Austin Film Festival and MovieMaker Magazine announced their “25 Screenwriters to Watch 2024” and included Colby (whose short film Lead/Follow screened at AFF 2022) as one of their honorees. To read the entire list, and see an interview with Colby head on over to the full article here.
Emma D. Miller’s short documentary The School of Canine Massage, produced by Colby Day under his Not Impossible Productions banner has set its world premiere for this March at SXSW. The Ojai School of Canine Massage provides professional training in the art and science of dog massage therapy. With a mix of whimsy and tenderness, “The School of Canine Massage” offers a portrait of this unique school and its dog-loving participants — revealing how people heal dogs and dogs heal people.
The film, a co-production between Miller’s Marcona Media and Colby Day’s Not Impossible Productions, was shot by Ora DeKornfeld, edited by Maxwell Mueller, with original music by Benjamin Young. This is Miller’s directorial debut. Check out all the information about the film at the SXSW website.
Spaceman, written by Colby Day is set to premiere at the 2024 Berlinale this February. The film will have a limited theatrical release at the end of the month and then premiere on the service.
Here’s the official synopsis from Netflix: Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Adam Sandler), realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), he is helped by a mysterious creature from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš (voiced by Paul Dano) works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it is too late. Directed by Johan Renck and based on the novel Spaceman of Bohemia, the film also stars Kunal Nayyar, Lena Olin, and Isabella Rossellini. Spaceman is coming to Netflix on March 1.
Check out the official trailer below.
Colby’s screenplay KRINGLE RETURNS has been featured on this year’s The Stunt List — the annual list of Hollywood’s mind-blowing crossovers & mashups.
In this gritty reboot of the Rankin and Bass Cinematic Universe, a tragic accident at Santa’s Workshop causes the elves to go on strike. Reindeer revolt, penguins cross picket lines, and the origin of Santa Claus is revealed in this epic tale of the battle for the North Pole.
You can read the rest of the featured scripts over at The Stunt List and you can read Kringle Returns here.
The Hollywood Reporter reported earlier this week that Emmy-winner Rashida Jones would be joining Kate McKinnon in the cast of the feature written by Colby Day, directed by Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton, with Jared Ian Goldman producing for Searchlight Pictures.
Jones’ character is reported to be an anthropology professor who is taking care of her dying mother. Production is slated to begin next week in Vancouver.
Deadline reported earlier this week that Emmy-winner Kate McKinnon would be joining the cast of the feature written by Colby Day, directed by Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton, with Jared Ian Goldman producing for Searchlight Pictures.
“Best known for his work on the Oscar-winning animated pic Wall-E, Stanton has been working the TV scene in a big way recently working on such hit shows as Better Call Saul and Stranger Things. Day also has a big year a head of him that includes the highly-anticipated Netflix pic Spaceman starring Adam Sandler.”
After a successful festival run for the short film that included Austin Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, Woodstock Film Festival, and the Oscar-qualifying deadCenter (among others) Colby Day’s short film Lead/Follow is now available to stream via Directors Notes.
Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl have baggage. Lead/Follow takes us through the archetypal stages of a new relationship - in a single uninterrupted shot and told through dance.
written & directed by Colby Day
starring Della Saba & Sam Nelson Harris
"Beautiful... A spectacle to behold” — Film Threat
“When movies do everything correctly, they elevate the artform to a different level. LEAD/FOLLOW does just that… Colby Day crafts an impressive short” — Film Snobbery
“It’s original, groundbreaking, and massively entertaining. So close to perfect… This doesn’t just feel like filmmaking at this point, it truly feels like art" — Bain’s Film Reviews
The Hollywood Reporter leaked the news today that Colby Day’s original feature film script In the Blink of an Eye is in active development for a spring shoot with Academy Award winner Andrew Stanton (Wall-E) directing. The film, produced by Jared Ian Goldman, is being distributed by Searchlight Pictures, with Day serving as an Executive Producer.
The screenplay was originally featured on The Black List 2016, considered the best unproduced screenplays of the year, and is the first original spec script by Day to put him on the map in Hollywood. It is based on that script that he was then hired to write the upcoming Netflix film Spaceman, directed by Johan Renck, starring Adam Sandler and Carey Mulligan (Academy Award nominee).
