Gunpowder & Sky, a fast-growing independent entertainment company, announced today that they have teamed up with Circle of Confusion, a leading management and production company, to develop and produce feature films and series. Projects will be sourced from writers, directors and producers who have had their work released on DUST or ALTER, Gunpowder & Sky’s sci-fi and horror brands, respectively. DUST and ALTER filmmakers will now also have fast-track access to Circle of Confusion’s list of esteemed managers and their clients.
“Championing the next generation of filmmakers has always been part of our DNA, and since launching DUST and ALTER a few years ago, we have curated, produced and showcased more than 500 films on our channels,” said Floris Bauer, Gunpowder & Sky President. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Circle, further developing DUST and ALTER IP, and unearthing breakthrough talent from our network of diverse global creators. With their track record of discovering the creators behind films and series like The Matrix, The Walking Dead, John Wick and Black Panther, we hope that together we are lucky enough to build an iconic franchise or two”.
In addition to collaborating with creators to develop feature films and TV series based on the spectrum of IP coming out of DUST and ALTER, this joint-venture will also focus on nurturing new talent who will have the opportunity to be represented by Circle of Confusion’s managers. Jody Wilson (director and writer of Indigo, which was first released on DUST) is an example of a newly signed Circle of Confusion client, joining their roster which includes some of Hollywood’s hottest creatives including Lana and Lilly Wachowski (co-writers and co-directors of The Matrix), Derek Kolstad (writer of John Wick), Joe Robert Cole (writer of Black Panther), Daniel Minahan (director of “Deadwood”), Brian Duffield (writer of Insurgent), Doug Jung (writer of Star Trek Beyond), Lulu Wang (writer and director of The Farwell), Rachel Morrison (cinematographer for Mudbound), and Chad and Carey W. Hayes (writers of The Conjuring) to name a few.
“We couldn’t be more excited about our collaboration with Gunpowder & Sky on their DUST and ALTER brands. DUST and ALTER are premier channels for the kind of cutting edge sci-fi and horror IP and creators that Circle has been successful with fostering for decades. Working with the Gunpowder & Sky team to launch these talented filmmakers and create exceptional film and television is a strategically seamless and powerful step for both our companies,” said the Circle of Confusion partners.
This news follows DUST announcing its global expansion of the DUST OTT channel to the UK, Germany, Austria and the Netherlands after being already available in more than 50 million U.S. households through a range of MVPD and internet bundles. DUST also recently released its second narrative podcast, “Flight 008”, which, in less than 15 days, climbed Apple’s “Top 50” Podcasts” charts and has held the #2 position on Apple’s “Top Fiction Podcasts” and “Top Science Fiction Podcasts” list for the past three weeks. DUST also just brought audiences the ultimate at-home experience with the first live stream premiere of filmmaker Neasa Hardiman’s critically-acclaimed Irish sci-fi/thriller, Sea Fever. And, on April 13th, Quibi premiered ALTER’s “50 States of Fright”, an anthology series Executive Produced by Sam Raimi.
