Justin Berfield and his production company, J2 Pictures, are working with the Cayman Islands Government and local investors to establish an official film commission in that country.
Former “Malcolm in the Middle” star Justin Berfield, and frequent visitor to Cayman, has confirmed his company’s discussions with the Cayman Islands Government and local investors to establish an official film commission to service all of the Cayman Islands, a press release said.
Recognizing that tourism and banking are the primary industries that the island benefits from, Berfield’s goal was to formally introduce a whole other industry to the government and people of Cayman.
“The island is so conducive to many different types of filming and can double as many different locations,” Berfield said. “There is so much local talent in Cayman in terms of not only on camera, but trade, electricians, sound engineers, and transportation. The Cayman Islands have done a very good job of servicing tourists. Through this, there is an infrastructure in Cayman that is conducive to television and film production. The infrastructure needs direction and a clear presence. My partners and I hope to work closely with the government and the creative community of Cayman to establish a commission that will truly benefit the country.” said Berfield
Cayman is no stranger to film production, having played host to several productions over the last few decades including Paramount Pictures The Firm in 1993 starring Tom Cruise, and most recently the independent feature film Haven in 2004 starring Orlando Bloom and directed by local Caymanian Frank E. Flowers.
It is the intention of Berfield and his proposed advisory board to act as a liaison between Hollywood and the Caymans and as a result bring productions to the island. Further, the proposed film commission would aide local business owners and residents with their existing filming and television commercial production.
Actor/producer Justin Berfield is a partner in highly regarded Los Angeles based boutique production company J2 Pictures. Berfield and his producing partner Jason Felts got their start in film when they served as producers and investors on the feature film Romance & Cigarettes, starring James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mandy Moore and Christopher Walken. The film was written and directed by actor John Turturro.
Berfield and Felts themselves are currently in pre–production on ESCOBAR, a full–length motion picture that will chronicle the life of Pablo Escobar, the infamous Colombian drug cartel leader.
J2 also has a strong interest in comedy, and produced Blonde Ambition, a comedy feature starring Luke Wilson, Jessica Simpson and Rachel Leigh Cook.
Justin Berfield (Reese) is 22 (25, February 2008) today and we at the MITMVC want to wish him a great day!
Justin recently predicted the 2008 Super Bowl “Giants 27, Patriots 17 — even though it would be cool to watch the Patriots make history.” He was close, final score: Giants 17, Patriots 14.
Thanks to girlfromfranc from the CelebrityLoop Official Justin Forum we have some new photos of Justin however we aren’t sure what they are for - yet.
A US DVD release date has been set for Romance and Cigarettes, which was co-produced by Justin. It will be released by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment on February 12, 2008. It has been available outside the US on DVD for a while.
As previousrumours had predicted Blonde Ambition co-produced by J2 Pictures, Justin’s production company, is going straight to DVD. Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will be releasing the film on January 22, 2008.
BlondeAmbition is currently available for pre-order through Amazon. Special features include Deleted Scenes and behind the scene interviews with cast and crew.
Recently in a personal update on his official forum, Justin said:
BLONDE AMBITION was not blonde ambition when it started. it really became a much different project after certain people became attached to it…and i decided as a result to be a little hands off during production because of it. that said, im not sure of it’s fate…but regardless i think all luke wilson fans will embrace it. it really does have some funny moments and HEY…it’s not supposed to be some life altering serious piece.
J2 Pictures, Justin’s film production company gets a new head of production.
J2 Pictures has tapped producer James Reach as its head of production.
Shingle, run by actor-producer Justin Berfield and Jason Felts, has several projects in the works including “Escobar,” the feature about the late Colombian druglord to be directed by Antoine Fuqua and exec produced by Oliver Stone; “Who Is Doris Payne”; and “Garcia,” a biopic about Grateful Dead founder Jerry Garcia. Berfield and Felts also have a smallscreen arm called J2TV.
Reach first worked with J2 on “Blonde Ambition,” a Millennium Films pic starring Luke Wilson and Jessica Simpson. He recently produced his first full-length feature, “Something’s Wrong in Kansas,” and co-founded Jetcast.com, an online aggregator he sold in 2005.
“Escobar” is skedded to begin lensing in Puerto Rico and Colombia in the first quarter. Shingle is developing “Who Is Doris Payne,” about the career of the jewel thief, now 76, and is working with Carolyn “Mountain Girl” Garcia on its biopic about Jerry Garcia’s early years.
