MICHAEL BAY SET TO DIRECT AND PRODUCE AN ADAPTATION OF SEGA’S OUTRUN FOR UNIVERSAL PICTURES WITH SYDNEY SWEENEY PRODUCING
SEGA, Platinum Dunes and Fifty-Fifty Films are set to produce with Jayson Rothwell scripting.
COMPANY
SEGA CORPORATION is pleased to announce that Michael Bay (the Transformers franchise, Ambulance) is set to direct the adaptation of SEGA’s iconic arcade driving video game OutRun for Universal Pictures.
Jayson Rothwell (Polar, Arachnid) is set to write the screenplay. Michael Bay and Brad Fuller will produce through Platinum Dunes’ first-look deal with Universal Pictures. Additionally, Sydney Sweeney, who produced Anyone But You and Immaculate, will serve as a producer. Toru Nakahara (Sonic the Hedgehog 1~3, Knuckles, Golden Axe) will produce for SEGA and Shuji Utsumi (President/COO of SEGA CORPORATION) will oversee the project on behalf of SEGA.
SEGA's OutRun series is a driving game that originated from some of the most successful arcade games in the world during the 1980s. The game pioneered a new genre of racing games where players could enjoy the scenery and landscapes while speeding along and spawned an entire electronic music subgenre aptly called "OutRun." This unique approach set it apart from previous racing games and made it a worldwide hit. Since then, numerous series installments have been released, including home console versions, and it continues to be one of SEGA's flagship franchises.
Universal Pictures follows up on the success of its 2023 video game adaptation, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Five Nights at Freddy’s which grossed over $1.4 billion and $290 million respectively in the global box office, with high expectations for this film.
About Michael Bay
Michael Bay became a professional director at the young age of 23. By 25 he was recognized as one of the world's major commercial directors. He went on to win the Cannes Lions Grand Prix for Best Commercial for his "Got Milk?/Aaron Burr" spot, which has been recognized as one of the top ten classic commercials of all time. Several of his commercials are housed in the permanent collection of MOMA (the Museum of Modern Art) in New York.
From there Bay became a feature film director who jump-started Will Smith’s film career as an action hero with Bad Boys. Next, he moved into the memorable high stakes action film, The Rock, starring Sean Connery, Nicholas Cage and Ed Harris. His career, along with his Bay Films production company, continued with blockbuster after blockbuster: Armageddon, Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys 2, and five films of the Transformers franchise. With the huge box office success of these films, Bay is currently the fifth highest grossing film director in the global marketplace.
The director made his first foray into streaming content in 2019 with the Netflix/Skydance production, 6 Underground, starring Ryan Reynolds, Mélanie Laurent, Corey Hawkins, Adria Arjona, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ben Hardy, Lior Raz, Payman Maadi and Dave Franco. The high-octane film is based on an original idea from writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, best known for their irreverent work on the Deadpool films, and was filmed in Italy, Hungary and the United Arab Emirates. Seen by 83 million member-households in its first four weeks of streaming, the film remains one of the network’s most popular properties, along with another dramatic thriller, Ambulance, which Bay directed for Universal Pictures and Endeavor Content. One of the first motion pictures released in theatres post-pandemic in Spring of 2022, the film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza González.
Bay has also branched beyond the mainstream into smaller, more artistically driven films like the dark comedy Pain and Gain with Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, the true story chronicling the heroic rescue mission that saved 36 Americans during an attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012.
In 2014 The Hollywood Reporter named Bay and his partners in Platinum Dunes, Brad Fuller and Andrew Form, as “Producers of the Year." The company, which was founded in 2001, boasts an extremely successful track record with films of all genres, from smaller horror movies like Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Amityville Horror (2005) and Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), which helped to break in new actors and directors, to such stalwart franchise features as A Quiet Place, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Purge and Ouija.
Recently re-envisioned with Bay and Fuller at the helm, Platinum Dunes recently released A Quiet Place: Day One, starring Lupita Nyong’o and Djimon Hounsou. Still in theatres, the film has earned over $260 million. Overall, Bay's films from both companies total more than $10.5 billion in global box office receipts.
