NEWPORT BEACH, CA (September 3, 2024) – Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) announces the World Premiere of Old Guy as the 2024 Opening Night film. Expected to attend the screening are director Simon West, and star Christoph Waltz, who will be presented with the 2024 Newport Beach Film Festival Icon Award. The film will screen on Thursday, October 17, kicking off the 25th edition of the Festival from October 17-24. The Avenue will release Old Guy in the spring of 2025.
Old Guy, which also stars Cooper Hoffman and Lucy Liu, centers around aging contract killer Danny Dolinski (Christoph Waltz) who still believes he’s the best at what he does. Stuck in a boring “desk” assignment while pining for the love of spunky club manager Anata (Lucy Liu), Danny is thrilled when The Company pulls him back in the field, but only to train Gen Z newcomer Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman), a prodigy assassin with a bad attitude. The mismatched pair is asked to eliminate a competing crime syndicate but uncover their employer’s true motive: removing the old guard in a full takeover. The Company didn’t anticipate that Danny’s experience coupled with the kid’s brilliance would create such an unlikely bond between the two. Along with Anata’s crucial help, the duo takes matters into their own hands to take down The Company and that age has no limits.
Directed by Simon West (The Expendables 2, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, The Mechanic) and written by Greg Johnson (The Last Son), Old Guy is produced by Jib Polhemus (The Last Son, The Expendables 2), Martin Brennan (One Way, Zone 414), West, R.U. Robot Studio’s Petr Jákl (Medieval, The Last Full Measure) and Hal Sadoff (The Nice Guys, Orphan: First Kill). Norman Golightly (Lord of War, Ghost Rider) produced on behalf of Dark Castle Entertainment. The film is executive produced by Highland Film Group’s Arianne Fraser and Delphine Perrier, The Avenue’s JJ Caruth, R.U. Robot Studio’s Martin J. Barab, Blue Rider Pictures’ Walter Josten (Around the World in 80 Days, Holes) and Aperture Media Partners’ Jared Underwood, Andrew Robinson and Dan Mandel.
“The Festival is thrilled to host the World Premiere of Simon West’s Old Guy as the Opening Night Film to kick off the 25th anniversary of the Newport Beach Film Festival,” stated Gregg Schwenk, CEO and Executive Director of NBFF. “To have Christoph Waltz in attendance to honor his iconic career will truly create an unforgettable event for our audience. We are looking forward to announcing additional films and special events for our 25th edition in the coming weeks.”
Christoph Waltz will receive the Icon Award at the screening in celebration of his widely admired career. Waltz is a two-time Academy Award winner for his iconic performances in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds and Django Unchained. His other credits include Big Eyes, The French Dispatch, Horrible Bosses 2, No Time To Die, Spectre, and Water for Elephants. His upcoming projects include Dracula: A Love Tale and Frankenstein.
The Opening Night Gala will take place at Fashion Island and will feature live entertainment and culinary tastings from two dozen of Newport Beach’s top restaurants. Tickets to the Opening Night Film and Gala are $225. Gala events are open to attendees 21 and older.
The full Festival line-up will be announced on September 17. For Festival passes, tickets, and complete line-up, visit www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com.
About Newport Beach Film Festival
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Newport Beach Film Festival is one of the largest luxury lifestyle film festivals in the United States. The event brings an internationally curated collection of films and vibrant cultural gatherings to the beautiful Southern California coast. Committed to championing the work of original storytellers from around the globe, the Festival celebrates contemporary screen culture and cinematic excellence, engaging the community in compelling conversations with filmmakers and artists. The Newport Beach Film Festival is sponsored in part by UCI Health, Los Angeles Times, The Macallan, Fashion Island, and the City of Newport Beach. Festival dates are October 17-24, 2024. For Festival passes and tickets, visit www.NewportBeachFilmFest.com.
About The Avenue
Launched in 2020, The Avenue is Highland Film Group’s US distribution division and handles all aspects of distribution, from theatrical through home entertainment to television, SVOD and AVOD. The Avenue is dedicated to partnering with filmmakers and leading them into innovative ways of marketing and distribution so their stories can reach the widest audience. The Avenue has a partnership with Paramount Global to handle Blu-ray™, DVD, VOD, and Digital distribution. Films released under The Avenue label are a combination of film titles from Highland Film Group as well as third party acquisitions.
Upcoming titles include Simon West’s action comedy Old Guy starring Christoph Waltz, Lucy Liu and Cooper Hoffman.
Recent releases include William Eubank’s action thriller Land of Bad starring Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth and Luke Hemsworth released on 1,300 screens in February 2024 and recently surged to the #1 spot on Netflix in the US; Adam Cooper’s crime thriller Sleeping Dogs starring Russell Crowe and Karen Gillan which just took the #1 spot on Hulu in the US; Rod Blackhurst’s Tribeca Film Festival and Deauville title Blood For Dust starring Scoot McNairy, Kit Harington and Josh Lucas; Rusty Cundieff’s sci-fi thriller 57 Seconds starring Morgan Freeman and Josh Hutcherson; Adrian Grünberg’s shark actioner The Black Demon starring Josh Lucas; and Petr Jákl’s sweeping historical action epic Medieval starring Ben Foster, Sophie Lowe and Sir Michael Caine.
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