. On the television side, he starred for five seasons in HBO's Emmy-winning Insecure, FX's Emmy-nominated limited series Mrs. America and BET's The Game.
Thorne stars in the Marvel sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, being introduced as RiRi Williams, a smart, super cool 19-year-old MIT student. She will go on to anchor the titular Ironheart series for Marvel & Disney. Thorne made her feature film debut in Academy Award winning writer/director Barry Jenkins' IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, as well as Academy Award Nominated feature JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH.
Pascal is represented by CAA. Mendelsohn is represented by WME. Fleck and Boden are represented by WME and Entertainment 360. Ellis is represented by UTA and Rise Management.
Champion is represented by CAA, Industry Entertainment and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Cloud is represented by A3 Artists Agency and Hirsch/Wallerstein/Hayum/Matlof & Fishman. Thorne is represented by James Swoope at M88, Paradigm and Michael Mahan. Normani is represented by M88 and S10 Entertainment. Gilchrist is represented by CAA and Thruline Entertainment. Huang is represented by Thruline Entertainment and Ellis Talent Group.
About eOne
Entertainment One Ltd. (eOne) is a talent-driven independent studio that specializes in the development, acquisition, production, financing, distribution and sales of entertainment content. As part of global play and entertainment company Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS), eOne s expertise spans across film and television production and sales; production, distribution and brand management of kids and family properties; and digital content. Through its extensive reach and scale, and a deep commitment to high-quality entertainment, eOne unlocks the power and value of creativity.
eOne brings to market both original and existing content, sourcing IP from Hasbro's portfolio of 1500+ brands, and through a diversified network of creative partners and eOne companies.
About MACRO Film Studios
MACRO Film Studios is a division of MACRO, a multi-platform media company representing the voice and perspectives of Black people and people of color launched in 2015 by Founder & CEO Charles D. King. The company's film projects have fifteen Oscar nominations and three wins. MACRO Film Studios co-financed the critically acclaimed Judas and the Black Messiah, Mudbound, Fences, Roman J. Israel, Esq., Just Mercy, Sorry to Bother You, Nine Days, Farewell Amor, Blast Beat, The Land and Blue Bayou. MACRO's multiple business verticals also includes a television studio (MACRO Television Studios) that finances, develops and produces premium television, talent (M88) and digital creator (UNCMMN) management divisions, a branding and creative agency (Brand MACRO) and an affiliated venture firm (Mac Venture Capital). Go to https://www.staymacro.com/about for more information on the media company.
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BACKFREAKY TALES SETS LEADING CAST WITH STARS PEDRO PASCAL, BEN MENDELSOHN, AND JAY ELLIS FROM ENTERTAINMENT ONE AND MACRO FILM STUDIOSLOS ANGELES November 16, 2022 Entertainment One (eOne) and producers MACRO Film Studios announced today that FREAKY TALES, the Oakland-centered dramatic thriller written and directed by CAPTAIN MARVEL's Ryan Fleck & Anna Boden, has set a cast starring The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal, Emmy Award winner Ben Mendelsohn, and TOP GUN: MAVERICK's Jay Ellis. 
