Vanguard Films, the production company behind Disney’s computer-animated feature, Valiant, is turning from pigeons to other garden denizens with its latest story pick-up. The company has pre-emptively acquired the feature comedy Gnomes! from filmmakers Micah Herman and Kyle Newman.
Herman and Newman are attached to direct Gnomes! which centers on a boy who discovers that the little garden statues in his backyard are actually alive. When the boy starts to suspect that his mom’s new suitor is a gnome-eating Troll, he enlists the help of his new friends and comic mayhem ensues.
Vanguard will use the script to raise production financing and arrange for major distribution. The film will be produced by Vanguard CEO, John H. Williams, whose credits include Shrek and Valiant. Eric M. Bennett and Margaret French Isaac will serve as exec producers.
“This is a slam-dunk franchise film under any scenario," Williams comments. "We love their script, and we’ve already begun extensive visual development.”
Featured in such hit movies as The Full Monty and Amélie, as well as the Travelocity commercials, garden gnomes have gone from tacky lawn ornamentation to pop culture phenomenon in recent years. Disney has also latched onto the gnome zeitgeist and is developing Gnomeo & Juliet, an animated feature about forbidden love between indoor and outdoor garden gnomes. Sir Elton John is producing the film and composing original songs for the musical comedy.
Gnomes! helmers Newman and Herman are recent Alums of NYU’s film program. Newman received the inaugural Coca Cola Refreshing Filmmakers Award for his short film Bitten by Love, while Herman’s anti-war drama, Empty, has garnered more than 20 film fest prizes including a Student Emmy Award. Herman recently finished adapting John Darton’s sci-fi thriller Mind Catcher for Chris Columbus and his 1492 Pictures. In addition, he has signed on to direct Chapel Hill for Mandalay Pictures and producer Dan Halsted. Newman directed last year’s The Hollow, which aired on ABC Family, and is slated to lens a road trip comedy titled Fanboys this January with Coalition Film and Kevin Spacey producing.
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