October Films Launches Rogue, Buys "Cherry"

by Mark Rabinowitz

Last week October Films announced the creation of a "genre" division to be called Rogue Pictures, with Trey Parker's "Orgazmo" set to be the new division's first release, followed by David Raynr's "G's Trippin'" and the recent October script acquisition, Ken Selden's "Cherry Falls."

To be headed by Patrick Gunn in New York and Matt Wall in Los Angeles, the new division will acquire product at all stages of development, and the projects will me marketed and distributed domestically by October Films staff. Video and television sales will be managed through October's distribution agreement with Universal Pictures, while foreign sales will be handled by October Films International through its partnership with Good Machine International and its president David Linde.

The phrase "genre division" has been bandied about for some time, with Miramax's Dimension Films being the first specialty division to use the phrase. indieWIRE spoke with Gunn about his take on the definition, and he indicated that October and Rogue were "looking to define (genre division), somewhat broadly," and added that their films would "not be typical October films." As is evidenced with their first three films. "Orgazmo" is a comedy about a mormon young man who becomes a porn star, "G's Trippin'" is an urban comedy and "Cherry Falls" is a twist on the teen-horror genre, with the virginal teens, rather than the kids who sleep around that are getting hunted by the psychopath. Gunn added that Rogue would be producing films ranging in budget from "low budget to the double digit millions."

"Cherry Falls" is set to be produced by Marshall Persinger along with executive producers Eli Selden ("Eve's Bayou") and Julie Yorn ("Eve's Bayou") and co-executive produced by Joyce Schweickert, Persinger's partner at The Fresh Produce Company. Fresh Produce's most recent film is James F. Robinson's "Still Breathing," and Yorn and Selden are talent managers at Industry Entertainment (formerly Addis-Wechsler).

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posted on April 7, 1998 |Share