PRESENTS
A FILM BY SCOTT WALKER
THE FROZEN GROUND
IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE AND ON DEMAND
AUGUST 23, 2013
Running Time: 105 minutes
Rating: R
For Press Materials: www.lionsgatepublicity.com
For Further Information Please Contact:
Kevin McAlpine
Shelby Kimlick
MPRM
MPRM
kmcalpine@mprm.com
skimlick@mprm.com
323.933.3399
323.933.3399
Jennifer Sandler
Lionsgate
jsandler@lionsgate.com
310.255.4072
THE FROZEN GROUND
THE FROZEN GROUND is based on the events surrounding Alaska's most notorious
serial predator, Robert Hansen (John Cusack), a respected family man who, for over 12
years, systematically abducted more than 24 women and flew them into the Alaskan
wilderness to be hunted. But when one principled and dedicated Alaskan State Trooper,
Sgt. Jack Halcombe (Nicolas Cage), finds Cindy Paulsen (Vanessa Hudgens), Hansen's
only surviving teenage victim alive on the street, she becomes the vital key in an unlikely
partnership that finally brings Hansen to justice. THE FROZEN GROUND stars Nicolas
Cage (National Treasure), John Cusack (The Paperboy), and Vanessa Hudgens (Spring
Breakers). The film features Dean Norris, Kevin Dunn and Jodi Lyn O’Keefe; and Katherine
LaNasa, Ryan O’Nan, Radha Mitchell and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson also make
appearances.
THE FROZEN GROUND is written and directed by Scott Walker. Mark Ordesky,
Jane Fleming, Randall Emmett, Curtis Jackson, Remington Chase and Jeff Rice produced
the film, with Brandon Grimes and Gus Furla serving as co-producers. Director of
photography Patrick Murguia, A.M.C., production designer Clark Hunter, costume designer
Lynn Falconer and editor Sarah Boyd, ACE, led the creative behind-the-scenes team.
Casting for THE FROZEN GROUND was done by Anne McCarthy and Kellie Roy, and
music was by Lorne Balfe. Executive producers are George Furla, Stepan Martirosyan,
Kevin Frakes, Martin Richard Blencowe, Mark Stewart, Brandt Andersen, Brett Granstaff,
Corey Large, Ted Fox, Elisa Salinas, Daniel Wagner, Fredrik Malmberg, Olga Valentina,
Barry Brooker and Stan Wertlieb.
Emmett/Furla Films and Voltage Pictures present a Cheetah Vision Films production,
in association with Emmett/Furla Films and Court Five, and in association with Envision
Entertainment and Valentina Films of THE FROZEN GROUND. The film is distributed
domestically by Grindstone Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of Lionsgate.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
Whether against the stark massive landscapes of Alaska or claustrophobic inner
cities across the US, the plight of forgotten or ‘throw-away’ youth is pressing and director
Scott Walker focuses his camera squarely on that desolate world in THE FROZEN
GROUND, inspired by the gripping true story of Alaska's most notorious serial killer, Robert
C. Hansen (John Cusack), and a principled Alaska State Trooper (Nicolas Cage) who must
earn the trust of Hansen's only surviving victim to see justice done.
Walker came across the Hansen case while working on another story. “Someone
suggested that there were similarities, and during my initial research I realized what he did
and wasn’t sure if I wanted this to be my first film,” admits Walker, who describes the film as
a teenage runaway and a cop learning to trust each other in order to solve this case. “There
are so many families that are still affected today by the horrific events, but I kind of let the
people involved tell me whether they thought the film should be made.”
“Scott had the right vision for THE FROZEN GROUND from the start,” affirmed
producer Randall Emmett. “He knew who the characters were and what actors would do
them justice, and the project evolved organically from there.”
“When I first spoke to Nicolas Cage about the role and my intention behind it, he was
very excited,” recalls Walker, who was searching for someone who could disappear into the
role and just be a regular trooper. The film’s protagonist, Sgt. Jack Halcombe, is an
amalgamation of several people, “because we couldn’t fit every officer into the film,”
explains Walker. “It gave Nicolas some room to create the character on his own, as
opposed to trying to do a direct portrayal on one particular person.”
“The story benefitted from Scott’s touch, eliciting a nuanced performance from the
cast given the tough subject matter,” added Emmett. “This is the third time I’ve worked with
Nicolas Cage; he is one of the most talented actors and we were fortunate to secure him for
the movie. Scott knew he was the right man for the role of Sgt. Jack Halcombe”
In 1983 Detective Glenn Flothe, of the Alaska State Troopers, on whom Cage loosely
based his character Jack Halcombe, had a breakthrough in a serial killer case that had
terrorized South Central Alaska for nearly three years. “Whenever you play someone who is
a real hero, it’s an incredible amount of responsibility,” begins Cage, who avows his respect
for Flothe’s “mountain of knowledge and experience in dealing with the Hansen case.” “You
want to get it right, and what I wanted to do for Glenn was portray the integrity and the
courage of the troopers. When you walk up to a car there is always a gamble that you could
die. There’s an enormous amount of integrity in the way they treat one another and the way
they treat people, and I wanted to get that across.”
