Mark Pellington to Direct Female-Driven Action-Thriller MOM

Roundtable Entertainment will produce the elevated thriller MOM. Director Mark Pellington (Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies) will helm this adrenaline-fueled, compelling story of a single mother embarking on a daring cross-country rescue mission, piecing together clues in the search for her teenage daughter who has fallen victim to the horrors of human trafficking. Casting Director Lisa Zagoria of Best Picture winner CODA is casting this film, based on a script by Brent Jordan.

Mark Pellington states “MOM is a fast-moving story of protection and revenge. The film explores the true price of violence and the cost of justice, when an ordinary mom is pushed to an extraordinary place. This is a muscular, intense dramatic thriller with a commanding lead role that is emotional, relatable, and grounded. I’m hungry and humble and super pleased to be collaborating with Roundtable on this piece. From Arlington Road to Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy”, I love to create intense dark action with emotional power and a brain and feel that MOM continues in that thrilling lineage of my work.”

“Roundtable looks to build franchises behind commercial product. MOM has all the makings of a female version of TAKEN and is an important story to bring to the world,” notes Roundtable CEO Dominic Ianno, adding “I had the privilege of being involved with Larysa Kondracki’s The Whistleblower (Rachel Weisz) and this story shows another side happening right here in the U.S.”

Roundtable’s Head of Scripted John Baldecchi will produce alongside Executive Producers Dominic Ianno, Jason Resnick, Sarah Donnelly, Gabe Torres, and Mark Pellington. “We had been looking to do a movie that felt like a throwback to a movie like ‘Rolling Thunder’ – something real, gritty and of the moment; we were thrilled that Gabe Torres brought us this harrowing tale which is based on true events – and straight out of screenwriter Brent Jordan’s life experience. And Mark is the ideal partner for the material” states Baldecchi.

Sarah Donnelly, Roundtable’s Head of Production, says of Pellington: “Mark is a prolific filmmaker who has a profound understanding of the human experience. As a director, his unique ability to tell morally complex stories and handle delicate material with a masterful touch is exactly why we are so excited to work with him on MOM. In Mark’s capable hands, MOM will be a truly entertaining film, with enough realism and grit to keep this incredibly timely story grounded in the harsh reality of human trafficking and a mother’s fight to save her child.”

Over 27 million people worldwide can be classified as victims of human trafficking, this staggering number disproportionately impacting females, according to Human Trafficking Courts. The U.S. may be responsible for hundreds of thousands of these cases where women and girls are kidnapped and sold for profit. The few that do survive the horrors of human trafficking are too often not empowered to come forward due to trauma and fear or a lack of available resources. MOM shines a spotlight on the horrific victimization of the innocent and the courage of those who step up to help.