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Blerner@bumbleward.com writes on Imdb.com: Andrew Lazar is not just a movie producer, but also one of the entertainment industry's untold-story-seeking entrepreneurs. For Lazar, movie making is all about laying it on the line, taking a risk on great material. Some of his films are smart action-adventures, some are daring, low-budget independent dramas that no one else is brave enough to touch, and some are edgy, well written comedies. To Lazar it doesn't matter. If it moves him, he finds one way or another - utilizing the full breadth of financing and distribution options available today -- to get it to audiences. Typical of Lazar's producing style, he continues to move back and forth between the big and the intimate, the studio movie and the breakaway, independent passion project. Most recently, Lazar produced the live-action/CGI summer hit Cats & Dogs (2001). Also Lazar just completed production on Danny DeVito's Death to Smoochy (2002) through his Mad Chance Productions, which has a non-exclusive first look deal with Warner Bros. A black comedy about the recently fired, Barney-like host of a children's show who plots the murder of his rival, the film stars Robin Williams, Edward Norton, Danny DeVito, Jon Stewart and Catherine Keener. Currently, Lazar and Mad Chance are in production on Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (2002), based on the comic memoir of 'Gong Show' host Chuck Barris. The film stars Sam Rockwell, Drew Barrymore, and George Clooney, who is also directing the film. The film is scheduled for release from Miramax in Fall 2002. Additionally, Lazar is partnered with writer/director, Rand Ravich in a television production company entitled EXIT 135, which is currently housed at Fox Television. Projects include the high profile remake 'The Time Tunnel', which is readying production in Vancouver with multiple Emmy Award-winning Todd Holland at the helm. This past year and a half was equally wide-ranging and productive for Lazar. He entered the great beyond with Space Cowboys (2000), an inspirational adventure about a group of retired pilots sent on a NASA mission which was one of the summer's critical and box office hits. Lazar followed that in the fall with Nora Ephron's lottery comedy Lucky Numbers (2000), starring John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, Tim Roth, O'Neill, Ed and 'Michael Rapaport'. Born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, Lazar discovered his passion for film while attending New York University. After making several student films, Lazar got his first break working for Academy Award-winning producer Zanuck, Richard, whose material-driven style and respect for writers rubbed off on Lazar. He next joined Dino De Laurentiis Communications in Los Angeles, ascending through the ranks to become Executive Vice President of Production. He earned his first major film credit serving as executive producer on John Dahl's provocative Unforgettable (1996), starring Ray Liotta. Eager to broaden his range, Lazar began producing on the side, making his debut with the Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) sexy piece of noir, Bound (1996). Starring Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly, the film won accolades for its stylish, Sapphic twist on the classic thriller. Lazar's next two projects, though equally unconventional, couldn't have been more different. Richard Donner's Assassins (1995) was a big-budget action film starring Sylvester Stallone and Antonio Banderas as dueling rival hit men, while the HBO film Maker, The (1997) was a raw and riveting journey into the world of reckless youth. In 1995 Lazar broke out on his own and formed Mad Chance with a mandate to focus on smart, intriguing material in every genre and budget-range. He kicked off the new company with Touchstone's Shakespeare-influenced teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). Starring Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, it was a Gen Xers fast and furious look at the eternal ravages of love, lies and their consequences. Next came New Line Cinema's Astronaut's Wife, The (1999), a sophisticated homage to psychological terror starring Johnny Depp and Charlize Theron that marked the directorial debut of Maker, The (1997) screenwriter Rand Ravich. Ultimately there remains only one bottom line for Lazar, and it isn't about the genre, budget or distribution of his projects - it's the material. "If I'm not passionate about the project, I'm not the producer for it. If I am passionate, then I'll never stop trying 'til the film gets made - and made, well." |