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M
andate Pictures has acquired Lamb of God, a script by Juno scribe Diablo Cody that will mark her feature directorial debut. Mason Novick (500 Days Of Summer) will produce. Mandate president Nathan Kahane will executive produce alongside Cody. Mandate has the project on the fast track and will begin casting right away. The comedy follows a young conservative religious woman who loses her faith after a plane crash. She decides to go to Vegas and live the life of a sinner, and somehow finds her faith along the way. Cody was a stripper who started a blog and found a voice as a screenwriter, which led to her breakout effort in writing Juno and emerging as a quite interesting screenwriting voice. She followed with Jennifer’s Body, a movie that didn’t hit, and most recently reteamed with Juno helmer Jason Reitman on Young Adult.
“Having been in the trenches with Diablo and Mason on Juno and Young Adult, we immediately jumped at the opportunity to partner again,” said Kahane. “It’s an honor to be part of Diablo’s transition to director.”
This marks the third collaboration between Mandate and Cody and Novick, after Juno and Young Adult, the latter of which will be released by Paramount. Juno, of course, won Cody an Oscar and grossed $227 million. She’s repped by WME and Jeff Frankel.
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I thought Novick left the business two years ago? Did he move back to LA?
Let’s hear it for the FEMPIRE!!!!
hahahahaa, good one
Good for Ma$e!! He’s one of the best guys in this town. The dude went out of his way to help me get my first job when it was of no benefit to him. He’s got great taste, amazing instincts, and a fantastic sneaker collection. His ongoing success is well deserved!!
Really? Odd, I tried to cold query him twice. He ignored both. I eventually made it on my own by getting picked up by a different manager willing to take a chance on someone with talent and no connections and am doing just fine.
Maybe you know someone who knew Mase. Sounds like he’s a snob.
Wow, I did it my way, you really seem to think the world revolves around you, don’t you? Because Novick didn’t help YOU, then that must mean he’s a snob who only helps no-talent folks with connections, right? As if you’re the only person who ever tried getting to him.
Obviously Anonymous did something that caused him to stand out and made Novick want to help him. And you didn’t. Get over it. Happens to all of us. Getting rejected (or even ignored) by someone doesn’t mean that person is an asshole.
We’ve all seen the I Did It My Way type before. He/she is destined for a very short career. Soon to be on the “life’s too short” list of everyone in town.
Yeah, anonymous is probably a hot chick.
Years ago I was cold querying lots of people and Mason was the ONLY one who responded. He read several of my specs and eventually went out with one. He didn’t cared about whether I had connections. He had enough of his own.
I’ll start by saying that I’ve known Mason since his start on Jeff Gorin’s (WME) desk.
Now, onto “Odd, I tried to cold query him twice. He ignored both.”
Let me say again for effect… “Odd, I tried to COLD QUERY him twice. He ignored both.”
There is something in this business called a “referral” which most newbies like yourself are completely and totally oblivious to. Mason probably receives a hundred cold requests a week — let me repeat for effect again — A WEEK — from wannabe’s like yourself. Factually, 90% of those requests suck and 10% of them are decent, but not material you would want to waste your time representing.
Based on this FACT, you have the nerve to question and demean an Academy Award-nominated producer for not reading your effing script?!?! REALLY?!?!?!
You have absolutely ZERO idea what people in the representation business have to deal with day in and day out so please just keep your mouth shut.
Do I sound angry? I do, and that is because I assisted on a lit desk for 3 1/2 years listening to whiners like yourself crying about “no one wanting to read your latest script which your roommate that flips burgers at In-N-Out LOVED”.
P.S. – I’m a screenwriter. Don’t want you to think I haven’t “walked in your shoes”. I’m just smarter than you are…
Couldn’t agree more.
Diablo is a force of nature. In 10 years all of us in the Industry will be working for her. She is God. everyone, repeat after me, “Diablo is God, and I am not worthy to stand in her shadow.”
Because we are not. End of story.
Calm down, Diablo.
Wow. I can’t quite go there, dude.
Actually, Ellen Page is God….Diablo Cody was fortunate to scribe one of her films…
Not to bash the Devil Lady, but it is going to be hard to top Juno and her stripper memoir. Her recent stuff is not as funny
Two words for you, my friend:
Lorene Scafaria.
If only the two of them would team up on scribing/directing. That would truly be something.
Long live the Fempire.
Frankel is a genius. ‘Nuff said.
Just what we need. More Christian propaganda delusion and nonsense.
As if we’re not getting propaganda delusion and nonsense from any other points of view in Hollywood…
Maybe she becomes a Satanist?
This script is terrible…passes by everyone in town. This is a favor from Mandate…
The same town that passed on Pulp Fiction?! Oh my god, it must be good!
Please, optioning a script for $10k is a favor… starting to cast and putting it into production with a first time director is not.
It’s funny. she’s the one-hit wonder who keeps giving. Her name literally now takes millions from the box office because she is so hated by film fans. yet Mandate klings to her because Juno is the only hit they’ve ever had. One more part of the Lionsgate losing portfolio. Lucky for them they still have Tyler Perry. Although his brand is going stale fast.
