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Evolution Entertainment

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Evolution Entertainment
IndustryEntertainment
Founded1998
FounderMark Burg
Oren Koules
Gregg Hoffman
Key people
Oren Koules (President 1999–2011)
Michael Menchel (President 2011–present)
ProductsMotion pictures, television programs, entertainment management
SubsidiariesTwisted Pictures

Evolution Entertainment is an American independent entertainment management and film production company. The company was founded in 1998 by Mark Burg and Oren Koules[1] and is best known for executive producing the Saw film series.

Discover more about Evolution Entertainment related topics

Mark Burg

Mark Burg

Mark Burg is an American film producer, manager and actor. He is the co-founder of Evolution Entertainment and produced the Saw film series as well as the CBS television series Two and a Half Men.

Oren Koules

Oren Koules

Oren Koules is an American entrepreneur and film producer. He is the co-founder of Evolution Entertainment and produced the Saw film series as well as the CBS television series Two and a Half Men. Koules is also the former owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Helena Bighorns.

Executive producer

Executive producer

Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues. In films, the executive producer generally contributes to the film's budget and their involvement depends on the project, with some simply securing funds and others being involved in the filmmaking process.

Saw (franchise)

Saw (franchise)

Saw is a horror franchise created by Australian film makers James Wan and Leigh Whannell, consisting of ten feature films and additional media. Set in an unnamed city in the United States, the first eight films primarily revolve around the fictional serial killer John "Jigsaw" Kramer, while the ninth movie revolves around a copycat killer while still keeping continuity with the previous films. John Kramer was introduced briefly in Saw and developed in more detail in Saw II and the subsequent films. Rather than killing his victims outright, he traps them in life-threatening situations that he calls "tests" or "games" to test their will to survive through physical or psychological torture, believing that if they survive, they will be "rehabilitated". Kramer was killed off in Saw III, but the films continued to focus on his posthumous influence, particularly by his apprentices, and explore his character via flashbacks.

History

Gregg Hoffman joined the company in 2003 as Head of Production.[2] The box office success of the horror film Saw led to a distribution deal with Lionsgate and the formation of Twisted Pictures.[1] Hoffman unexpectedly died on December 4, 2005.[3]

In August 2005, the lead actor in Saw, Cary Elwes, filed a lawsuit against Evolution Entertainment, who were his managers at the time, stating he was promised a minimum of one percent of the producers' net profits of the film and did not receive the full amount.[4] The case eventually was settled out of court and in 2010, Elwes reprised his role in Saw 3D.

In June 2011, after twelve years, Koules departed from the company; Burg purchased his 50% of the company.[5] Burg chose CAA agent-turned-producer Michael Menchel as the new president.

The company's clients include Charlie Sheen and at one time Shawnee Smith and Danny Glover.[5][6][7]

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Gregg Hoffman

Gregg Hoffman

Gregg Hoffman, born in Phoenix, Arizona, was a film producer responsible for developing Saw and Saw II. He studied communications, law and economics at American University in Washington, D.C. Hoffman was working on Saw III, Saw IV, and other films for Twisted Pictures when he died in a hospital in Hollywood, California of natural causes. He was 42 years old at his death. The movie Dead Silence (2007) was dedicated to him. He was also thanked in the film Gross Misconduct, mentioned as dedicatee for Saw III, and posthumously credited with producing the Saw films from 2007 through 2021.

Saw (2004 film)

Saw (2004 film)

Saw is a 2004 American horror film directed by James Wan, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Leigh Whannell from a story by Wan and Whannell. It is the first installment in the Saw film series, and stars Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, and Tobin Bell.

Twisted Pictures

Twisted Pictures

Twisted Pictures is an American production company and a division of Evolution Entertainment that specializes in horror and thriller movies. The company was founded by Evolution's Mark Burg, Oren Koules, and Gregg Hoffman in 2004. The company is known for producing the Saw film franchise.

