Lionsgate’s Grindstone Entertainment Group has acquired the North American rights to the upcoming World War II action thriller, Wolf Hound. The film is debut directed by Michael B. Chait from a screenplay storied by Chait and written by co-producer Timothy Ritchey.
Wolf Hound is inspired by the real-life Nazi special operations unit KG 200 that shot down, repaired, and flew Allied aircraft as Trojan horses, and stars James Maslow (Big Time Rush) as Captain David Holden, a Jewish-American fighter pilot, and Trevor Donovan (90210, the upcoming Reagan) as Nazi ace Major Erich Roth.
Set in 1944 Nazi-occupied France, Wolf Hound sees Holden ambushed behind enemy lines, and must rescue a captured B-17 Flying Fortress bomber crew, evade a ruthless enemy stalking him at every turn, and foil a plot that could completely alter the outcome of World War II.
Veteran Emmy Award-winning commercial producer Sue Witham produced the movie along with Chait for his production company TMU Pictures.
“In Wolf Hound Michael B. Chait has made an absolutely thrilling WWII action thriller,” said Stan Wertlieb, Partner of Grindstone Entertainment Group. “Not only has he brought us a powerful military story; we are also treated to spectacular fighter pilot sequences beyond compare.”
For the film’s extensive aerial scenes and dogfights, Chait was determined to use authentic, extremely rare WWII aircraft and shoot as much as possible in-camera, to create edge-of-your-seat, visually stunning aerial action sequences audiences have hardly ever seen on the screen.
According to Lionsgate’s announcement, Craig Hosking, who previously served as Aerial Coordinator and Lead Pilot for Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, performed the same crucial roles for “Wolf Hound.” Westley Gathright, Chait’s most frequent cinematographer, and aerial director of photography Dwayne McClintock filmed the action involving actors in multiple WWII bombers from Hosking’s Aerostar camera platform aircraft, with Gathright also shooting handheld in anamorphic widescreen and a camera mounted for close-ups of Maslow in a P-51 Mustang Fighter Plane. Scale models were used for aircraft damage and destruction shots, with visual effects used to integrate and enhance the scenes for a seamless result.
“Getting the opportunity to direct such a talented cast and crew, and to tell a powerful story on an epic canvas for my first feature film, is truly both an honor and a dream come true,” said Chait. “I want to give audiences an exciting, emotive experience with “Wolf Hound,” using our feel, style, and tone to put them right there with our characters in the middle of the action! I cannot thank Grindstone enough for their belief in our movie.”
The filmmakers partnered with Michigan’s Yankee Air Museum, which allowed the use of their B-17 as the titular bomber, of which only 9 are left flying in the world. The Yankee Air Museum also allowed use of the original “Rosie the Riveter” B-24 bomber plant hanger as a major filming location. Virginia’s Military Aviation Museum also worked closely with “Wolf Hound,” allowing original WWII P-51 Mustangs, Spitfire, Hurricane, B-25 Bomber, and one of the only remaining authentic German Messerschmitt Bf 109 Fighter Planes, to fly for dogfighting scenes. Aerial filming was completed over Suffolk and Virginia Beach, Virginia, where the Military Aviation Museum is based, as well as over the Atlantic Ocean, supported by top pilots and a small army of mechanics and ground crew from both museums. Ground scenes set in a Nazi-occupied French forest, as well as scenes set at the the KG 200 Nazi base, were filmed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
“‘Wolf Hound’ was perhaps the most meaningful film I’ve ever been a part of,” said Maslow. “My grandfather flew B-17s in World War II, and was actually shot down twice, saving his entire crew both times. Not only was the similarity to our story remarkable – the exact day I got the offer would have been his birthday. This role was meant to be.”
Post-Production on Wolf Hound was fueled by some high-flying talent, almost all longtime collaborators of Chait. Emmy-nominated composer Michael Kramer (Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures, Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu) created the sweeping orchestral score. Sound designer Peter Bawiec, who performed those duties on Roland Emmerich’s Midway for Lionsgate, supervised the thunderous soundtrack. Senior colorist Tyler Roth of Company 3 Los Angeles provided his Final Color magic and custom color science to further heighten the picture. Visual effects supervisor / co-producer Ryan Urban, one of the VFX Supervisors on The Matrix Resurrections and the overall VFX supervisor for Netflix’s “Sense8” and “Messiah,” led the VFX team to complete over 400 VFX shots for the film through his company, Turncoat Pictures.
The distribution deal was negotiated by Wertlieb and by Josh Spector, Vice President of Acquisitions and Production for Grindstone Entertainment Group, and by Chait for TMU Pictures. Attorney Max Newman of Business Affairs, Inc. represented Grindstone, with Attorney Paul Almond of Fischbach, Perlstein, Lieberman & Almond, LLP, and Attorney Mark Litwak of Mark Litwak & Associates representing Chait and TMU Pictures.
Strath Hamilton of TriCoast Worldwide is handling international sales.
Wolf Hound is rated R by the MPAA and will have its multiplatform release this summer.