As posted previously, Romance and Cigarettes, a film co-produced by Justin, opened in an exclusive engagement at the New York Film Forum back in September. Now, the film is set for a limited run in additional theaters in additional cities through the end of the year. See the new official site for details.
Justin Berfield (Reese) on ‘Escobar‘ Filming Locations:
“It was very important for us to ensure that we could match locations exactly with those in Colombia,” say “Escobar” producers Justin Berfield & Jason Felts of J2 Pictures. “That said, while we intend to shoot the majority of the picture in PR, we are also utilizing select locations in Colombia.”
Justin Berfield (Reese) has confirmed on his official forum the news that he is producing a movie based on the true life story of famed cartel leader - Pablo Escobar.
“Escobar” has its financing in place, according to J2 partners Berfield and Felts. Production is slated to begin the in first quarter of 2008 in Colombia and Puerto Rico, and Jere Hausfater will handle international sales through Essential Entertainment. Pic will be introduced at the American Film Market.
The owners of J2, Jason Felts and Justin Berfield, declined through a spokesman to be interviewed. A statement from the spokesman said, “We are pleased to be working with Pablo’s brother, Roberto. Many people, the statement added, want to tell Escobar’s story, “but very few can tell it accurately”
As some readers may know Justin has an official forum where he posts, and he has just updated his fans on his current projects and life in general.
Whhhhaaaat’s Uppppppppppppppp?????
hey everyone- what’s going on? looks like ALOT since i last posted. i have been out of town working and apologize for not posting recently. lots to report and hope everyone is doing well.
let’s see where do i begin? first…i forgot my password to sign on to this board. yes, im an idiot. not smart when i want to reply to messages, huh? it’s all settled now and here i am!
im back in los angeles and it is hot! i have some exciting news to report about the next film that i am producing through my company. and NO, it doesnt have Jessica Simpson in it for those of you are sick and tired of reading about Blonde Ambition. this is something i have been working really hard on for a little over a year now and have kept under the radar. i really wish i could give you more details, but i have to keep it quiet for a while longer. we hope to start shooting at the end of the year and need to keep it confidential right up until production. it has been a very elaborate work in progress and i am proud of the team that has been assembled on it. It is so different from anything you would ever think would come out of my company (well at least so far). i really want to tell you more…but Hate to do this to you for now…BUT….keep you posted.
Click ‘more’ to continue reading…
on another note, and yes back to blonde ambition….to be honest….im not quite sure what is going to happen to this one. there are alot of internet rumors out there about it going straight to dvd. as i have been very public about in the past WHEN asked- and this is no new information….BLONDE AMBITION was not blonde ambition when it started. it really became a much different project after certain people became attached to it…and i decided as a result to be a little hands off during production because of it. that said, im not sure of it’s fate…but regardless i think all luke wilson fans will embrace it. it really does have some funny moments and HEY…it’s not supposed to be some life altering serious piece. it’s jessica doing what she does best…playing goofy, stupid and hot! and luke falling for that. i never said it would win an oscar so keep that in mind when you see it.
also everyone keeps asking me in interviews and online- “when are you going to act again? are you going to act again?” the answer is simply…YES. I have not given up acting at all. it takes a lot of time and energy to create and run a business as most of you know. i have always had a passion for creating entertaining projects. when i formed the company right before the end of malcolm, i decided that i was going to really try and put all of my energy or at least 95% of it into launching and building J2. as a result, we are developing and producing some really unique projects and i am really enjoying myself. i am really enjoying the process of development and production.
malcolm in the middle to me was such a well written show. there was a great staff of writers and the storylines were really well done. because of that, i have to admit, that i got a little picky about what i wanted to do next as an actor. i have gotten picky about the writers and directors i want to work with. since that was such a great experience and really like a second family, i decided that after MITM that i am only going to work with friends and people i like. why work if it cant be fun?
for those animal lovers out there who have inquired about my dogs (yes, can you believe so many people really care?? its actually nice) …. they are alive and kickin. doing great.
i hope everyone is having a good summer. i guess that’s my update for now.
although i dont always write , i do read the boards often, and appreciate your support.
Romance and Cigarettes is a film which Justin co-produced a few years back. It is a comedy-musical and has an all star cast including James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Mandy Moore, Steve Buscemi, Christopher Walken and Mary Louise-Parker.
The film has already been released in the UK and a few other countries however it hasn’t yet been released in the US. Aside from a screening at the Avignon/New York Film Festival in 2006, the film hasn’t screened in the states before now.
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Justin Berfield and his production company, J2 Pictures, are working with the Cayman Islands Government and local investors to establish an official film commission in that country.
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