Cary Elwes

Cary Elwes

Ivan Simon Cary Elwes is an English actor and writer. He is known for his leading film roles as Westley in The Princess Bride (1987), Robin Hood in Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993), and Dr. Lawrence Gordon in the Saw film series. Elwes' other performances in films include Glory (1989), Hot Shots! (1991), The Jungle Book (1994), Days of Thunder (1990), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), Twister (1996), Kiss the Girls (1997), Liar Liar (1997), Cradle Will Rock (1999), Shadow of the Vampire (2000), The Cat's Meow (2001), Ella Enchanted (2004), The Alphabet Killer (2008), A Christmas Carol (2009), No Strings Attached (2011), and The Hyperions (2022). He has appeared on television in a number of series including The X-Files, Seinfeld, From the Earth to the Moon, Psych, Life in Pieces, Stranger Things, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

Saw 3D

Saw 3D

Saw 3D is a 2010 American 3D horror film directed by Kevin Greutert and written by Patrick Melton and Marcus Dunstan. It is the sequel to 2009's Saw VI and seventh installment in the Saw film series. The film stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Sean Patrick Flanery, and Cary Elwes.

Creative Artists Agency

Creative Artists Agency

Creative Artists Agency LLC (CAA) is an American talent and sports agency based in Los Angeles, California. It is regarded as an influential company in the talent agency business and manages numerous clients. In March 2016, CAA had 1,800 employees.

Charlie Sheen

Charlie Sheen

Carlos Irwin Estévez, known professionally as Charlie Sheen, is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as Platoon (1986), Wall Street (1987), Young Guns (1988), The Rookie (1990), The Three Musketeers (1993), and The Arrival (1996). In the 2000s, when Sheen replaced Michael J. Fox as the star of ABC's Spin City, his portrayal of Charlie Crawford earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. He then starred as Charlie Harper on the CBS sitcom Two and a Half Men (2003–11), for which he received multiple Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominations, and as Dr. Charles "Charlie" Goodson on the FX series Anger Management (2012–14). In 2010, Sheen was the highest-paid actor on television, earning US$1.8 million per episode of Two and a Half Men.

Shawnee Smith

Shawnee Smith

Shawnee Smith is an American actress and singer. She is known for playing Linda in the CBS sitcom Becker and Amanda Young from the Saw franchise. She was part of the country rock band, Smith & Pyle. She hosted season one the VH1 acting competition Scream Queens.

Danny Glover

Danny Glover

Danny Lebern Glover is an American actor, film director, and political activist. He is widely known for his lead role as Roger Murtaugh in the Lethal Weapon film series. He also had leading roles in his films included The Color Purple, To Sleep with Anger, Predator 2, Angels in the Outfield, and Operation Dumbo Drop.

Filmography

Discover more about Filmography related topics

Lockdown (2000 film)

Lockdown (2000 film)

Lockdown is a 2000 drama film, directed by John Luessenhop and starring Richard T. Jones, Clifton Powell, David Fralick, and Master P. The film was produced by Master P's No Limit Films, a division of his No Limit Records label.

Good Advice

Good Advice

Good Advice is a 2001 comedy film starring Charlie Sheen, Angie Harmon, and Denise Richards. The film also features Jon Lovitz and Rosanna Arquette as a married couple in supporting roles.

John Q.

John Q.

John Q. is a 2002 American thriller drama film starring Denzel Washington and directed by Nick Cassavetes. The film tells the story of John Quincy Archibald, a father and husband whose son is diagnosed with an enlarged heart and who finds out he is unable to receive a transplant because HMO insurance will not cover it, before he decides to hold hostages at the hospital and force them to do it.

Saw (2004 film)

Saw (2004 film)

Saw is a 2004 American horror film directed by James Wan, in his feature directorial debut, and written by Leigh Whannell from a story by Wan and Whannell. It is the first installment in the Saw film series, and stars Whannell, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Monica Potter, Michael Emerson, Ken Leung, and Tobin Bell.

Saw II

Saw II

Saw II is a 2005 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell and Bousman. It is the sequel to 2004's Saw and the second installment in the Saw film series. The film stars Donnie Wahlberg, Franky G, Glenn Plummer, Beverley Mitchell, Dina Meyer, Emmanuelle Vaugier, Erik Knudsen, Shawnee Smith, and Tobin Bell. In the film, a group of ex-convicts are trapped by the Jigsaw Killer inside a house and must pass a series of deadly tests to retrieve the antidote for a nerve agent that will kill them in two hours.

Saw III

Saw III

Saw III is a 2006 horror film directed by Darren Lynn Bousman from a screenplay by Leigh Whannell and a story by Whannell and James Wan. It is the third installment in the Saw film series and a sequel to 2005's Saw II. The film stars Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Angus Macfadyen, Bahar Soomekh, and Dina Meyer.

Catacombs (2007 film)

Catacombs (2007 film)

Catacombs is a 2007 American horror film directed by Tomm Coker and David Elliot and starring Shannyn Sossamon and Alecia Moore. The plot follows a young woman attempting to find her way out of the Catacombs of Paris with a killer pursuing her.

Dead Silence

Dead Silence

Dead Silence is a 2007 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell. The film stars Ryan Kwanten as Jamie Ashen, a young widower returning to his hometown to search for answers to his wife's death. It also stars Amber Valletta, Donnie Wahlberg, and Bob Gunton.

Death Sentence (2007 film)

Death Sentence (2007 film)

Death Sentence is a 2007 American vigilante action thriller film loosely based on the 1975 novel of the same name by Brian Garfield; although the novel is a sequel to Garfield's Death Wish, the film is unconnected to the previous Death Wish film series. Directed by James Wan, the film stars Kevin Bacon as Nick Hume, a man who takes the law into his own hands after his son is murdered by a gang member as an initiation ritual; Hume must then protect his family from the gang's resulting vengeance.

Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club

Dallas Buyers Club is a 2013 American biographical drama film written by Craig Borten and Melisa Wallack, and directed by Jean-Marc Vallée. The film tells the story of Ron Woodroof, an AIDS patient diagnosed in the mid-1980s: a time when HIV/AIDS pathogenesis and treatments were poorly understood, and the disease subjected to stigmatization. As part of an ongoing experimental AIDS treatment movement, Woodroof smuggled unapproved pharmaceutical drugs into Texas to treat his symptoms—where he distributed them to fellow people with AIDS by establishing the "Dallas Buyers Club" while facing opposition from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Two fictional supporting characters, Dr. Eve Saks, and Rayon, were composite roles created from interviews with transgender AIDS patients, activists, and doctors. Presidential biographer and PEN-USA winner Bill Minutaglio wrote the first magazine profile of the Dallas Buyers Club in 1992. The article, which featured interviews with Woodroof and also recreated his dramatic international exploits, attracted widespread attention from filmmakers and journalists.

The Con Is On

The Con Is On

The Con Is On is a 2018 heist comedy film directed by James Oakley and co-written by Alex Michaelides and Oakley. The film stars Uma Thurman, Tim Roth, Alice Eve, Sofía Vergara and Maggie Q.

Source: "Evolution Entertainment", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, February 18th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolution_Entertainment.

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References
  1. ^ a b "Owner Bios" (PDF). NHL.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 5, 2012. Retrieved September 28, 2011.
  2. ^ "Saw II Production Notes". Lionsgate. Archived from the original (1.40MB .DOC file) on September 29, 2011. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  3. ^ Newman, Kim (December 15, 2005). "Obituary: Gregg Hoffman". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Archived from the original on November 10, 2011. Retrieved August 25, 2011.
  4. ^ Mitchell, Peter (20 August 2005). "Not everyone happy with their cut from Saw". The Age. AAP. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  5. ^ a b Fleming, Mike (June 23, 2011). "Evolution's Mark Burg Cashes Out Oren Koules, Names Mike Menchel President". Deadline Hollywood. Mail.com Media. Retrieved September 21, 2011.
  6. ^ McAuley, Jordan (December 1, 2005). The Celebrity Black Book 2006: Over 55,000 Accurate Celebrity Addresses. Mega Niche Media. p. 643. ISBN 0-9707095-7-9.
  7. ^ Condit, Jon (December 2, 2004). "Glover, Danny & Smith, Shawnee (Saw)". DreadCentral. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2011.


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