Flothe and a team of investigators had recently tied together several unsolved
murders, and a criminal psychological profile provided by the FBI led him to Hansen as a
possible suspect. Cindy Paulson, a 17-year-old street hooker, previously claimed to have
escaped Hansen as he tried to load her into his Piper Cub airplane bound for the wilderness
where he planned to hunt her like game. Though her story didn’t stand up against Hansen’s
alibi at the time, Flothe convinced Cindy to submit testimony that helped secure a search
warrant that revealed undisputable incriminating evidence against Hansen.
“Cindy Paulson first ran away from home when she was 11 and had to survive on her
own,” explains Walker. Casting the role was his biggest challenge. “I interviewed at least
eighty or ninety young actresses between the ages of 17 and 23, trying to find someone
who could play basically a little girl who transforms into a woman at the flick of a switch. She
had to have these very different sides of her personality, almost creating multiple
personalities, to try and deal with her life on the street and the way she was treated by men.
I was really only interested in one portrayal of that character, and that was of the real Cindy
Paulson.”
“Vanessa Hudgens blew me away in her casting session,” recalls Walker, who knew
that for the actress to have the best chance of portraying and understanding the
complexities of what it is to live on the street and in this particular situation, she would have
to meet the real Cindy Paulson.
“There’s a rawness that Cindy has, when she opens herself up and lets her emotions
flow,” explains Hudgens, who was drawn to the project by the chance to portray a real
person. “I sat down with Cindy and got to know her whole life story from beginning to end. I
was so fortunate to have her open up to me in such a welcoming way. At the end of the day
she has a good heart and good soul because all she really wants to do is to be able to
capture the bad guy and to help out the victims that didn’t have a voice or a say or a chance
to survive.”
“Cindy told Vanessa stories she had never even imagined, things you don’t think are
real, about how tough life is on the street,” adds Walker. “What was amazing was Vanessa
then delivered that in her performance. She goes on a real roller coaster ride of emotions
within a minute or two, hitting each of those different sides of her personality so quickly, so
erratically. That’s really what it’s like when you are seventeen and on the street and living by
your wits, and that’s what I was after.”
“Vanessa portrayed Cindy brilliantly,” agrees Cage. “Horrible things happened to
Cindy in her childhood and you can understand why she ran away. But she did something
with her life. She had the guts to actually help people and make a difference. She changed
the community in Anchorage with Glenn Flothe.”
Though he was only about seventeen or eighteen at the time, Cusack remembers
hearing stories about Hansen, mostly sensationalized headlines about hunting people in the
wilds of Alaska. “This is a very dark human being, so I sort of pushed it away because I
thought it had to be the right circumstances to do it,” admits Cusack. “But Scott seemed to
really want to tell the story about the system failing these prostitutes, because at that time
they really weren’t seen as equal people, they were seen as vagrants. So he was telling it
from the right perspective.”
Robert Hansen was such a meek and humble citizen of the Anchorage community
that Cindy’s original accusation that he abducted her with the intent of killing her was
brushed off as a frivolous extortion attempt. “My original vision for Hansen was someone
you really believed was a regular guy. He was married with two children, he was the local
baker – everyone knew him and trusted him,” explains Walker. “When I met John, straight
away we shared the same hesitation about not turning this character into a Hannibal Lecterlike monster. He probably had one of the hardest roles for us to work out. We would spend
hours discussing each scene and each line, and how to deliver those lines in way that
wasn’t over the top and was true to how a real serial killer behaves. I know he wrestled a lot
with why someone does this particular thing.”
Cusack also met with Flothe to gain insight into Hansen. “I started thinking about
Flothe and Hansen as the same but on opposite ends of the spectrum,” says Cusack. “One
was completely courageous, yet self-absorbed, narcissistic, and feeding all of his most
debased fantasies. And Glenn is like an English teacher, a very gentle man, very thoughtful
and a student of history. But he’s got a fierce kind of will and I think he wanted to face this
guy and try to understand why. Even though he caught Hanson, he may feel like he failed
because even when you try to grasp evil you don’t always get the answers you want. At the
end of the day we still feel like we got scarred by the confrontation; maybe we put this guy
away but he didn’t reveal his secrets. I think it’s a very interesting relationship between this
cop and Hansen.”
“Hansen’s dialogue was taken largely from the transcripts, which is very fractured
and has its own weird internal logic to it,” reveals Cusack. “Scott made some very smart
decisions about that, to leave those things in and not try to over explain. As a writer, I think
the script performs even better than it reads in some ways. Sometimes it may seem a little
minimalist, but when you get the whole thing in context and you get it on its feet, the scenes
are so loaded with backstory. He did a good job of not overdoing scenes and just letting
them be, which is a kind of sophisticated thing for a first time writer/director.”
After meeting with Walker, Cage was pleased that they shared a similar take on
shooting in an almost documentary style. “I’ve wanted to get back to that naturalistic, almost
photo-realism style,” says Cage, who compared the shoot to the cinema verite style that
Oliver Stone used in WORLD TRADE CENTER. “To Scott’s credit he hired an incredibly
energetic and passionate cinematographer, Patrick Murguia, and camera operator, Jacques
Jouffret,” adds Cusack. “Both were very sensitive to the actors, and when the actors get hot,
the camera guys are just following them. We go and then they are coming here with energy,
so they are both meeting head on.”