The script follows three separate timelines, past, present, and future in an interconnected story that weaves from the beginning of time to the end of the universe.
Stanton and Day are both repped by UTA.
Austin Film Festival announced today the Narrative Shorts in competition and Colby Day’s LEAD/FOLLOW (the first film produced by Day’s Not Impossible Productions) is among the seven films in competition for Jury Awards. The film was produced by Mary Bonney, with Executive Producer Natalie Metzger for Vanishing Angle (Werewolves Within, The Beta Test, Thunder Road).
The other short films include AN IRISH GOODBYE (writer/directors Tom Berkely, Ross White), TEETH (writer/director Alma Ganihar), THE ROUND LAKE (written by Hira Sheraz and directed by Zayan Agha), CHEMISTRY (written by Isaac Garza, Sydney Chandler and directed by Isaac Garza), ONE FOR SORROW, TWO FOR JOY (writer/director Ana Yang), and ROOTED (writer/director Sean Addo).
For the full list of films in competition at Austin Film Festival 2022 please head over to their website.
The short film LEAD/FOLLOW, the debut film from Day’s Not Impossible Productions, is set to premiere this June at the Oscar-qualifying deadCenter Film Festival.
The film produced by Day & Mary Bonney, alongside EP Natalie Metzger and Vanishing Angle (The Beta Test, Wolf of Snow Hollow, Thunder Road) is a love story with dance & music by Luke Burba.
Here’s the story: Boy meets girl. Boy and girl fall in love. Boy and girl have baggage. LEAD/FOLLOW takes us through the archetypal stages of a new relationship — shot in one take and told through dance.
The film stars Della Saba (Physical on Apple TV) and Sam Nelson Harris (X Ambassadors).
Exciting news from the desk of Colby Day, which is way out in orbit somewhere between Earth & Venus. DEADLINE reports that Free Association (Channing Tatum’s production company) has tapped Colby to adapt the novel SPACEMAN OF BOHEMIA for them into a feature film. Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems) is attached to star, and Johan Renck (Chernobyl) will direct. The film also features Carey Mulligan (Academy Award nominee) and Paul Dano. Pretty crazy stuff.
“"Outer space, inner turmoil, fierce ambition and the hunger for love — all seem to boldly go where no novelist has gone before in Jaroslav Kalfař’s audaciously moving debut, 'Spaceman of Bohemia'... Eloquent, heart-stunning and rich in awe-inspiring prose, 'Spaceman of Bohemia' flirts with how we leave our mark on history. But its real mission is to unravel what makes us human — and that, according to this wise, rapturous and original novel, is a connection to others.”
—Caroline Leavitt, San Francisco Chronicle
More about the story itself here.
Orphaned as a boy, raised in the Czech countryside by his doting grandparents, Jakub Procházka has risen from small-time scientist to become the country's first astronaut. When a dangerous solo mission to Venus offers him both the chance at heroism he's dreamt of, and a way to atone for his father's sins as a Communist informer, he ventures boldly into the vast unknown. But in so doing, he leaves behind his devoted wife, Lenka, whose love, he realizes too late, he has sacrificed on the altar of his ambitions.
Alone in Deep Space, Jakub discovers a possibly imaginary giant alien spider, who becomes his unlikely companion. Over philosophical conversations about the nature of love, life and death, and the deliciousness of bacon, the pair form an intense and emotional bond. Will it be enough to see Jakub through a clash with secret Russian rivals and return him safely to Earth for a second chance with Lenka?
Backstory Magazine interviewed Colby about his process in writing his feature film script In the Blink of an Eye, and what it means for him to be ranked sixth most-popular screenplay on The Black List 2016. In addition to the article & interview, the full script is available to read in this issue, along with features on James Gunn and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (heavy spoilers), and a conversation with Bryan Fuller & Michael Green on bringing their show American Gods to life.
““Having spent the majority of the time since college vacillating between screenwriting and playwriting, perhaps it’s fitting that Colby Day’s Hollywood breakthrough — was born out of a play.””
HUGE shoutout in this interview to Pipeline Theatre Company's PlayLab for developing the initial play that became this film script.
