Participant Media Joins Dreamworks Studios For Steven Spielberg’s Untitled Cold War Spy Thriller and ‘The Light Between Oceans’

LOS ANGELES (August 26, 2014) – Building on their successful, long-standing relationship, Participant Media is joining DreamWorks Studios on two upcoming films: Steven Spielberg’s “Untitled Cold War Spy Thriller” written by Joel and Ethan Coen, based on an original script by Matt Charman and starring Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance and Amy Ryan; as well as The Light Between Oceans, a period drama based on the best-selling novel by M.L. Stedman, and written and directed by Derek Cianfrance, and starring Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander and Rachel Weisz.

DreamWorks Studios President and COO Jeff Small commented, “We have had a successful and rewarding partnership with Participant on six total films over the past years. We look forward to continuing this productive relationship which allows us to bring exciting and quality films to audiences around the world.”

Participant Media CEO Jim Berk added, “Participant and DreamWorks collaborate so well because both our companies exist to bring entertaining and thought-provoking films to life. These next two films, which will be our 7th and 8th collaboration, each represent a unique and extraordinary opportunity to work with brilliant storytellers.

Spielberg’s project tells the true story of James Donovan, an attorney who finds himself thrust into the center of the Cold War when the CIA sends him on the near-impossible mission to negotiate the release of a captured American U-2 pilot. It will begin filming next month in New York and Berlin. In addition to directing, Spielberg will produce the film with Marc Platt and Kristie Macosko Krieger. The executive producers are Adam Somner and Daniel Lupi. Twentieth Century Fox is also co-financing the film and will handle international distribution, while The Walt Disney Company will release the film domestically on October 16, 2015.

The Light Between Oceans also starts filming next month in locations in New Zealand and Australia. An international best-seller, M.L. Stedman’s debut novel takes place on a remote Australian island in the years following World War I, where a lighthouse keeper and his wife are faced with a moral dilemma when a boat washes ashore with a dead man and a two-month-old infant. When they decide to raise the child as their own, the consequences of their choice are devastating. Heyday Films’ David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford are producing. The Walt Disney Company will distribute domestically and in select international territories, while Mister Smith Entertainment will handle distribution in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

In addition to The Hundred-Foot Journey, which opened earlier this month in the U.S., Participant previously teamed with DreamWorks on Lincoln, The Help, The Fifth Estate, The Kite Runner, and The Soloist, which together have garnered 17 Oscar® nominations.

About DreamWorks Studios

DreamWorks Studios is a motion picture company formed in 2009 and led by Steven Spielberg and Stacey Snider in partnership with The Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. The company’s recent releases include Spielberg’s ”Lincoln,” starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones. The film has grossed over $180 million at the U.S. box office and was nominated for twelve Academy Awards® with Daniel Day-Lewis winning for Best Actor. Other releases include “The Hundred-Foot Journey,” starring Helen Mirren, Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse,” based on Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning book and was nominated for six Academy Awards® including Best Picture, and “The Help,” which resonated with audiences around the country and earned over $200 million at the box office and received four Academy Award® nominations with Octavia Spencer winning for Best Supporting Actress.

DreamWorks Studios can be found on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DreamWorksStudios and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dw_studios.

About Participant Media

Participant Media is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing and digital content that inspires social change. Participant’s more than 55 films include Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana, An Inconvenient Truth, Food, Inc., Waiting for ‘Superman’, The Help, Contagion and Lincoln. Participant launches campaigns that bring together government entities, foundations, schools, and others to raise awareness and drive people to take action on issues from each film or television show. Pivot, the company’s television network, is available in 45 million homes, serving passionate Millennials (18-34) with a diverse slate of talent and a mix of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. TakePart is Participant’s digital news and lifestyle magazine and social action platform for the conscious consumer. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower every individual to take action.