New Line Cinema Sets First-Look Production Deal With ‘Barbarian’ Producer BoulderLight Pictures:

Barbarian producer BoulderLight Pictures has secured a multi-year first-look feature agreement with New Line Cinema, Deadline has confirmed.

BoulderLight is a production company founded by J.D. Lifshitz & Raphael Margules which specializes in high-concept, filmmaker-driven genre stories and last year hit on its breakout project with Barbarian — the hit 20th horror from writer-director Zach Cregger, which grossed over $45MM worldwide against a production budget of $4.5MM.

News of the shingle’s New Line deal follows the announcement that Lifshitz and Margules will retest with Cregger for Weapons — a new film being fast-tracked at the Warner Bros subsidiary, which we were first to report on.

“J.D. and Rafi share a passion for cinema that puts the audience first,” said New Line Cinema’s President and Chief Creative Officeer, Richard Brener. “They have a proven ability to identify and champion stories and filmmakers that transcend genre, and no one works harder or faster as evidenced by the fact they set up a go movie with us before even moving into their offices. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with them.”

Lifshitz and Margules added in joint statement that they “have long referenced New Line Cinema as the gold standard of genre entertainment, and are incredibly grateful to be moving into the ‘House that Freddy Built.’ It is truly a dream come true to get to work alongside so many people we genuinely admire, and we are elated to help continue the New Line legacy and remind people why they love going to the movies.”

Lifshitz and Margules founded BoulderLight in 2012, and have since then produced 20 features under the banner. Other notable titles from the company include the horror-thriller The Vigil, Eli Horowitz’s SXSW 2022 selection Gone in the Night starring Winona Ryder, and the 4x Independent Spirit Award nominee Wild Indian from Lyle Mitchell Corbine Jr., which world premiered at Sundance 2021. Additional upcoming projects include The Wrath of Becky — the sequel to their 2020 sleeper hit Becky with Lulu Wilson and Kevin James — and Anna Kendrick’s feature directorial debut The Dating Game, in which she also stars.

The BoulderLight-New Line deal was first unveiled by The Hollywood Reporter. Range Media Partners’ Jack Whigham advised on it, with Ziffren Brittenham’s Benjamin Rubinfeld and Dean Bahat negotiating.

View this article at Deadline.