According to a report byThe Hollywood Reporter,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse co-director Peter Ramsey has been brought on board to direct a project titledBlood Count based on a spec that Ramsey wrote. The spec was picked up by Paramount and was eventually handed over to Ramsey for directorial duties. The details of the film’s plot are still under wraps; however, it has been described as a period vampire thriller. It will be set in 1950s Los Angeles and will essentially be a blend of noir-thriller with supernatural elements. As per reports, the film will interestingly draw elements from the life of Ramsey's father, who was a jazz musician.
Peter Ramsey is best known for his directorial work on Sony’s animated superhero film,Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. Ramsey was also the first Black American to helm a big-budget animation film,Rise of the Guardians. He is also signed up forSpider-Versesequels as an executive producer one of which,Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Part One is awaiting release slated for October 7, 2022. Ramsey has another release lined up for release directly on streaming later this year, titled, Lost Ollie. The series will be a hybrid of live-action and CGI production and will release directly on Netflix.
Besides his recent success withInto theSpider-Verse, Ramsey has worked as a Storyboard Artist on several well-recognized films such as Steven Spielberg’sA.I.: Artificial Intelligence(2001) andMinority Report (2002), David Fincher’sFight Club (1999),Cast Away(2000), andAdaptation (2002). He also directed the first segment,Active Citizenshipfor Netflix’sWe the People, which is executive produced by former President Barack Obama.
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This Project Teams Up Paramount and LeBron James' SpringHill
The film will be a joint production between Paramount and SpringHill. SpringHill is LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s venture which headlined the 2021 filmSpace Jam: A New Legacy. James, Jamal Henderson, and Spencer Beighley will act serve as producers for the film. The company is currently wrapping up work on sports comedyHustle starring Adam Sandler as a basketball scout who’s trying to remake his career by grooming an overseas player in NBA. The banner is also producing an adaptation of Jerry Craft’s graphic novel,New Kid,which is to be directed by Prentice Penny (Insecure, Brooklyn Nine-Nine) from an adapted screenplay penned by Eli Wilson Pelton. Pelton has worked with Penny as the writer of several episodes of the hit HBO showInsecure.
Blood Countwould probably mark Peter Ramsey’s first outing into the live-action films. He is also working on another live-action project titled,Love in Vain, which is a biopic of Robert Johnson, the American blues musician, and songwriter.Love in Vainwill also be a part of Paramount’s script package pickup credited to Ramsey. However, it's unknown which film of the two will release first and therefore, will become Ramsey's first official live-action film. Throwing inLost Olliein the lot, which is a live-action-cum-CGI film, seems like Ramsey is looking forward to making a massive jump from animation projects to both live-action film and television productions.
