| Project Greenlight | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Project Greenlight: A New Generation (season 5) |
| Created by | Alex Keledjian |
| Developed by | Eli Holzman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 5 |
| No. of episodes | 43 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | December 2, 2001 (2001-12-02) – August 24, 2003 (2003-08-24) |
| Network | Bravo |
| Release | March 15 (2005-03-15) – May 12, 2005 (2005-05-12) |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | September 13 (2015-09-13) – November 1, 2015 (2015-11-01) |
| Network | Max |
| Release | July 13, 2023 (2023-07-13) – present |
Project Greenlight is an American documentary television series focusing on first-time filmmakers being given the chance to direct a feature film. It was created by Alex Keledjian, developed byEli Holzman and produced byBen Affleck,Matt Damon,Sean Bailey, andChris Moore through their production companyLivePlanet, along withMiramax Films.Project Greenlight first aired onHBO for two seasons (aired 2001–03) before moving toBravo for season 3 in 2005. The series returned in 2015 for a fourth season airing on HBO. On July 26, 2016, the series was canceled.[1] In May 2021, HBO Max (laterMax) picked up the series with an 8-episode order and will be produced byIssa Rae through her production companyHoorae Media.[2] The revival titledProject Greenlight: A New Generation premiered on July 13, 2023.[3]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season premiere | Season finale | Network | |||
| 1 | 12 | December 2, 2001 (2001-12-02) | February 10, 2002 (2002-02-10) | HBO | |
| 2 | 13 | June 22, 2003 (2003-06-22) | August 24, 2003 (2003-08-24) | ||
| 3 | 9 | March 15, 2005 (2005-03-15) | May 12, 2005 (2005-05-12) | Bravo | |
| 4 | 8 | September 13, 2015 (2015-09-13) | November 1, 2015 (2015-11-01) | HBO | |
The script contest ran from September 2000 to March 2001. Over 7,000 screenplays were submitted, and Pete Jones was selected as the winner forStolen Summer, which he then filmed on location in his hometown ofChicago during the summer of 2001. The first season ofProject Greenlight, helmed by show runner and co-executive producer Liz Bronstein, chronicled the selection of Jones's script and the filming of the movie, aired onHBO from late 2001 through early 2002.Stolen Summer premiered at theSundance Film Festival in January 2002, then went on to a limited theatrical release which brought in just under $140,000.
For its second run, the contest was split into two categories: writing and directing. The winners were chosen on January 18, 2003. Erica Beeney won the writing contest for her scriptThe Battle of Shaker Heights, andKyle Rankin andEfram Potelle won the directing contest. The film starsShia LaBeouf,Elden Henson,Amy Smart, andWilliam Sadler. The series aired in the summer of 2003, detailing the production of the film inLos Angeles.The Battle of Shaker Heights opened in limited theatrical release on August 24, 2003, earning just under $280,000 during its box office run.
Script submission began and ended during February 2004. After two seasons on HBO, the series moved toBravo and season 3 began airing on March 15, 2005.
The selected screenplay was a horror script titledFeast written byMarcus Dunstan andPatrick Melton. The director wasJohn Gulager. The film starsBalthazar Getty,Krista Allen,Jason Mewes, andEric Dane and was produced byDimension Films andNeo Art & Logic.
The film ran for a special late night showing on September 22 and 23, 2006, almost a year after its premiere. Feast earned just under $690,000 during its box office run. The DVD was released on October 17, 2006, earning an additional $4,687,595.[4] The film spawned two sequels:Feast II: Sloppy Seconds andFeast III: The Happy Finish.
| No. overall | No. in season | Title | Original release date | U.S. viewers (millions) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | 1 | "Do You Want to Direct This Movie?" | September 13, 2015 (2015-09-13) | 0.154[5] | |
Finalists of a nationwide talent search to directNot Another Pretty Woman, a broad comedy screenplay, as a film for HBO are narrowed down by producersBen Affleck,Matt Damon,Bobby &Peter Farrelly,Effie Brown, and Marc Joubert,Pearl Street Films PresidentJennifer Todd, andHBO Films President Len Amato. After a series of submissions and in-person interviews by all the finalists, finalistJason Mann is selected as the project's director. | |||||
| 36 | 2 | "Going Rogue" | September 20, 2015 (2015-09-20) | 0.113[6] | |
| 37 | 3 | "Gun to Your Head" | September 27, 2015 (2015-09-27) | 0.218[7] | |
| 38 | 4 | "Duly Noted" | October 4, 2015 (2015-10-04) | 0.342[8] | |
| 39 | 5 | "Picture's Up" | October 11, 2015 (2015-10-11) | 0.141[9] | |
| 40 | 6 | "The Pivot"[a] | October 18, 2015 (2015-10-18) | 0.212[10] | |
| 41 | 7 | "Accident Waiting to Happen" | October 25, 2015 (2015-10-25) | 0.143[11] | |
| 42 | 8 | "Hug and Release" | November 1, 2015 (2015-11-01) | 0.205[12] | |
On April 2, 2015,Project Greenlight announced the first annual Greenie award winners.[13]
In September 2015,Project Greenlight became the subject of controversy when an episode aired ofMatt Damon disagreeing with producerEffie Brown over the subject of diversity. A later controversy developed over the titling of the season's sixth episode as "Hot Ghetto Mess" involving Brown's attempt to make sure one of the films did not partake in racial stereotypes, which was to be corrected before airing and replaced with "The Pivot", but was never resolved before airtime.[14][15]
The Leisure Class debuted on HBO on November 2, 2015.
| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Non-Fiction Program (Reality) | Ben Affleck, Sean Bailey, Liz Bronstein, Billy Campbell, Matt Damon, Tina Gazzerro, Eli Holzman, Chris Moore, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Tony Yates | Nominated | |
| 2004 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Reality Program | Ben Affleck, Sean Bailey, Dan Cutforth, Matt Damon, Eli Holzman, Jane Lipsitz, Chris Moore, Bob Osher, Randy Sacks, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Tony Yates | Nominated | |
| 2005 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Reality Program | Ben Affleck, Sean Bailey, Jennifer Berman, Frances Berwick, Rich Buhrman, Andrew Cohen, Dan Cutforth, Matt Damon, Gayle Gawlowski, Eli Holzman, Marc Joubert, Casey Kriley, Jane Lipsitz, Alexandra Lipsitz, Chris Moore, Kevin Morra, Bob Osher, Barbara Schneeweiss, David Serwatka, Larry Tanz, Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein | Nominated | |
| 2016 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program | Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Jane Lipsitz, Dan Cutforth, TJ Barrack, Perrin Chiles, Marc Joubert, Marshall Lewy, Alexandra Lipsitz and Gaylen Gawlowski | Nominated |
In 2005,Project Greenlight Australia was launched withPay-TVMovie Network in partnership with Screentime producing the show and offering theA$1,000,000 financing to the winning film.[17] The entries were received online with last entries being accepted on February 14. The screenplay selected from the 1200 submissions wasSolo[18] byMorgan O'Neill.[19]
In 2006, comedian and filmmakerPaul McDermott hosted the series. The screenplay selected from the 700 submissions wasThe View from Greenhaven[20] by The MacRae Brothers.
^[a] The episode "The Pivot" was originally titled "Hot Ghetto Mess." However, the scene contextualizing the title was removed in last-minute editing. The original title was not corrected for television listings before air due to what was described as a "production error" by HBO. Future airings, along withHBO Go/HBO Now use "The Pivot" as the episode's title.[21]
