Amazon MGM’s Orion Nabs ‘Harness’; Leigh Janiak to Direct Thriller From Her Own Black List Script (EXCLUSIVE)
Amazon MGM label Orion has scooped up a hot package from rising auteur Leigh Janiak, the writer-director who is officially pivoting from the horror genre that made her one to watch in Hollywood.
Janiak will direct and executive produce “Harness” for the label run by Alana Mayo and producer Eizabeth Banks, from her own script that made The Black List in 2023. The project is described as a thriller set in a gruesome sect of the sports betting world in the ‘80s.
“In the violent world of underground horse racing, a wannabe female jockey and her trainer brother-in-law become entangled in an illicit relationship full of blood, sweat, and sex that pushes the limits of their bodies and the law,” the project’s Black List logline reads. Casting is currently underway.
Banks’ Brownstone Productions — the company behind “Cocaine Bear” and the “Pitch Perfect” franchise – moved quickly to take the script off the table from competitors. Brownstone principals Max Handelman and Alison Small will produce. The company previously made the breakout indie “Bottoms,” led by Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri, with Orion.
Janiak directed multiple episodes of HBO’s celebrated miniseries “The Staircase,” and notably helmed the 2021 “Fear Street” film trilogy for Chernin and Netflix (shooting all three features consecutively).
Brownstone is busy. Their current film slate includes “Dreamquil,”starring Banks and John C. Reilly, and “Foreign Relations” starring Glenn Powell and Nick Jonas (in development at Amazon MGM Studios). On the TV side, upcoming projects include “Pitch Perfect: K-Pop Idols” and “Crush” under a first look at Universal, and the untitled Karen Read limited series for Prime Video and Warner Bros.
Janiak is represented by Verve and Yorn Levine.
Janiak will direct and executive produce “Harness” for the label run by Alana Mayo and producer Eizabeth Banks, from her own script that made The Black List in 2023. The project is described as a thriller set in a gruesome sect of the sports betting world in the ‘80s.
“In the violent world of underground horse racing, a wannabe female jockey and her trainer brother-in-law become entangled in an illicit relationship full of blood, sweat, and sex that pushes the limits of their bodies and the law,” the project’s Black List logline reads. Casting is currently underway.
Banks’ Brownstone Productions — the company behind “Cocaine Bear” and the “Pitch Perfect” franchise – moved quickly to take the script off the table from competitors. Brownstone principals Max Handelman and Alison Small will produce. The company previously made the breakout indie “Bottoms,” led by Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri, with Orion.
Janiak directed multiple episodes of HBO’s celebrated miniseries “The Staircase,” and notably helmed the 2021 “Fear Street” film trilogy for Chernin and Netflix (shooting all three features consecutively).
Brownstone is busy. Their current film slate includes “Dreamquil,”starring Banks and John C. Reilly, and “Foreign Relations” starring Glenn Powell and Nick Jonas (in development at Amazon MGM Studios). On the TV side, upcoming projects include “Pitch Perfect: K-Pop Idols” and “Crush” under a first look at Universal, and the untitled Karen Read limited series for Prime Video and Warner Bros.
Janiak is represented by Verve and Yorn Levine.