Synopsis – After six years of keeping our malls safe, Paul Blart has earned a well-deserved vacation. He heads to Vegas with his teenage daughter before she heads off to college. But safety never takes a holiday and when duty calls, Blart answers.
Director – Andy Fickman
Written – Kevin James & Nick Bakay
Produced – Todd Garner, Kevin James, Adam Sandler & Jack Giarraputo
Executive Producers – Marty P. Ewing, Jeff Sussman, Ben Waisbren
Starring – Kevin James, Raini Rodriguez, Neal McDonough and Shirley Knight
Check out some stills:
Check out the trailer:
Final International Production Notes :
Production Information
After six years of keeping our malls safe, Paul Blart has earned a well-deserved vacation. He heads to Vegas with his teenage daughter before she heads off to college. But safety never takes a holiday and when duty calls, Blart answers.
Columbia Pictures presents in association with LStar Capital, a Happy Madison / Hey Eddie / Broken Road production, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2. The film stars Kevin James, Raini Rodriguez, Neal McDonough, and Shirley Knight. Directed by Andy Fickman. Produced by Todd Garner, Kevin James, Adam Sandler and Jack Giarraputo. Written by Kevin James & Nick Bakay. Executive Producers are Marty P. Ewing, Ben Waisbren, and Jeff Sussman. Director of Photography is Dean Semler, ACS ASC. Production Designer is Perry Andelin Blake. Film Editor is Scott Hill. Costume Designer is Genevieve Tyrrell. Music by Rupert Gregson-Williams.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
It’s been six years since Paul Blart gained fame for his daring rescue of the West Orange Pavilion Mall, and while some things have changed, you can count on Blart to know what’s truly important. “He takes security very seriously,” says Kevin James, the funnyman who brought the character to life. “Like he says, ‘I didn’t choose security; security chose me.’ Let’s face it – the ride is always gonna be bumpy for Blart and he might screw up along the way, but he’ll never give up – which is why we root for him to win in the end.”
In Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, the hero is finally getting a vacation: he’s being recognized for everything he’s done to keep the shoppers safe with an all-expenses-paid trip to a security convention in Las Vegas. Everyone is telling Blart to take it easy and get some R-and-R, but security never takes a holiday… and when Blart discovers a criminal threat to the hotel, America’s favorite security guard is ready to spring into action.
“It’s easy to laugh at a guy like Blart,” says James, “but I think we all want to see him succeed and get the job done. When Blart finds out there’s trouble at the hotel, he throws himself right into the fire. He can’t enjoy a vacation when there’s bad stuff happening – it’s not how he’s wired.”
After the first film took in $183 million worldwide in 2009, Paul Blart is back. James says that the reason the character struck a chord was that even though Blart has his less-than-stellar moments – and don’t we all? – there’s something appealing about a man who rises to the top, even when nobody believes in him. “People seemed to really like the Blart character. I think at first, they’re not sure what to make of this chubby guy, with a mustache, riding a Segway… but when they see how much heart he has, they can’t help but root for him.”
“Paul Blart is the ultimate underdog,” says producer Todd Garner. “In the movie, people judge him at first glance. Everyone is quick to point out what they think he can’t do. But Paul can do it all – he definitely has hidden talents, and he brings out his best when people need him the most. He’s the hero we need AND the hero we deserve.”
Taking the helm of the sequel is Andy Fickman. “One of my son, Austin’s, favorite movies is the original Paul Blart: Mall Cop. So, the minute he heard there was a chance that I might do the sequel, he got incredibly excited about it,” says the director. “I love the characters – and at the heart of it is Kevin James, who remains one of my favorite actors to ever have the pleasure to work with, on- and off-camera.”
Returning to join Kevin James are his co-stars: Raini Rodriguez, who plays Blart’s daughter, Maya, and Shirley Knight, who plays his mother.
The original Paul Blart: Mall Cop was Rodriguez’s first feature film and first big project as an actor. She was 14 at the time and had only been acting for a few years. Now 19, she is a series regular on the Disney Channel series “Austin & Ally” as she makes her return for the sequel. “I’m excited back again for round two – and it’s a lot of fun in Vegas. Can’t complain about that,” she says.
