EXCLUSIVE: Ric Roman Waugh, the veteran action filmmaker behind the Greenland films and Angel Has Fallen, has signed a first-look producing deal with Lionsgate through his company CineMachine Media Works.
Outside of the projects Waugh will direct, CineMachine — in which Waugh is partnered with Brendon Boyea — is focused on expanding its producing initiatives with exciting filmmakers in the elevated genre space, talent working on projects with something to say across the action, thriller, sci-fi, and horror genres.
Waugh and Boyea first partnered on the global disaster thriller, Greenland, starring Gerard Butler, an STXFilms title that was released in 2020. Sequel Greenland: Migration will be released by Lionsgate in the coming months, with post-production still underway. The CineMachine team also includes Kenner Bolt, who Waugh and Boyea brought aboard as SVP of Film in 2023 to bolster their slate.
The first film under Waugh’s new deal, on which we were first to report, is the action-thriller Renegotiate, to be written by Mark Townend and produced by Waugh and Boyea alongside Range Media Partners’ Brian Kavanagh Jones and Fred Berger, with AJ Bourscheid exec producing. While posting Greenland: Migration, Waugh is at work shooting an untitled thriller starring Jason Statham, Naomi Ackie, and Bill Nighy for Black Bear.
Lionsgate’s relationship with Waugh began with his 2001 thriller In the Shadows, starring Matthew Modine, James Caan, Joey Lauren Adams, Cuba Gooding Jr., and has also so far spanned films including Snitch and Angel Has Fallen.
“Ric’s skill and success with action films makes him a coveted director and producer for the most reliable action stars in the world,” observed Adam Fogelson, chair of Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “We are excited to be his home base and to collaborate with him on a slate of projects that we are confident will thrill audiences worldwide.”
Waugh noted that he’s had “the distinct honor of making multiple films with Adam Fogelson and his amazing team, all who have become dear friends of mine. When you;re surrounded by a cadre like this who respect, collaborate, and care for you as their filmmaker, there’s not a place on earth I’d rather call home than Lionsgate.”
Added Boyea: “After recently wrapping our fifth project together, Ric and I couldn’t be more excited to team up with Lionsgate as we continue making our brand of visceral and grounded genre filmmaking.”
Dan Freedman negotiated the deal for Lionsgate. Also known for titles like Kandahar, National Champions, and Shot Caller, Waugh is repped by Range Media Partners and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