For television, Platinum Dunes has produced three critically praised series: Black Sails for Starz, The Last Ship for TNT, and the small screen version of novelist Tom Clancy's CIA hero, Jack Ryan, starring John Krasinski, developed with partners Paramount Television and Amazon. Jack Ryan released its fourth and final season on June 30, 2023.
Upcoming projects include A Quiet Place: Part III; an original new IP, Shredded, produced in tandem with Screen Gems; and Drop, a fast-paced thriller directed by Christopher Landon, currently in post-production, produced with Blumhouse for Universal.
In 2015 Bay helped to launch yet another company, 451 Media Group, which focuses on developing, producing and worldwide marketing of technology, art and merchandise, based on graphic novels as well as new content.
That same year, Bay was honored with a career tribute at Deauville’s legendary American Film Festival in Normandy, France. He collected another lifetime achievement award this past January at Saudi Arabia’s newly established Joy Awards, which has become one of the most glamorous events hosted in the Middle East, attended by celebrities from around the globe.
At the 2023 May Upfronts, US Network Groups announced a deal with Bay to executive produce a new true crime docuseries for Investigation Discovery. The series, entitled Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior, will expose a terrifying, yet little known, true crime story. The chilling portrait of one of the most terrifying serial killers in recent decades will premiere on the ID Network on September 2, 2024, with an uncensored version available for streaming on Max.
In addition, Bay and Invisible Narratives president Adam Goodman (former president of production at Paramount Pictures) have signed an international, multi-year licensing deal with Bonkers Toys, one of the fastest-growing toy companies in the US, to manufacture and distribute toys based on the record-setting animated YouTube series Skibidi Toilet. The partnership between Bonkers Toys and Invisible Narratives will bring Skibidi Toilet toys to major retailers worldwide later this year, with possible film and television projects in future.
About Sydney Sweeney
Two-time Emmy-nominated actress and producer Sydney Sweeney has become one of the most sought-after talents of her generation, captivating global audiences with her many buzz-worthy, critically acclaimed, and iconic roles.
Sweeney will next be seen starring in the Apple Original Films’ thriller ECHO VALLEY opposite Julianne Moore and Domhnall Gleeson. From a script by Mare of Eastown creator Brad Ingelsby, the film follows a woman (Moore) who is reeling from a personal tragedy and spends her days boarding and training horses at Echo Valley Farm, twenty-two secluded, picturesque acres in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Late one night, her wayward daughter (Sweeney) arrives at her doorstep, frightened, trembling, and covered in someone else’s blood. The film is set for release later this year.
She recently wrapped production on the biographical Untitled Christy Martin film for Black Bear Pictures and her shingle, Fifty-Fifty Films. Directed by David Michôd, the film chronicles Christy Martin’s (Sweeney) rise to becoming America's most well-known female boxer in the 90s, and her attempted murder by her husband (Ben Foster) in 2010. Sweeney’s commitment to authentically embodying Martin is evident through her intensive physical training and transformation for the role. The film aims to shed light on Martin’s inspiring journey, both inside and outside the ring, highlighting themes of perseverance and empowerment. She also wrapped production on Lionsgate’s adaptation of the best-selling novel THE HOUSEMAID, directed by Paul Feig and starring opposite Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar. The film follows a struggling young woman, Millie (Sweeney), who eagerly accepts a job as a housemaid for a wealthy couple. But she quickly learns that Nina (Seyfried) and Andrew (Brandon Sklenar) are keeping secrets that are far more dangerous than her own. The film is set to release Christmas 2025.
Most recently, Sweeney starred in the psychological horror film IMMACULATE for Black Bear Pictures, which she developed alongside producer David Bernad, following their highly successful collaboration on WHITE LOTUS. Re-teaming with director Michael Mohan, Sweeney stars as a woman of devout faith who is offered a fulfilling new role at an illustrious Italian convent. Neon acquired the rights to the film in North America and it was released in theaters on March 22, 2024. The Wrap called her performance a “revelation,” “achieving something transcendent,” and Variety said she delivered “a miraculous performance.” Also in 2024, Sweeney starred opposite Glen Powell in Will Gluck’s romantic comedy ANYONE BUT YOU, which she also produced. It became a global box office phenomenon, achieving $200M+ in ticket sales. The film was nominated for a 2024 People’s Choice Award in the category of “Comedy Movie of the Year,” and Sweeney was nominated for her role as ‘Bea’ in the category of “Comedy Movie Star of the Year.”