In the sequel, Rodriguez says, “Paul takes Maya with him on what is supposed to be a family vacation. What he doesn’t know is that Maya has been accepted to go to UCLA and wants to go, but doesn’t have the heart to tell him that she’ll be leaving home. So, this is supposed to be a last father-daughter trip, where she’ll break it to him easy.”
Of course, even as others are doubting her dad, Maya is still his #1 fan. “We’re Blarts,” says Rodriguez. “We have to stick together, and we have to remember that we can do anything.”
While in Vegas, Maya meets Lane, played by David Henrie. Rodriguez says it’s one more way that her character is coming of age. “We kind of have a moment together, and throughout the movie you see us kind of flirting on and off – and Paul Blart is not happy about that, because it means his baby girl is growing up,” she says.
Rodriguez and Henrie had actually known each other off and on for a couple of years. When she was 12 and he 16, Rodriguez was a fan and took a picture with him. She found the photo when production needed old pictures of her for the set. “He was really nice back then, so I’m really glad he’s still nice now,” says Rodriguez. “He’s such a gentleman. We’re in half the movie together, which is great. He’s an awesome dude!”
The feeling is mutual: “Raini is such a sweet, bubbly person,” says Henrie. “She’s always got a joke. She’s very quick-witted and she’s just full of love. You can’t help but smile when you’re around her.”
Neal McDonough takes on the role of Vincent Sofel, the mastermind who threatens the hotel. It’s a rare comedic role for the actor. “When you do dramatic roles and go home at night, it can be hard to slough it off your skin. When you do a comedic role, you’re having fun all day – you can’t wait to come back tomorrow,” he explains.
One way that the filmmakers underscored Vincent’s madness is through costume: McDonough wore a brown contact lens over just one of his famous blue eyes, giving him heterochromia. “I’ve never worn contacts before – and everyone knows me for my blue eyes,” he says. “They wanted to have one eye to be a brownish-red color, opposite my other blue eye. As soon as I saw my face, my character just changed. He is one crazy-looking dude.”
His favorite scene – which McDonough calls the film’s “OK Corral moment” – comes at the film’s climax, as Vincent and Blart face off in the middle of a massive hotel hallway. “It feels like a Western,” he says. “Both of these characters are so serious, it’s hysterical. It’s one of my favorite scenes that I’ve ever done in my life.”
The main cast at the hotel is rounded out by Daniella Alonso as Divina Martinez, the hotel’s general manager, and Eduardo Verástegui as Eduardo Furtillo, the hotel’s seemingly very capable head of security.
“Divina is normally very put together and good at her job,” says Alonso, “but Paul Blart just sends her into a tailspin. He’s just different – he throws her for a loop.
As Eduardo Furtillo, the head of security, Eduardo Verástegui says, “In the beginning, it’s all about himself. He’s a little selfish, very arrogant and full of pride. He thinks he’s the last Coke in the desert. And that’s when Paul Blart comes to save the day and teach us all a lesson. He’ll recognize that Paul Blart is a true hero.”
Verástegui says that at first, taking on a role in this film was a challenge – but one he had help in facing. “English is not my first language,” he says. “You can imagine the challenge for me as an actor – not only is the movie in English, but it’s a comedy. The sense of humor and the rhythm is different in Mexico. But I put myself in the hands of Kevin and Andy, and both of them helped me to be free and to give them what they were looking to get from me. They pulled things out of me that I didn’t even know I had.”
ON THE SEGWAY
Every hero has his ride. The Lone Ranger had Trigger, the Ghostbusters had the ECTO-1, and Paul Blart has his Segway personal transportation device.
Blart, of course, is an expert on the machine, which required James to get reacquainted with his old friend. “It was a little bumpy at first,” he recalls. “It’s not like jumping on a bike again, where you just remember – you have to re-learn it. A couple of times, she got angry with me.”
But eventually, James tamed the creature. “It’s a lot like a cowboy trying to break in a wild stallion… you know, if the stallion had two wheels… was electric… and wasn’t particularly dangerous,” he says.
However, even once he was reacquainted, James faced a new challenge. In this film, as Blart faces a greater threat, he will need a greater set of wheels, too. As events get hairy at the hotel, Blart rides again – no ordinary machine, but the baddest personal transportation device ever devised by man. Souped-up and tricked out with lights and siren, it has everything the modern mall cop needs.
