NEWS: La Americana Book-to-Film Development with Veteran Producer Stratton Leopold
8:00 AM La Americana 0 Comments Category : Book-to-Film , Georgia Film Commission , Latin America , Latino Film , Movie Deal , Paramount , screenwriter , Stratton Leopold
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| With Stratton Leopold at my 2016 book launch in Savannah. |
I am pleased to announce that veteran film producer and former Paramount Pictures VP Stratton Leopold wants to take my book La Americana: A Memoir to the big screen.
At Paramount, Stratton executive produced and co-produced films like "Mission Impossible III" (Tom Cruise), "The Sum of All Fears," (Ben Affleck/Morgan Freeman), "Parker" (Jason Statham/Jennifer Lopez) and "The General's Daughter" (John Travolta), among others.
At Paramount, Stratton executive produced and co-produced films like "Mission Impossible III" (Tom Cruise), "The Sum of All Fears," (Ben Affleck/Morgan Freeman), "Parker" (Jason Statham/Jennifer Lopez) and "The General's Daughter" (John Travolta), among others.
At present, Stratton is head of the Georgia Film Commission and independently producing feature films with a focus on what he calls meaningful personal stories. I'm honored to be included in the mix.
"La Americana is a modern love story that takes place in Havana, Cuba, which has captured the attention of Westerners for decades," he says. "That equals intrigue."
As well, he says, the book's themes about love and loss are universal.
"I would say that because of the story and the framework around the story, it would attract any audience," he notes. "When you look at movies like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," that attracted a lot more than Greeks. This is the same thing."
Stratton sees the potential for broad marketability of a "La Americana" film and soundtrack across North America, South America, Central America and Europe. The Latino film market has never been hotter, yet there are few American films catering to that group, and Latino artists are dominating global airwaves in staggering numbers. A solid movie and soundtrack catering to those demographics can boom.
"In today's world Latin culture is becoming more and more prevalent in a very positive manner," says Stratton. "That market is exploding."
The key to any good film, he notes, is a solid script. A veteran screenwriter he's worked with for years has the book in hand. Once a screenplay is completed, a director and actors will need to be locked in.
Currently, Stratton is executive producing another feature film with an Oscar-winning director and former President Jimmy Carter. Similarly, he has great ideas for mine -- like having one of the hottest Latin American stars on the planet as the lead male role -- that I look forward to sharing with further development.
He's just now ramping up fundraising efforts.
If you're interested in getting involved in the project, please reach out and I'm happy to put you in touch with Stratton.
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