Lyrical Media has entered into a first-look film deal with Ryder Picture Company (RPC), a production company helmed by industry veteran and Academy Award-nominee Aaron Ryder and partner Andrew Swett.
Lyrical Media, which is run by CEO Alexander Black, COO/CFO Jon Rosenberg and vice president of development and production Natalie Sellers, and RPC recently partnered on Michael Sarnoski’s“The Death of Robin Hood,” starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, which WME Independent introduced in Cannes, as well as Adam Wingard’s action-thriller“Onslaught”with A24.
“We’re thrilled to be making this collaboration between Lyrical and RPC official,” Black said. “Aaron and Andrew are incredible talents and the perfect partners to build an independent ecosystem for leading filmmakers and storytellers.”
“Over the years, we’ve enjoyed success not only through our collaborations with some of the best filmmakers in the industry, but also through vital partnerships we’ve forged,” Ryder and Swett said. “This strategic partnership with Lyrical continues that tradition. From the moment we met Alexander Black and his team, it was clear to us that they share a deep passion for film and a vision of building a successful production company that will serve as a destination for world class filmmakers. We’re beyond excited to be part of this and anxious to get started making a few films in the very immediate future.”
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Under the terms of the partnership, Lyrical will have the first right of refusal to produce and finance RPC films, which are genre agnostic and carry budgets of $10 million and up, over two years with an option to extend to a third year. The deal takes Ryder back to his roots in the independent film space, where he started his career producing such films asChristopher Nolan’s “Memento” and Denis Villeneuve’s “Arrival.”
The two companies also produced“Bruiser,” a coming-of-age drama directed by Miles Warren and starring Jayln Hall, Trevante Rhodes, and Shamier Anderson about generational trauma and black masculinity, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was later released on Hulu to critical acclaim.
Ryder launched RPC in 2021 to develop and produce commercially viable, elevated films and has found success with both specialized and studio films. Swett joined Ryder as a partner in the company a few months later and has since produced Craig Gillespie’s“Dumb Money.” Up next for RPC is drama“At the Sea,” starring Amy Adams and directed by Kornél Mundruczó, which is set to begin production in June. The film will mark Ryder’s second collaboration with Adams and Mundruczó.
Lyrical Media is currently in post-production on“Elevation”from filmmaker George Nolfi, which stars Anthony Mackie and Morena Baccarin. Lyrical’s debut film, the climate crisis epic“How to Blow Up a Pipeline,”premiered at Toronto in 2022 and was distributed by Neon in the U.S. They most recently unveiled the psychological thriller,“Mother, Couch!” starring Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, and Taylor Russell at Toronto.