“If Batman was a mall security guard, this is what he’d have,” says production designer Perry Andelin Blake of the device. “We designed it in carbon fiber and steel. It has all sorts of lights on it and it shows the way that Paul Blart has stepped up his game.”
“It was a tricky invention, because it had to look a certain way, but also perform – it had to be able to maneuver through the resort,” Blake continues. “Kevin is such a pro on these machines that he was able to get a lot of mobility from it. It came out looking great.”
“I’ve got only two words to describe Kevin on the Segway: mad skills,” adds Fickman. “It’s way harder than it looks, and our custom machine was even tougher. But, like an athlete, Kevin has a great sense of how his body moves. It’s what makes him such an impressive physical comedian. And the Segway is an incredible tool – or a perfect dance partner – for him to put that on display.”
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS….
In Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, Blart faces a greater challenge than protecting the West Orange Pavilion Mall. While on vacation, Blart discovers a threat to the world-famous Wynn and Encore Las Vegas, the two adjacent luxury resorts located on the Las Vegas Strip. The film was shot almost entirely on location at the resort – the first motion picture to shoot there. “It was truly a remarkable experience,” says Fickman. “You’re in one of the most famous cities in the world, living and filming at one of the most spectacular casino resorts. Every day, we were living the neon dream.”
The needs of the production and the goals of the location coincided perfectly, making the resort a natural choice. The Wynn Las Vegas, which was most recently named one of the top 100 hotels in the world according to Condé Nast Traveler, boasts a multitude of stunning environments never before seen on the big screen. As James says, “You can’t find a bad angle in that hotel. That’s what is so cool about it. The production value you get is just incredible.”
Even Steve Wynn himself, along with his wife, Andrea, got into the act. “Getting the chance to direct Steve and his lovely wife, Andrea, was a ton of fun—though a little stressful making him wait during the process of filming his scene,” says Fickman. “They were both so good-natured and friendly that it was a total blast.”
The film took full advantage of the locations in the resort, showcasing the beautiful main entrances, esplanades, casinos, breathtaking pools, award-winning restaurants and spas, Surrender and Encore Beach Club (two of their extremely popular clubs), the gorgeous suites, and even The Lake of Dreams with its 40-foot waterfall.
Although it was incredible experience to shoot at the hotel, which gave the movie a never-before-seen and gorgeous verisimilitude, the production faced a huge challenge: how to shoot a full-scale feature film in a working hotel – one with a very exclusive clientele? “The biggest challenge while filming at the Wynn/Encore resort was that it never stopped doing its main business,” says Fickman. “We were constantly working around life inside one of the most popular destinations in Vegas—24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It didn’t matter what time you were filming, the place was packed.”
The answer came in flexibility, as Blake explains. The production would often schedule filming in the very, very early morning hours, when most of one night’s revelry had ended but before the next day’s had begun. “We really had to work around the guests, so we shot at really odd hours. We had to allow them to have the experience that they would normally have here,” he says. “On the other hand, a lot of people did love stopping by and watching us shoot.”
“We had a really crazy schedule to work around,” says James. “The hotel was really busy, so we had a crazy shooting schedule, but the people at the Wynn were great about helping us get everything done.”
For the film’s climax, Blart stages a daring rescue on the rooftops of the resort, ziplining between the towers, from the Encore tower to the Wynn tower. Of course, this was all achieved through movie magic; for the production, both rooftops were created on the roof of the Encore, with a false platform providing a point from which the filmmakers could shoot Blart’s zipline journey.
Then, Blart chases the villain through a maze of heating and ventilation equipment – again, supposedly the Wynn roof, all created by Blake on the roof of the Encore. “We created kind of a mysterious area that had a lot of heating and ventilating equipment that we could light and see smoke coming out of. We had an interesting place where we could cat and mouse Paul trying to evade Vincent,” explains Blake. Part of the challenge here was to make this roof seem like a different environment – after all, it’s supposed to be a different roof on a different hotel.
For Blake, the art of taking one roof and using it to build a set for two roofs with a zipline between them was the easy part. Once the filmmakers got to the set, however, came the challenge of implementing the plan. “For some reason, the architects didn’t make the elevator go all the way to the top of the Encore hotel. It goes to the 63rd floor – we had to get to the rooftop on the 65th floor.” Blake’s crew brought all of the material up the stairs.