“The film is set in 1983, but I very specifically did not want to make this feel like a
period film,” explains Walker. “I wanted to do that for a reason: throw away youth and kids
on the street and what happens to them is still an issue today. I wanted to create a
connection to today. These stories happen all the way across the country and really
Anchorage is a city like any other Midwest City. So with my production designer, Clark
Hunter, the key was getting the audience into the story and then letting them forget its 1983
and that we are at the top of North America.”
“I spoke to a number of the victim’s families who’d been very helpful with information
and research and insight into what it was like, what happened and the desperation of trying
to find family members,” recalls Walker. “One of the bigger points that I wanted to keep in
the film as much as we could, is that these girls weren’t just your stereotypical stripper that
gets murdered in a film. These were mothers, daughters, and sisters, and a lot of them just
went up there to earn a little bit of extra money like everybody did because of the oil rush.
They just met the wrong guy.”
“Meeting the real Cindy was probably one of the most inspiring things throughout this
whole film,” concludes Walker. “She is now a grown woman and a long way from where she
was during this time. After everything that she has been through being on the streets, she
has an incredible outlook on life. In one of our deep conversations, I asked Cindy if she had
any regrets,” says Walker. “She said her only regret is that when she was in the courtroom,
when Hansen was being sentenced, and she saw all the families and the victims’ friends,
her only regret was that she wasn’t kidnapped and raped earlier. She felt that if she could
have escaped earlier, some of their children might still be alive. She is probably one of the
most inspiring women I have ever met in terms of her strength and her bravery.”
ABOUT THE CAST
Nicolas CAGE (Jack Halcombe)
Academy Award-winner Nicolas Cage is one of the most versatile actors of all time, equally
known for his poignant portrayals in both drama and comedy.
Cage most recently lent his voice to the DreamWorks animated film The Croods, which
follows a family through their prehistoric era adventures. The film also features voices from
Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, and Cloris Leachman. Last year he
starred in Stolen, which reunited him with Con Air director Simon West, the 1997
blockbuster action thriller.
Upcoming, Cage stars in David Gordon Green’s Joe, and herecently completed filming
Tokarev alongside Danny Glover.
In 2011, Cage was seen in the comic book sequel, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, as
well as Drive Angry with Amber Heard, Seeking Justice with January Jones, Trespass with
Nicole Kidman, and the Charles Roven produced epic, Season of the Witch, which filmed on
location in Budapest. He also starred in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Cage’s seventh
collaboration with Jerry Bruckheimer. In addition, Cage starred in the action comedy, KickAss produced by Matthew Vaughn.
In the 2009 critically acclaimed film Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Cage plays a
drug and gambling addicted detective in post-Katrina New Orleans. Prior to this film, Cage
lent his voice to two animated features: the Jerry Bruckheimer produced family adventure GForce, and the Summit Entertainment family adventure, Astro Boy. Cage also starred in
Summit Entertainment's sci-fi thriller Knowing, and the Pang Brothers directed Bangkok
Dangerous, an action thriller.
Cage starred in the worldwide box office success National Treasure: Book of Secrets. It
marked Cage's fifth collaboration with producer Jerry Bruckheimer following The Rock, Con
Air, Gone in 60 Seconds and National Treasure.
His memorable performance as an
alcoholic drinking himself to death in the drama, Leaving Las Vegas, directed by Mike
Figgis, earned him an Academy Award® as well as Golden Globe® and Best Actor awards
from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Chicago
Film Critics and the National Board of Review. Cage further solidified his leading man
status when he received Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild, and British
Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) nominations for his dual role as twin brothers
‘Charlie' and ‘Donald Kaufman' in Spike Jonze's quirky comedy, Adaptation, which also costarred Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper.
In addition, Cage portrayed ‘Johnny Blaze' in Ghost Rider, based on the Marvel Comic book
character, directed and written by Mark Steven Johnson. The film immediately set a new
record as the highest-grossing opening film for the President's Day weekend in 2007.
Cage's other starring roles include that of Neil LaBute's The Wicker Man, and Oliver Stone's
World Trade Center, both released in 2006, and Gore Verbinski's The Weather Man and
Andrew Niccol's Lord of War, released in 2005. He was also heard as the voice of ‘Zoc' in
the animated film The Ant Bully.
In fall of 2002, Cage made his film directorial debut with Sonny, where he cast an
impressive group of actors, including Golden Globe winner James Franco, Mena Suvari,
Brenda Blethyn and Harry Dean Stanton. The film was accepted at the 2002 Deauville Film
Festival.
Cage's many other films include Next, Matchstick Men, Windtalkers, Captain Corelli's
Mandolin, The Family Man, Bringing Out the Dead, Eight Millimeter, Snake Eyes, City of
Angels, Face Off, Kiss of Death, Guarding Tess, It Could Happen to You, Red Rock West,
Honeymoon in Vegas, Joel and Ethan Coen's Raising Arizona, Vampire's Kiss, Peggy Sue
Got Married, Valley Girl, Racing with the Moon, The Cotton Club and Rumble Fish.
It was Cage's portrayal of a tormented Vietnam vet in Birdy that first established him as a
serious actor. Directed by Alan Parker, Birdy won the jury prize at Cannes. Cage then
received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor for his role as Cher's lover in
Moonstruck. David Lynch's Wild at Heart, starring Cage and Laura Dern, won the Palme
d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.
