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Richard Gere, Topher Grace in film co-produced by Imagenation Abu Dhabi

Hyde Park Entertainment Group and Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s The Double will star Richard Gere and Topher Grace in lead roles

  • By Kelly Crane Staff Reporter
  • Published: 17:53 April 29, 2010

Richard Gere and Topher Grace will star in a spy thriller made possible by Imagenation Abu Dhabi.

Hyde Park Entertainment Group and Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s The Double will star both Hollywood favourites in lead roles along with Michael Brandt who will make his directorial debut on the project.

Although the A-list actors may never make it to Abu Dhabi as when the cameras start rolling they will be in Detroit, Michigan, some of the editing could take place in the capital.

The venture also marks exciting times for Imagenation Abu Dhabi which was launched in September 2008 to develop, finance and produce full-length feature films and digital content for Arabic and global markets.

From its base in Abu Dhabi, the company has established partnerships with high-profile, internationally-based producers such as National Geographic, Participant Media and Hyde Park Entertainment to develop and create content for distribution internationally, in addition to supporting Middle East filmmakers and Arabian film production.

The Double follows the mysterious murder of a Senator in Washington D.C. bearing the distinguished marks of a Soviet assassin, code-named Cassius, who was long thought to be dead.

To hunt down the killer, a retired CIA operative (Gere), who spent his career going toe-to-toe with his Soviet nemeses, is teamed with a young FBI agent (Grace).

Hyde Park Chairman Ashok Amritraj and Executive VP of Production Patrick Aiello will produce along with Derek Haas and Industry Entertainment's Andrew Deane.
Imagenation Abu Dhabi Chairman Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouei and CEO Edward Borgerding will serve as executive producers along with COO Stefan Brunner who will be an associate producer.

“Michael and Derek are extremely savvy and gifted writers whose style has raised the bar in Hollywood over the last few years,” said Amritraj. “They are exactly the caliber of talent that Hyde Park and Imagenation Abu Dhabi are looking to partner with, and we look forward to working with Michael on his directorial debut.”

Imagenation Abu Dhabi recently expanded upon their relationship with Hyde Park by establishing an Asian headquarter and creating a strategic alliance with Singapore’s Media Development Authority (MDA) to fund three to four films over the next five years.

Under the deal, Hyde Park Imagenation Singapore was launched to fund three to four films a year worth an estimated production value of 75 million USD over the next five years.

The company’s partnership with Warner Bros also yielded Robert Rodriguez’s Shorts. Imagenation Abu Dhabi’s upcoming feature films include Peter Weir’s The Way Back, Doug Liman’s Fair Game, Jodie Foster’s The Beaver as well as Furry Vengeance, The Crazies and Street Dancing.
 

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