Metropolitan Inc. Bankrolls Hickenlooper’s Casino Jack

There’s a new, but experienced player joining the volatile U.S. distribution market. If it weren’t for his bio, I’d still be scratching my head over who would dare enter into the theatrical release game, promise the moon for an indie film (about 9 million) and is looking at putting out the same number of releases as a Sony Pictures Classic does in a year (the 20 range). James Schramm, an industry vet who has had a hand in putting together million dollar campaigns that involved media buying and theatre booking will be the face of the newly formed Metropolitan Inc. Their first release will be George Hickenlooper’s Casino Jack, the biopic on power broker Jack Abramoff that was incarnated by Kevin Spacey. Deadline.com mentions a wide Fall release is in the cards, which I predict would coincide with the Toronto Film Festival. The pic was filmed in the city last year. 

Scripted by Norman Snider, this sees Spacey play Washington power broker Jack Abramoff – the once high-powered lobbyist whose bribery schemes and fraudulent dealings with Indian casinos ultimately landed him in prison.