Some of Cage's other honors include a 1993 Golden Globe nomination for his role in
Honeymoon in Vegas, the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award from the Montreal World
Film Festival in 1996, the first ever Distinguished Decade in Film Award at ShoWest in
2001, and the prestigious American Cinematheque honored him in 2001.
In 2009, Cage was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador for Global Justice for the United
Nations. He traveled to Africa to undertake a mission with the United Nations Office of
Drugs and Crime in Gulu, Uganda, Mombasa, Kenya and Nairobi, Kenya. Here he met with
child soldiers, gang members, inmates, Kenyan judges and magistrates to help stop human
trafficking, child slavery and kidnapping. Cage is also a Luminary for Amnesty International
and helps with their focus on human rights.
Vanessa HUDGENS (Cindy Paulson)
Vanessa Hudgens began her career in the world of musical theatre at the tender age of 8.
Immediately realizing the incredible future that lay before her, she has tirelessly pursued her
dream with much success. These early roles in such productions as “Evita,” “Carousel,”
“The Wizard of Oz,” “The King & I,” “The Music Man,” “Cinderella” and “Damn Yankees”
gave Vanessa the opportunity to showcase her impressive singing and acting skills
The recognition Vanessa received quickly brought her to the big screen. She made her
feature film debut in Catherine Hardwicke’s controversial Thirteen starring Holly Hunter and
Evan Rachel Wood.
Soon thereafter, she co-starred in the action-adventure film
Thunderbirds.
It was however Vanessa’s role in Disney Channel’s breakaway sensation High School
Musical that has garnered her much praise and attention. With critics and fans clamoring
for more, Vanessa was also seen in the films’ highly successful follow ups High School
Musical 2 and the theatrical release of High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
Vanessa
followed up her High School Musical hits by starring in the critically acclaimed Bandslam as
well Beastly and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. In 2010, Hudgens won the ShoWest
Award for ‘Female Star of Tomorrow.’
Looking to branch out and take on some darker roles Hudgens filmed a series of films that
have surprised audiences. Most recently, Vanessa starred opposite James Franco and
Selena Gomez in one of the most talked about films of 2013 Spring Breakers. The film
directed by the controversial director Harmony Korine premiered at The Venice Film and
Toronto Film Festivals. In the drama, Gimme Shelter, directed by Ron Krauss, Hudgens
plays a pregnant, homeless teenager. For this film based on a true story Vanessa spent
two weeks living in a homeless shelter doing research for her character.
This fall, she will make a cameo in Robert Rodriguez’s highly anticipated Machete Kills.
Hudgens resides in Los Angeles.
John CUSACK (Robert Hansen)
With an impressive body of work spanning the course of two decades, John Cusack has
evolved into one of Hollywood’s most accomplished and respected actors of his generation,
garnering both critical acclaim as well as prestigious accolades for his dramatic and
comedic roles. In April 2012, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce presented Cusack with
the 2,469th Hollywood Walk of Fame star, honoring his long, ground-breaking career in film.
Cusack first gained the attention of audiences by starring in a number of 1980s film classics
such as The Sure Thing, Say Anything and Sixteen Candles. Following these roles, Cusack
successfully shed his teen-heartthrob image by demonstrating his ability to expand his film
repertoire by starring in a wide range of dramas, thrillers and comedies including The
Grifters, Eight Men Out, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank.
Most recently, Cusack starred in the independent film Adult World, which premiered at the
Tribeca Film Festival. IFC Films has picked up U.S. distribution rights and will release the
film later this year. Cusack will also be seen in Lee Daniel’s film The Butler as President
Richard Nixon.
Currently, Cusack is in production on David Cronenberg’s latest film, Maps to the Stars.
Cusack will star opposite Julianne Moore, Robert Pattinson and Mia Wasikowska. The film
focuses on two Hollywood teen actors who grow up to realize the extent of the spoils of their
early careers. Cusack will play “Dr. Stafford Weiss”, father in the “Weiss family Hollywood
dynasty” and analyst who has made his fortune with self-help manuals.
Next, Cusack will begin production on Love and Mercy, in which he will play iconic Beach
Boys songwriter and musician Brian Wilson. The film will chronicle Wilson’s early success to
his nervous breakdown and subsequent encounter with controversial therapist Dr. Eugene
Landy. Cusack will star opposite Elizabeth Banks and Paul Giamatti. He also recently
finished production alongside Robert De Niro for the crime thriller Motel.
In 2012, Cusack appeared in Lee Daniels’ drama, The Paperboy. Cusack co-starred
opposite Nicole Kidman, Zac Efron and Matthew McConaughey as Hillary Van Wetter, an
inmate on death row. The Paperboy debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012.
Cusack also starred in the independent thriller The Raven, where he portrayed the infamous
author, Edgar Allen Poe. The film, directed by James McTiegue and produced by Marc D.
Evans, tells fictionalized account of the last days of Poe's life, in which the poet is in pursuit
of a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer's stories.
Cusack also starred in Hot Tub Time Machine, an R-rated comedy centered on a group of
adult men, portrayed by Cusack, Rob Cordry (What Happens in Vegas), Craig Robinson
(“The Office”) and Clark Duke (“Greek”) who take a trip back to the ski lodge where they
partied as youths and are transported back in time to 1987 by the hot tub, a bubbly time
machine. Cusack produced the film through his New Crime Productions banner. The film
was released by MGM in March of 2010.
