DAKOTA AND ELLE FANNING LAUNCH LEWELLEN PICTURES

CIVIC CENTER MEDIA AND MRC TELEVISION ANNOUNCE FIRST LOOK DEAL

Development Slate Includes “The Last House Guest”

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - March 4, 2021 - Dakota and Elle Fanning have formed Lewellen Pictures to develop feature film and television projects, as well as other forms of media including podcasts. Civic Center Media in affiliation with MRC Television have signed the newly formed production company to a first look television deal. 

The first project in development under the banner’s deal with the leading independent studio is the adaptation of The New York Times bestselling novel The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda.  Sarah Walker (“The Secrets She Keeps,” “Wentworth”) will write and executive produce the crime thriller series about an intimate friendship between two girls who fall violently in love with each other’s differences, which, in the end, create doubt, betrayal and tragedy.  Dakota and Elle will executive produce alongside Brittany Kahan Ward and Mary Jane Skalski for Echo Lake Entertainment. 

“Elle has brought such perspective and thoughtfulness as an executive producer on ‘The Great,’” said Elise Henderson, President of MRC Television. “We are excited by the vision she and Dakota have for Lewellen Pictures and for MRC Television to provide a home for the stories they will tell.”

"We are thrilled to be launching this company together and to be teaming up with MRC who have been excellent partners on ‘The Great.’  Our goal is to tell stories, through comedy and drama, which are authentic to the human experience, and not just from our own perspective,” said the Fannings in a joint statement. “We also want to create content that we wouldn’t be able to make just as actors. We can learn so much when we look outside our specific points of view.  We have been fortunate to work with many brilliant storytellers and hope to continue that track while also providing opportunities for many more.”

Elle currently stars and serves as executive producer in the series “The Great,” from Civic Center Media in affiliation with MRC Television, and for which she received Golden Globe Award and Independent Spirit Award nominations and is now in production on its second season for Hulu. She recently starred in Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken” and Netflix’s “All The Bright Places,” the latter of which she also produced. 

Dakota was recently was seen in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood” and TNT’s “Angel of Darkness.” She will next star in “The First Lady” for Showtime.They will star together for the first time in the feature film adaptation of “The Nightingale” for Tristar and director Melanie Laurent.

ABOUT LEWELLEN PICTURES
Lewellen Pictures has several projects in development including “I’ve Got Your Number” (Feature) set up at Amazon Studios with Dakota and Freddie Highmore attached to star, Kiwi Smith and Jessica O’Toole adapting the Sophie Kinsella novel, Echo Lake Entertainment, Alfresco Pictures and Joey Plager producing; One Click podcast which Elle will narrate and is executive producing along with Brittany Kahan Ward, Vespucci and Cadence 13; and “The Girl From Plainville,” a limited series for Elle to star in for UCP and Hulu, with showrunners Liz Hannah and Patrick Macmanus. Brittany Kahan Ward also executive produces.

About MRC Television
MRC Television is a leading independent studio, which sources, finances, develops, and produces shows in partnership with the industry’s foremost creative artists. To date, the studio’s series have been nominated for 94 Emmy® Awards with 12 wins and 18 Golden Globe ® Awards with two wins. The current slate includes “Ozark,” from Chris Mundy and starring Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and Julia Garner, on Netflix; “The Shrink Next Door,” starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd and from director Michael Showalter and writer Georgia Pritchett with Apple TV+; “The Terminal List,” for which Chris Pratt stars and executive produces alongside director Antoine Fuqua and writer David DiGilio, with Amazon Studios; and “Shining Girls,” starring Elisabeth Moss and produced with Appian Way and Love & Squalor Pictures for Apple TV+. MRC Television’s previous series include “House of Cards” and “Counterpart,” among others. For additional information, visit  www.mrcentertainment.com.

About Civic Center Media
Civic Center Media (CCM) is an affiliation between United Talent Agency (UTA) and MRC Television to develop, produce and finance premium television series. The non-exclusive arrangement allows Civic Center Media to work with artists represented by all agencies and allows UTA and MRC to work with all studios and agencies, respectively. The collaboration has created a rich content slate with a variety of projects in development and current series which include “The Great,” from Academy Award nominee Tony McNamara and starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult; “The Terminal List” starring Chris Pratt for Amazon; and “The Shrink Next Door” starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd for Apple TV+.