Don’t worry to much about Lionsgate. ‘The Hunger Games’ will fatten their wallets soon enough.
Diablo Cody’s definitely a nice lady. But her films/tv shows are just godawful. After I heard the words “honest to blog,” well…that was enough for me. And I’ve been quite happy since!
Isn’t UNITED STATES OF TARA a critical hit?
Diablo is God? Sounds like an oxymoron
Not a lot of Spanish speakers on this board… trust me on that.
Snarkita love the comment and the name. But to highlight the obvious for everyone: DEVIL IS GOD.
I love this PR spin like she was this rode hard stripper who pulled herself up out of the gutter and magically became a great screenwriter. He graduated from the University of Iowa (no, not with nursing degree) and “stripped” so she could write a book about it. A wonderfully manufactured image, though. Made for a cute Oscar story (Matt & Ben anyone?) that is still ridiculously perpetuated.
Regardless, she’s a good writer with a distinct voice. Should be interesting. But enough already with the stripper BS. Even James Frey finds it a stretch.
New title for this one: “Disaster Movie, Part Deux.”
I read Juno and attempted to combine the elements of budding in Dragon Stomp “Raising The reptilian Race” – It is a nice cut in the way she did that and deserves attention and duplication. Really, the situation is of how far do we steer yet keep a straight path.
Anyway, Mr. Kohane, its been alond time since you have called in 96, and I think that there’s a payoff that you should be part of. Take a look see and maybe we can come together on something.
Diablo, I’m on your side. If not, I’ll close my eyes and thank god I won the lottery and make my amends.
E.C. McCready
Was never a fan of her work and then read the script for “Young Adult”… I loved it. Powerful stuff. Never thought anything of Juno or Jennifer’s Body, but if she writes more like Young Adult, I will proudly claim myself a fan.
After seeing Diablo’s picture, I am simply a non-believer in the whole former stripper turned writer/director story.
There is no way anyone paid a girl that looks like that for a lap dance. Just saying.
As for her movies, I believe they are not being judged by “Is this a good film” but rather “this is greate for a stripper”.
To the guy who said we will all be working for her, seriously? You must be unemployed and hoping for any job.
There are some ugly strippers out there dude.
Mason, Diablo and Mandate are all one hit wonders trying to find the magic that was Juno. Yet Searchlight marketing was the reason that movie was a hit and nothing else.
Looks like another been there, done it YAWN!
I dont get the hate here. Yes Juno was overrated, but it was still pretty damn good. Jennifer’s Body was panned because it was so different than Juno, but it was a fun horror/comedy movie for the target demo and its better than it gets credit for. She also had a big hand in United Staes of Tara, and that was mostly really good and occasionally great.
I can see not being a fan, but she’s a true success story and the amount of hate and spite she brings out of people seems really disproportionate to what the usual random creator gets.
Okay, speaking to the issue of the actual project, rather than agents and personalities and egos, it sounds to me like this script addresses a hot-button topic in the same kind of read-into-it-what-you-will way as JUNO did with the issue of abortion vs. adoption. And with the writer’s voice, it will probably be pretty funny and irreverent, too. Yes, there will be some overreaching clunker lines of dialogue along the way, but I have a feeling this will be a movie that gets people talking and – for an indie – gets people in the seats, too.
Her “voice” might have something, something to do with Jason Reitman. HIS voice seems pretty consistently brilliant.
Jennifer’s Body was under-rated
Jennifer’s Body was under-taken.
And Megan Fox is/was overrated. Which makes Jennifer’s Body a perfectly rated film.
I agree. The story for Jennifer’s Body was a decent horror film. It would have been better if Megan Fox could actually act though.
Diablo Cody is mediocre at best. Juno was not that great and Jennifer’s Body was god awful. US of Tara was mildly entertaining in the first season due to Toni Collette, but was terrible in 2nd despite the cast.
I never understood how people could enjoy her over-intelligent teenagers. They’re not even close to genuine. If teenagers really were as smart and well-versed as she portrays, America would be much better off. Instead, her work depends on cutesy dialog and pop culture references that don’t hold water or my attention.
I love her fearlessness. She takes difficult subject matter and writes it as only she can. I would rather watch Juno than Transformers or other boring bullcrap written by 20 writers.
Cody works her ass off. She’s won an Oscar. The writing for her series won Toni Collette an Emmy.
Everyone needs to shut their trap.
Diablo is a lovely person. I worked for her a few years ago and a more delightful, kind and supportive human you could not imagine. Her early work may feel too clever by half, but she is smart as a whip and will evolve into a really interesting, ballsy film artist. Give the kid a chance! She got an Oscar for her first script at an age when most people are thinking of phasing out of their Kinko’s job!
I’m a fan of Cody, but Jennifer’s Body was just AWFUL. One of the worst movies I’ve ever seen.
I love Novick, but do you think his other clients ever feel a bit left out?