Additionally, in 2009 he starred in Roland Emmerich’s apocalyptic thriller, 2012. Released
by Sony Pictures, the international blockbuster went on to gross more than $766 million
worldwide. In this science fiction film, Cusack and co-stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie
Newton, Woody Harrelson, Danny Glover, Amanda Peet and Oliver Platt face natural
disasters such as volcanic eruptions, typhoons and glaciers as a result of the world and
Mayan calendar ending in the year 2012.
In spring of 2008, Cusack starred, wrote and produced the political satire, War Inc. The film
also starred Joan Cusack, Marissa Tomei, Hilary Duff and Sir Ben Kingsley and was
produced under his New Crime Productions banner. The film was shot in Sofia, Bulgaria
and was directed by Joshua Seftel. Cusack wrote the screenplay with Jeremy Pikser and
Mark Leyner. In the film, Cusack plays the role of a hit man hired to kill the CEO of a major
corporation. Set in the future in the desert town of Turagistan, Cusack finds himself torn
between obligation and love. Additionally in 2008, Cusack’s voice was featured in MGM’s
animated feature Igor.
In 2007, Cusack starred in Grace Is Gone, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film
Festival and was recognized with the “Audience Award.” In the film, Cusack plays Stanley
Phillips, a young father who takes his two daughters on an impulsive road trip upon learning
that his wife, Grace, has been killed in service in Iraq. The film was written and directed by
James C. Strouse, produced under Cusack’s New Crime Productions banner and
distributed by The Weinstein Company. That same year, Cusack starred opposite Amanda
Peet, Oliver Platt and Joan Cusack as a writer who, crushed by the death of his fiancé,
adopts a six year old boy who is convinced he is from Mars in the romantic comedy Martian
Child. The film was directed by Menno Meyjes and written by Seth Bass and Jonathan
Tolins.
Cusack also starred in the box office hit 1408 for Dimension Films. In this film, Cusack plays
the role of Mike Enslin, a supernatural phenomena specialist who sets out to prove that a
haunted New York hotel is just an urban legend. As research for his novel, Enslin stays in
the notorious room 1408 only to discover the hard way that these myths and coincidences
are in fact anything but. The film was directed by Mikael Hafstrom and the story was
adapted by Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski from the Stephen King
novel of the same title.
In 2005, Cusack starred opposite Billy Bob Thornton in the dark comedy, The Ice Harvest.
Based on a Scott Phillips novel, Harold Ramis directed the film for Focus Features. The
previous year in Runaway Jury, he stared opposite Hollywood legends Gene Hackman and
Dustin Hoffman. The film was based on John Grisham’s best selling novel of the same title
and was directed by Gary Fleder. In 2003, Cusack joined Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina and
Ray Liotta in the thriller Identity, directed by James Mangold for Columbia Pictures.
In the controversial film, Max, directed by Menno Meyjes and released by Lions Gate in
December 2002, Cusack portrayed Max Rothman, an elegant, sophisticated former cavalry
officer who returns to his native Munich to set up an art gallery, when he meets another
aspiring artist, a young Adolf Hitler (played by Noah Taylor). The film, which Cusack also
produced, garnered strong reactions at the 2002 Toronto Film Festival and has been
debated extensively throughout the country because of its controversial subject matter.
In 2001, Cusack was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an
Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical for his role in the feature version of Nick
Hornby's English novel, High Fidelity, for Touchstone Pictures. In addition to starring in the
film, Cusack also co-produced and co-wrote the script with Steve Pink and D.V.
DeVincentis. The film also stars Jack Black, Lisa Bonet, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joan
Cusack.
In 1999, Cusack starred in the dark comedy Being John Malkovich for USA Films.
Cusack’s performance earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination in the category
of Best Actor. That year, Cusack also co-starred in Cradle Will Rock, an ensemble drama
written and directed by Tim Robbins, portraying Nelson Rockefeller opposite an ensemble
cast that included Emily Watson, Cary Elwes, Angus McFadden, Susan Sarandon, Hank
Azaria, John Turturro, Ruben Blades and Vanessa Redgrave. He also starred with Billy Bob
Thornton, Angelina Jolie and Cate Blanchett in Mike Newell’s comedy Pushing Tin. In the
same year, he starred in HBO’s The Jack Bull, a traditional Western written by his father
Dick Cusack. John served as executive producer on this film along with Steve Pink and
D.V. DeVincentis under his New Crime Productions banner.
In December 1998, Cusack appeared in the World War II combat epic, The Thin Red Line,
based on the James Jones novel about the Battle of Guadalcanal. Directed by Terrence
Malick for 20th Century Fox, the ensemble cast included George Clooney, Woody
Harrelson, Nick Nolte, Gary Oldman, Sean Penn, Bill Pullman and John Travolta.
In 1997, Cusack starred opposite Joan Cusack, Dan Aykroyd and Minnie Driver in Buena
Vista Pictures, Grosse Pointe Blank. Cusack received rave reviews for the comedy that he
also produced and co-wrote about a hit man who goes through a spiritual crisis during his
high school reunion. This was the first project New Crime developed and produced under
their banner.
