The Collector Comes to Theaters

Liddell Entertainment has acquired U.S. theatrical rights to Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton’s home invasionhorror-thriller THE COLLECTOR, it was announced today by Mickey Liddell, President of Liddell Entertainment.  Directed by Dunstan, from an original script by Dunstan and Melton, THE COLLECTOR is set for wide release on July 31, 2009.

The project, produced by Fortress Features’ Brett Forbes and Patrick Rizzotti and Imaginarium Entertainment Group’s Julie Richardson, stars Josh Stewart (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Criminal Minds), Daniella Alonso (Friday Night Lights, The Hills Have Eyes 2), Michael Reilly Burke (Lincoln Heights, 24), Andrea Roth (Rescue Me, War),Madeline Zima (Californication, The Hand That Rocks the Cradle), Karley Scott-Collins (Pulse 2, The Class), Robert Wisdom (The Wire, The Forgotten) and Juan Fernandez (The Lost City, A Man Apart).

THE COLLECTOR follows the story of handyman and ex-con Arkin, who aims to repay a debt to his ex-wife by robbing his new employer’s country home.  Unfortunately for Arkin, a far worse enemy has already laid claim to the property – and the family. As the seconds tick down to midnight, Arkin becomes a reluctant hero trapped by a masked “Collector” in a maze of lethal invention – the Spanish Inquisition as imagined by Rube Goldberg – while trying to rescue the very family he came to rob.     

Dunstan and Melton, who came into the national spotlight for their winning screenplay Feast on Project Greenlight’s third season, have been shepherding the Saw franchise for the past three installments, having written Saw IV, V and the upcoming Saw VI.

“Marcus and Patrick have come up with a unique twist on the home invasion thriller that we think will have people gripping their seats,” said Liddell.  “With its stylized blend of action and horror, the movie delivers on every level.” 

“In a summer boasting fist-fighting robots and 3-D floating homes, Mickey and his team are more than up to the challenge of delivering an adult horror-thriller to moviegoers seeking a shock to the system,” added Dunstan and Melton. “We're beyond lucky to have such a passionate force behind a film we can't wait to unleash.” 

The film will be released through Freestyle Releasing, whom Liddell previously partnered with on The Haunting of Molly Hartley.  Liddell was repped in the deal by Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton.