“The Recruit” producer P3 Media has scored a seven-figure investment from Ready Entertainment, a company led by Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, Bernice A. King, and Ashley Bell.
Founded by journalist Adam Ciralsky (the inspiration for Netflix’s hit Noah Centineo-led spy thriller “The Recruit”), P3 is expanding its lineup with upcoming feature doc “The Return.” That title, produced alongside Ciralsky’s P3 partner Gene Klein (“Suits,” “Covert Affairs”), centers on the White House’s efforts to free Americans held hostage abroad. “With unprecedented access, the film chronicles high stakes and unconventional efforts to free Eyvin Hernandez, an L.A. County public defender who has been held in Venezuela since March 2022,” per P3.
“This is an extraordinary film about a remarkable individual who has been held in a foreign prison for the crime of being an American,” said King, who along with Bell will join Ciralsky and Klein as an executive producer on the film. “The strength and determination of those working to free Eyvin as well as a community suffering from his absence will resonate with everyone.”
Left to right: Adam Ciralsky, Dr. Bernice King, Ashley Bell
As part of the deal, Ready Entertainment will fold into P3 and existing TV and film projects will be funded, as will new development from journalists and outside creatives.
“We are deeply aligned in our mission to uplift narratives of forgotten communities,” Bell said. “This collaboration will support the hard work of telling great stories from diverse voices. Together, we will help creators engage buyers directly and showcase their work for audiences around the world.”
“By leveraging our network of writers, directors and financiers, we hope to elevate those who have a story to tell but have been unable to navigate an ecosystem in entertainment that is all too often exclusionary and predatory,” King added.
Ready Entertainment says its goal is to develop movies and TV shows “with strong social justice messages.” Ready’s first film is the upcoming “Cash Money,” written by Academy Award nominee Terry Rossio (“Shrek,” “Aladdin,” and the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise) and comedy writer Kevin Arbouet. Arbouet will direct and Bell and King will executive produce.
“I’m deeply humbled by the confidence that Ashley and Dr. King have placed in us,” Ciralsky said. “The prospect of building a bigger tent and finding new voices to fill it feels especially vital at this moment in our history. When creators are treated equitably and incentivized properly, there’s no limit to the ground-breaking material we can turn out for television and film.”
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