Also in 1997, Cusack starred with Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich and Steve Buscemi in
Buena Vista's blockbuster, Con Air from director Simon West. Later that year he starred
with Kevin Spacey in the Warner Bros. feature, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
directed by Clint Eastwood. Based on John Berendt's nonfiction bestseller of the same
name, Cusack portrayed John Kelso, the movie version of the author/narrator. Additionally,
Cusack lent his voice to FOX's full-length animated feature, Anastasia, opposite the voices
of Meg Ryan as Anastasia, Christopher Lloyd as Rasputin and Kelsey Grammer as
Vladimir.
In 1995, Cusack starred opposite Al Pacino in Castle Rock's political thriller, City Hall,
directed by Harold Becker for Columbia Pictures. In 1994, he re-teamed with Woody Allen,
who cast him in the 1991 film Shadows and Fog, to portray playwright David Shayne in the
acclaimed Bullets Over Broadway for Miramax. The ensemble cast included Chazz
Palminteri, Jennifer Tilly, Dianne Wiest and Tracey Ullman. Some of his other feature film
credits include The Road to Wellville, True Colors, Broadcast News, Stand By Me and
Better Off Dead. Cusack also starred in several romantic comedies, including Miramax’s
Serendipity, directed by Peter Chelsom and co-starring Kate Beckinsale; as well as starring
with Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Billy Crystal in America’s Sweethearts for
Sony Pictures.
Cusack divides his time between Los Angeles and Chicago.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Scott WALKER (Director/Writer)
Scott Walker is a filmmaker who is drawn to and has a talent for telling stories of courage,
passion and triumph of the human spirit. His main focus as a screenwriter and director is on
creating a deep sense of honesty, intensity and integrity for the characters in his films.
Walker will make his feature film debut with the dramatic thriller The Frozen Ground starring
Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and Vanessa Hudgens. The film, which Walker has written and
directed, tells the true story of the search for Alaskan serial killer Robert Hansen and the
fragile relationship between one state trooper and the teenage survivor who helped bring
him to justice.
Walker completed hundreds of hours of first-time-ever research and
interviews with the lead investigator and the key surviving victim in his preparation for writing
the film, which is to be released by Lionsgate this August.
Walker is currently working on numerous film projects through his production company
Happy Dog Entertainment including a true story action thriller about the largest DEA sting
operation in Mexican drug cartel history, a high thrills motor-racing epic about the most
famous team to rival Ferrari and a comedy about in-treatment werewolves trying to clear
their karma.
Prior to his work on The Frozen Ground, Walker worked in advertising and marketing in
London for over 13 years. Walker oversaw dozens of commercial productions and created
his own agency with clients including Xbox, PlayStation, Pepsi and Virgin.
Walker is a New Zealander with joint British citizenship who currently resides in Los
Angeles.
Mark ORDESKY and Jane FLEMING (Producers)
Founded by former New Line Cinema executives Mark Ordesky and Jane Fleming, Court
Five is a multi-faceted media company focused on developing and converting diverse
intellectual property and brands into filmed entertainment for distribution in all media
worldwide. As a team, Ordesky and Fleming bring a unique combination of expertise in
motion picture development, production and distribution, as well as in-depth knowledge of
film financing and business management.
Since 2011, Ordesky and Fleming have produced three films as Court Five. In addition to
The Frozen Ground, they currently have in post-production Exists, a terrifying "first person"
film based on the Bigfoot mythos, co-produced with Haxan Films, creators of The Blair
Witch Project; and Lovely Molly, also co-produced with Haxan, is in worldwide distribution.
While at New Line, films acquired or overseen by the Court Five partners grossed nearly $4
billion at the worldwide box office. Ordesky most notably executive produced The Lord of
the Rings trilogy, in addition to 60 other films. Fleming was Senior Vice President, Business
Development for New Line and its Fine Line Features subsidiary. She was responsible for
new business and strategic analysis for film production, acquisition, and distribution.
Randall EMMETT (Producer)
Randall Emmett is one of the entertainment industry's most prolific film producers, with over
over 70 feature films to his credit since his start as Mark Wahlberg’s assistant in the 1990s.
Combining financial acumen with an incisive creative sensibility, Emmett is partner and cofounder alongside George Furla of Emmett / Furla Films, a production company dedicated
to the development, financing and production of top tier filmed entertainment for the
theatrical marketplace with its own equity fund. He is also founder and partner of Curtis "50
Cent" Jackson's production company, Cheetah Vision Films. Additionally, he launched a TV
division, with the first series, “Rescue 3”, slated for premiere Fall 2013.
In the last decade, Emmett’s ability to package films with well-known actors and filmmakers
resulted in major box office success – netting more than a quarter of a billion dollars in the
U.S. box office alone.
Throughout that time he forged strong partnerships with major
Hollywood studios to finance and distribute commercial films to domestic and international
audiences.
Aside from high concept films, Emmett also produced smaller, critically
acclaimed indie fare such as Narc and Wonderland. These films and others played at world
acclaimed film festivals such as Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, Venice, Telluride, and many
have been nominated for Independent Spirit Awards and Golden Globe Awards.