Backstory Magazine is available only on iPad right now, so download it at the APPLE STORE BABIES. Just type "Backstory" into the iPad App store and you can download the Backstory app for free!
Excited to release online my short film HAPPY VACATION, about a couple of girls who rent an airbnb only to find out the pool there is... haunted. Co-written and directed with Tess Harrison, I'm in love with the way this looks and feels. We shot it entirely on an iPhone and GoPro which is absolutely crazy!
Watch the whole thing below.
More info and cool stories about the process and ESPECIALLY about the difference between low-budget filmmaking in Brooklyn vs. LA in this interview Tess and I did for Brokelyn. Click here to read.
Best quote from t: "I don’t think Tess or I liked watching horror very much before this, so we were really surprised as we started thinking and then especially on set with how fun it is when you find something spooky or unnerving."
I had the pleasure of directing this insane video for the insane artist/writer/comedian/punstress Sam Corbin. Check check check it.
Can FINALLY check post modern abstract theater rap video off the bucket list.
Colby's feature film script In the Blink of an Eye was ranked 6th most voted script on this year's The Black List.
The entire history of the universe and our species is explored through three interwoven storylines that question the very nature of life, love, and mortality, where we've been and where we're going; the past, present, and future of the human race.
So it's finally here! I just the other day got my hands on the first physical copy of the published version of my play Felix & The Diligence; or, A Play About Fishermen in the 1940's. I'm so excited! It looks pretty!
Cover art by Chris Ams
This was my first ever play, about Felix Brown, a bookish dreamer Felix Brown, a bookish dreamer growing up during World War II. For Felix, a life on the sea was the greatest adventure he could hope for. But will he feel differently after he has his heart broken by a mermaid, chats with sea monsters, and fights Nazi spies? Felix boards The Diligence, a dilapidated old galleon, about to embark on an illegal, high-stakes cod-fishing expedition, under the command of the terrifying Captain Chapman. Battling storms, the ragtag crew nobly risk their lives for love and cod while Felix battles the ecstatic wonder and heart-breaking disappointment of growing up and finding one's place in the world. Funny and sincere, this is the greatest play about fishermen in the 1940's you'll ever find.
Please do go buy a copy if you like fun, funny, heartbreaking stories. There's all sorts of fun. Pipeline Theatre Company long ago produced the world-premiere of this comedy, and if you happen to be on the West Coast, iDiom Theater is producing it RIGHT NOW.
CLICK HERE TO BUY.
Heya boos. Very very pleased to announce that TreePress has decided to license TWO plays of mine: Giant Killer Slugs! and Felix & The Diligence. What?! Yes!
That's right! Both Felix & Giant Killer Slugs are available to produce anywhere in the world. They're both insane bonkers comedies that feel like kids shows but for grown ups. Or they'd be stellar in high schools. Felix won some awards in high school productions, actually.
So, check em out over on TreePress. If you're interested, drop me a line, or buy a digital copy or something. Main thing is, they're there! That's cool! Yay yay yay. Licensing!
Kitchen Sink Experiment(s) runs October 16 - November 6. Tickets here.
So excited to say that tickets for my newest play, Kitchen Sink Experiment(s), are now on sale! Brian and Simone are a couple who live together in Brooklyn. They invite a scientist from the University to come observe them in their natural habitat for one week. It's intimate, uncomfortable, and occasionally sexy
Come along and observe the experiment with us at Brian & Simone's place in Brooklyn. Each performance has limited seating, so do book in advance. More information and tickets here.
The show will be directed by good friend Andrew Scoville, and features Matt Davis, Lena Hudson, and Rachel Michelle Lin. Produced by Crashbox Theater Company. Runs Oct 16 - Nov 6.
BLURGH. Want to read about that time I had a first date that involved both crying AND the 2010 cinematic masterpiece The Wolfman?
via thinkstock
Here you go!
(on someecards)
Pretty stoked for this new play I'm working on.
"Outlining what I think may be my most important work to date. #lasers #sickjumps #masterpiece"
Colby Day is a writer & director based in Los Angeles. He tells stories about space, spiders, love, loneliness, and time. He's a cool dude. Hire him sometime. You won't be sorry. He's definitely not a robot.
