Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Atlas Independent will make Mojave, a crime thriller scripted and to be directed by William Monahan. They are keeping the plot specifics quiet, but production is set to begin August in Southern California. It will be the second directorial effort for Monahan, who won an Oscar writing The Departed and made his debut behind the camera on London Boulevard. It is the fourth project for Atlas Independent, an offshoot of Charles Roven’s Atlas Entertainment.

“Working with Chuck Roven and Atlas is perfection from my point of view, and has already led to a brilliant ongoing relationship,” Monahan said. “It’s the strongest possible company and they’re specifically in the business of protecting quality work. Atlas and I have decided to do a lot of work together and here we go.” Said Atlas Independent producer William Green: “This script is Monahan at his absolute best.”

While Roven is in the middle of big-ticket films like The Dark Knight Rises and Man Of Steel, he hired Green to hatch Atlas Independent to make movies with budgets of $10 million or less. The division’s first effort, Revenge For Jolly! premieres at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival, and Atlas Independent completed production on the Sacha Bennett-directed Get Lucky. A May start date is set for the Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego-directed Open Grave.

Monahan will produce Mojave with Green, and Atlas’ Andy Horwitz and Alan Glazer will be exec producers with Henceforth Pictures’ Justine Suzanne Jones. Monahan is repped by WME and attorney David Fox, and London’s ITG.