In the past five months Emmett finished shooting Lone Survivor, directed by Peter Berg,
starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Emile Hirsh; 2 Guns, written by Steven Grant and
Blake Master, and directed by Baltasar Kormákur, starring Mark Wahlberg and Denzel
Washington; Empire State, written by Adam Mazer and directed by Dito Montiel, starring
Liam Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, and Emma Roberts; and The Tomb, written by Miles
Chapman and directed by Mikael Håfström, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester
Stallone.
Films that were recently released include: Broken City, starring Oscar winner Russell
Crowe, Mark Wahlberg and Oscar winner Catherine Zeta Jones; End of Watch, written and
directed by David Ayer, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña; Lay The Favorite, with
two-time Oscar nominated director Stephen Frears, starring Bruce Willis, Catherine ZetaJones, Rebecca Hall, and Vince Vaughn; and Freelancers, starring Robert De Niro, Curtis
“50 Cent” Jackson, and Forest Whitaker. Past films include: Bad Lieutenant , Righteous Kill,
88 Minutes, King of California, 16 Blocks and The Contract.
Born and raised in Miami, Emmett graduated from the respected performing arts high
school, New World School of the Arts. As an undergrad, he attended the prestigious The
School of Visual Arts in NYC. Presently, he speaks at various industry conferences and
mentors up and coming filmmakers at UCLA’s School of Continuing Education. He lives in
Los Angeles with his family.
Curtis “50 Cent” JACKSON (Producer, and Clate Johnson)
Curtis Jackson (AKA ’50 Cent’) is widely recognized as one of the most talented and prolific
music artists of his time. In recent years he has managed to leverage his star power into
record-breaking brand extensions encompassing a broad spectrum of businesses including
music ownership, artist management, film production, footwear and clothing, video games,
publishing, health drinks and supplements, and a premier consumer electronics company.
With annual sales approaching $300 million from a variety of business interests along with
numerous business endeavors on the horizon, Jackson has cemented his position in the
industry as both a business and entertainment powerhouse.
Jackson made his feature debut with the Paramount Pictures movie Get Rich or Die Tryin a
loose biographic piece, which chronicled his life growing up in poverty and surrounded by
negative influences on the streets of Queens, New York, as he rose to stardom as a rap
artist.
In 2009, Jackson formed Cheetah Vision, a producing partnership with Randall Emmett.
Some of the films produced under this banner are: Setup, the diamond-heist action film
featuring Bruce Willis, Ryan Phillippe, and Jackson; Gun, a drama set in the world of gunrunning, written and produced by Jackson, and featuring Jackson and Danny Trejo; Mario
Van Peebles’ sports drama, All Things Fall Apart, with Ray Liotta, Lynn Whitfield, Jackson,
and Van Peebles, which premiered at the 2011 Miami International Film Festival; and the
soon-to-be-released NYPD action-mystery film Freelancers, with Jackson featured opposite
Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, and Dana Delany.
Jackson’s other forthcoming screen appearances include Danny Trejo’s high body-count
war film Vengeance; and Mikael Håfström’s action-thriller The Tomb, alongside Sylvester
Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
In 2010, Jackson also appeared alongside Chance Crawford in Joel Schumacher’s Twelve,
based on Nick McDonell’s acclaimed novel about the drug scene among Manhattan’s upper
east side’s privileged teens; in the romantic comedy Morning Glory, starring Rachel
McAdams, Harrison Ford, and Jeff Goldblum; with Jason Statham and Mickey Rourke in 13,
director Gela Babluani’s English language remake of his debut feature; and in the crookedcop drama Caught in the Crossfire.
Additional film credits for Jackson include: the 2006 Golden Globe nominated war drama
Home of the Brave; Street of Blood, the post-Katrina crime drama with Val Kilmer and
Sharon Stone; Before I Self Destruct , a film he directed, starred in, and executive produced,
inspired by his album of the same name; and Righteous Kill, alongside Al Pacino and
Robert DeNiro.
George FURLA (Executive Producer)
After graduating from the University of Southern California with a degree in business
administration, began his career with Cantor Fitzgerald and Company. At Cantor Fitzgerald
he served as an equity trader from 1982 to 1985. After his run with Cantor Fitzgerald, Mr.
Furla worked with Jones and Associates for three years in a similar capacity. In 1988, Mr.
Furla left Jones and Associates to run a hedge fund, which he also established, specializing
in risk arbitrage and equity trading. Mr. Furla ran the hedge fund for ten years, after which
he jointly formed a film production company with his partner, Randall Emmett.
At Emmett/Furla Films, Mr. Furla utilizes his hedge fund approach to model out film
financing scenarios. Mr. Furla and Mr. Emmett share responsibility in both concept
development and arrangement of the financing of the films. Emmett/Furla Films has
produced a large number of films including Broken City, End Of Watch, Conan the
Barbarian, Righteous Kill, Rambo, The Wicker Man, and 16 Blocks. They are currently in
various stages of production on Lone Survivor, The Tomb, 2 Guns, and Empire State.
Patrick MARGUIA, A.M.C. (Cinematographer)
Patrick Murguia began his career after studying fine arts and photography in Florence, Italy
and later cinematography at the the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica in his native
Mexico City. After establishing himself as a much sought after Cinematographer in both
Mexico and Europe, he relocated to the US and has gone on to work with some of
Hollywood's most well known directors including Antoine Fuqua, Diego Luna and Cameron
Crowe.