Sweeney’s film REALITY marked her international film debut at the 2023 Berlinale Film Festival with the film’s world premiere, where she played former US Airforce Translator and whistleblower Reality Winner. She received numerous accolades from film critics including The Hollywood Reporter, calling her performance “expertly calibrated.” Variety said, “Sweeney’s every flicker of emotion, micro-reaction, evasion, and retraction, is utterly believable,” and Collider calling this film “her best performance yet.” She was nominated for a 2024 Critics Choice Award in the category of “Best Actress for a Movie Made for Television,” and the film won a Peabody Award in the category of “Entertainment” + was nominated for a Gotham Award in the category of “Best Feature.”
Sweeney is attached to star in Sony’s BARBARELLA, based on Jean-Claude Forest’s French comic book series, which was turned into a cult classic film in 1968; THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH, based on Edgar Allen Poe’s short story of the same name; Colman Domingo’s directorial debut at Miramax, SCANDALOUS!, which she is also producing. The story follows the clandestine love affair between Kim Novak (Sweeney) and Sammy Davis J. (David Jonsson) in 1957; Warner Bros. acquired I PRETENDED TO BE A MISSING GIRL. The project is based on a reddit short story by Joe Cote. In the short story, a drifter impersonates a missing girl to rob their family — only to realize she’s made a terrible mistake. Sweeney will produce and Fifty-Fifty brought in Eric Roth to adapt.
As the standout character ‘Cassie’ in HBO’s EUPHORIA, Sweeney’s exceptional work in Season 2 captured the attention of viewers, earning her a 2022 Emmy nomination for her performance in the category of “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.” Her role also earned a People’s Choice Award nomination for “The Drama TV Star” of 2022. According to Rolling Stone, “Sweeney fiercely commits to every last whiplash turn of Cassie’s emotional journey this year.” Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming on MAX. She is currently in production on season 3 which is set to premiere in 2026.
Prior to the second season of EUPHORIA, Sweeney’s name was on everyone’s lips due to her turn as the seemingly woke millennial ‘Olivia’ who dished out side-eye and microaggressions every chance she had in HBO’s THE WHITE LOTUS. The series premiered in 2021 and received multiple Primetime Emmy Awards including “Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series.” The series won a 2021 AFI Award for “TV Program of the Year” and a 2022 Hollywood Critics Association TV Award for “Best Broadcast Network or Cable Limited or Anthology Series.” Sweeney herself also received a 2022 Emmy nomination in the category of “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie” for her work.
Her other recent roles include ‘Julia Carpenter’ (aka Spider-Woman) in Sony’s Marvel film MADAME WEB; ‘Penny Jo’ in the film AMERICANA, which premiered at the 2023 SXSW film festival, starring opposite Simon Rex and Halsey; the Ron Howard directed survival thriller EDEN which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, alongside Ana de Armas, Vanessa Kirby, Daniel Brühl, and Jude Law; Amazon’s psychosexual thriller, THE VOYEURS, in which she stars opposite Justice Smith; Quentin Tarantino’s ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD; Amazon and Blumhouse Picture’s NOCTURNE; an unforgettable arc in Season 2 of Hulu’s award-winning series THE HANDMAID’S TALE, as ‘Eden’ a pious and obedient teenager whose dreams of becoming a Commander’s wife come to an untimely end; HBO’s high-profile miniseries SHARP OBJECTS based on Gillian Flynn’s award-winning novel; and A24’s neo-noir film, UNDER THE SILVER LAKE, as the ‘Shooting Star’ helping Andrew Garfield’s ‘Sam’ on his winding journey of discovery through the dark underground of Los Angeles.
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