American Gothic Press Signs "NICE" Deal With Echo Lake Entertainment

    LOS ANGELES, CA, May 24, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The increasingly direct link from comic book to film property has prompted at least one studio to go straight to comic books with their best new story. Echo Lake Entertainment has partnered with American Gothic Press for its new assassin mystery NICE.
  
Originally penned as a pilot with Rockne S. O'Bannon to showrun and John Terlesky to direct, NICE is about two hipster assassins who begin to realize the organization they kill for is attempting to take over the United States. When the grizzled, gun-slinging female detective hunting them down realizes there is a greater evil at play, they join forces to topple the most powerful syndicate in the world.

The writers are Dagen Walker and Joseph Ettinger. Walker was one of the original contestants on Project Greenlight for Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, then went on to write and direct BENEATH for Paramount and other feature films like BROKEN HILL, MURDER IN THE DARK, and ATOMICA for Syfy Films. Ettinger recently worked in editorial on Netflix's FRIENDS FROM COLLEGE and SANTA CLARITA DIET, as well as Hulu's SHUT EYE.

American Gothic Press is the publisher of world-building genre series such as KILLBOX, BROKEN MOON, and MONSTER WORLD. They frequently collaborate with screenplay writers as part of their yearly Silver Scream Film and Comic Festival, and they recently published adaptations of the original unaired teleplays for Irwin Allen's classic show LOST IN SPACE (rebooted by Netflix in April).
 
"Following the notable success of KILLBOX and its sequel KILLBOX: CHICAGO, it became clear that grim city stories are very much at home at American Gothic," says Philip Kim, Publisher. "Intense crime noir has the potential to be just as edgy and scary as any horror book."

"We are thrilled to have a template with American Gothic Press that will allow for further collaborations with our clients. This new relationship will provide another interesting avenue clients to bring their ideas and work to life," said Amotz Zakai, literary manager at Echo Lake Entertainment.
 
NICE will hit comic store shelves in late 2018.

ABOUT ECHO LAKE ENTERTAINMENT

Echo Lake Entertainment is a film and television finance and management company based in Beverly Hills, California. Since its founding in 1998, Echo Lake Productions has produced and/or financed more than 30 films. The company's films have earned numerous awards including 8 Academy Award nominations and one Academy Award win. Echo Lake is interested in high end specialty films, especially those aimed at a mature audience. The company has a non-exclusive deal with FilmNation International with regard to international distribution. Echo Lake also manages the Blue Lake Media Fund, which invests in the company's projects and looks to finance films in the $10 and $30 million budget range. Echo Lake's television division has set up scripted television projects in the US and abroad.

Echo Lake Management represents established and emerging actors, writers, and directors in Television, Film, and Digital Programming. Our team of twelve talent and literary managers is led by industry veteran Mike Marcus, one of the lead agents at CAA before becoming President and COO of MGM Pictures. In the expanding frontiers of television and digital, and in the changing structure of feature films, ELM's entrepreneurial spirit and thoughtful guidance helps clients find new ways to succeed. ELM represents clients all over the globe and benefits from the reach and international success of the company's production arm, Echo Lake Productions.
 
ABOUT AMERICAN GOTHIC PRESS
 
American Gothic Press is the comic book publishing imprint of Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine (est. 1958). Famous Monsters was the first entertainment fan magazine of its kind, and editor Forrest J Ackerman was involved in the genesis of classic comic characters such as Vampirella. American Gothic Press marks Famous Monsters' journey back to the creation of new worlds and original characters.
 
American Gothic hosts a wide variety of original titles (KILLBOX, BROKEN MOON, MONSTER WORLD), adapted work from other media (Jeremy Robinson's PROJECT NEMESIS), and licenses (IRWIN ALLEN'S LOST IN SPACE: THE LOST ADVENTURES). Their series have been nominated for industry awards, and their creative roster includes fresh talents such as Jon Clark and Marco Ferrari, established industry veterans like Steve Niles and Darick Robertson, and celebrities such as John Carpenter and rock musician John 5.

ABOUT ROCKNE S. O'BANNON

Screenwriter/showrunner Rockne S. O'Bannon is one of the top purveyors of speculative fiction for film and television today. From creating the hit Syfy television series DEFIANCE to the fan and critic favorite FARSCAPE to the seminal film and television series ALIEN NATION, he has pushed the limits of imagination on both the big and small screens. He has served as Executive Producer on the NBC/BAD ROBOT series REVOLUTION and the NBC/DC COMICS adaptation CONSTANTINE. For his work in film and television, O'Bannon has been the winner of an unprecedented nine Saturn Awards, presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror; and has received nominations for the cable Ace Award and from the Writers Guild of America.

ABOUT JOHN TERLESKY

John Terlesky recently directed the pilot for ABC's TAKE TWO as well as the pilot for NBC's GONE starring Chris Noth. Previously, he was the Producer/Director on NBC's THE BRAVE, and prior to that he was the Producer/Director on NBC's BLACKLIST: REDEMPTION and ABC'S hit show REVENGE. He has also directed multiple episodes of TIMELESS, AGENTS OF SHIELD, CASTLE, CRIMINAL MINDS, and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER. John started his entertainment career as a theater actor, which led him to starring in television shows and ultimately directing feature films such as CHAIN OF COMMAND, GUARDIAN, and MALEVOLENT.

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