Throughout his career Patrick has received international acclaim for his cinematography in
both commercials and features. He has lensed such award-winning films as Brooklyn’s
Finest, starring Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke, and Diego Luna's directorial debut Abel,
both of which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Last fall, Patrick shot the pilot of
AMC's “Low Winter Sun”, which has been subsequently picked up for series. He now
makes his home in Los Angeles.
Clark HUNTER (Production Designer)
Clark Hunter, a native Angelino, attended both Sherwood Oaks Experimental College and
The California Institute of the Arts. He began his career as a ‘griptrican’ in theater, working
at a Broadway-style roadhouse. From the catwalks Clark watched as stories unfolded and
the machinery of how sets were built was exposed. In spite of the fact that he had really no
experience, he convinced one of the production companies to allow him to design a show.
Apparently Clark was cheap enough that they hired him to design a couple more, including
MY FAIR LADY.
At the roadhouse Clark was also put in charge of producing live special effects for a version
of A Christmas Carol. Drawing on his past work as a professional birthday party magician,
he cobbled together several illusions that worked in the show, including floating a 350pound man 20 feet above the stage using thread-like wire he found at a hardware store.
The flying rig lasted exactly to the final curtain on closing night, before crashing to the floor
as the curtain call ended, and narrowly avoiding the tragedy that would have been
witnessed if just one more performance had been added.
From there, Clark set his sights on feature films. Working from a small warehouse space, he
was enlisted by one of his college buddies, Tim Burton, to build his first live action short. It
was a strange and ultimately doomed version of Hansel and Gretel for the brand new
Disney Channel. Through this small shop of his he began designing and building music
videos during the format’s heyday. Directors he worked with included Dave Fincher, Julian
Temple, and Dominic Sena.
He began getting small exploitation films, two of which took Clark to Moscow, Russia, with
Menahem Golan, with the idea that it could be made to look like New York City in the ‘30s.
Regardless, two weeks after arriving a revolution broke out, as the Soviet Union collapsed
around him. Clark spent the next nine months helping to make those two movies and
watching the country change from communism to a so-called democracy.
Upon returning from this adventure he took a rest by convincing another production
company to hire him as a writer. Again with no experience or reason Clark got the job and
became a hack writer for the television series “Divorce Court”. He was able to sell a couple
of other screenplays along the way, but nothing ever got made.
Clark’s big break came when he was called by a little known actor who was directing his first
picture: Billy Bob Thornton’s Slingblade. After its success the job offers started getting
better, and since then Clark has worked with Bill Bob on all the pictures he's directed and a
few he's been in. Clark became known as the go-to production designer for first time
directors, and did the first films for David Dobkin, Todd Phillips, and John Guliger among
others. He has also worked with 'indie darlings’ the Polish Brothers on three pictures.
Clark Hunter's career has run the gamut from birthday party magician, carnival barker, set
builder, hack writer, second unit director, special effects guy, and production designer, and
a bunch of other stuff he can't remember. He also built large props and set pieces for
amusement parks and exhibits; his proudest moment was building a set for a wax figure of
Mr. T. He currently divides his time between Los Angeles, CA, Albuquerque, NM and a Unibomber shack near Joshua Tree, CA.
Lynn FALCONER (Costume Designer)
Lynn Falconer is an established costume designer of many recent film and commercial
projects. She recently completed Intrepid Films’ Oculus, a Mike Flanagan directed ghost
thriller about a haunted mirror, starring Karen Gillan and Brenton Thwaites. This past spring
she also designed costumes for the New York set romantic comedy A Case of You, directed
by Kat Coiro, starring Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood and Sienna Miller.
Falconer’s earlier costume design career encompasses an extensive range of films. She
also worked on the Rod Lurie directed remake of Sam Peckinpah’s Straw Dogs, starring
Alexander Skarsgård, Kate Bosworth and James Marsden. Other notable works include
Salvation Boulevard, with Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly and Greg Kinnear, and Nothing
but the Truth, starring Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga and Alan Alda.
Falconer divides her time between the east and west coast; she is a native Californian and
resides in New York City with her husband Michael Pelzman and her son Harry.
Sarah BOYD, A.C.E. (Editor)
Sarah Boyd has edited the last three features directed by Rod Lurie, most recently the
remake of Straw Dogs, starring James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, and Alexander Skarsgård.
She also edited Mr. Lurie’s Nothing but the Truth, starring Kate Beckinsale, Vera Farmiga,
Alan Alda and Angela Bassett, and Resurrecting the Champ, starring Samuel L. Jackson
and Josh Hartnett. Her other feature credits include Pawnshop, Chronicles, starring Paul
Walker, Matt Dillon and Brendan Fraser, as well as Hard Pill and Topa Topa Bluffs, the
directorial debut of Oscar-nominated director Eric Simonson.
Boyd has edited a number of successful and critically acclaimed television shows. She
received two Emmy nominations and an ACE Eddie nomination for her work on “Lost”, and
cut the pilot for “Commander-In-Chief”, starring Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland. Other
television credits include “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Ugly Betty”, “Kevin Hill”, starring Taye Diggs,
“Line of Fire”, and “The Education of Max Bickford”, starring Richard Dreyfuss and Marcia
Gay Harden.
Boyd is a graduate of USC Film School and Yale University.