“The rooftop was by far one of our more challenging situations,” adds Fickman. “We shot mostly at night, making it even more challenging. Additionally, the sun comes up fairly quickly in Vegas, so when you’re shooting at night, you have fewer hours than you do in a day shoot. Thankfully, our cast and crew were all ready to get the job done. We even took our cast and crew photo on top of the roof.”
LE RÊVE – THE DREAM
One of the prime attractions at the Wynn Las Vegas is the entertainment production “Le Rêve – The Dream,” voted Best Production Show in Las Vegas for an unprecedented four years running. An aqua theater-in-the-round with spectacular acrobatic and aerial feats, high dives, and underwater tangos, “Le Rêve” represents the best entertainment that Las Vegas has to offer – and Paul Blart manages to land right in the middle of it.
“It’s a great scene,” says production designer Perry Andelin Blake. “It’s such a great foil for Paul Blart and the physical humor showcases some of Kevin’s best work in the movie.”
“We were very lucky that everyone at ‘Le Rêve,’ from their remarkable performers to all of their amazing behind-the-scenes personnel, were excited and willing to play with us,” says Fickman. “Scott Rogers, the stunt coordinator, was even able to work in several of his stunt performers to work alongside the ‘Le Rêve’ performers – but you’d never know. Everyone worked hard to make it seamless. It was a tricky situation made possible by everyone operating at the top of their game.”
“That was a challenging scene, but luckily for me, I have extensive training as a dancer…so it was a piece of cake,” says James.
THE GADGETS
“As the production designer, one of the cool things I got to do was to create a bunch of cool props for our bad guys,” says Blake. Las Vegas is famous for its surveillance, security, and eyes in the sky, but these guys put even the most secure casinos in the world to shame. “These are supposed to be super-sophisticated guys, even more technical than the hotel in terms of their surveillance equipment. So, I created similarly cool computers, three-screen computers with little monitors that were connected to them.”
To take them down, Blart also uses a variety of gadgets as he attempts to foil the plot. “The bean bag gun, the glue gun, and the other funny, non-lethal weapons were mainly made out of real flare guns, not your typical weapons,” Blake explains. “Even up against these sophisticated bad guys, Paul has these tricks up his sleeve. He does all right.”
ABOUT THE CAST
KEVIN JAMES (Paul Blart / Producer / Co-Writer), star of the hit comedies Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Zookeeper will also be seen in this year’s ensemble sci-fi comedy Pixels.
James began his career as a stand-up on the Long Island comedy scene. After being discovered at the 1996 Montreal Comedy Festival, he signed a network development deal to create his own sitcom.
“The King of Queens,” which premiered in 1998, ran for nine seasons on CBS with James starring and executive producing, and it garnered him an Emmy nomination in 2006 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The show concluded its run in 2007 but continues to air daily in syndication across the country and around the world.
In 2001, James brought his stand-up act to TV with “Sweat the Small Stuff,” a one-hour special for Comedy Central. In 2005, James and Ray Romano executive produced and starred in the HBO Sports Special “Making the Cut: The Road to Pebble Beach”, a documentary about the Pebble Beach Pro Am Golf Tournament that was nominated for a Sports Emmy.
James made his feature film debut in 2005, starring opposite Will Smith in Columbia Pictures’ Hitch. Since, James headlined Here Comes the Boom, and starred alongside Adam Sandler in Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry.
In addition to his on-camera work, James’s voice has been featured in the animated films Barnyard for Nick Movies, as well as Monster House and Hotel Transylvania, and its upcoming sequel for Sony Pictures Animation.
A native of Texas, RAINI RODRIGUEZ (Maya) moved to Los Angeles in 2005 to pursue her dream of acting and singing.
Rodriguez began working in television after being discovered at a nationwide talent competition. Soon after, she was thrilled to get the role of Betsy in the “Sleepover Suite” episode of Disney’s “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” and also starred as the memorable Arlene Roca aka “Annoying Arlene” in Disney XD’s “I’m in the Band.” Her television credits also include Nickelodeon’s “True Jackson,” Showtime’s “Huff,” and ABC’s “Family of the Year.”
Filming Disney’s feature film Prom came at a perfect time in Rodriguez’s life, as she was homeschooled and didn’t have a prom of her own. Rodriguez’s film credits also include Girl in Progress featuring Eva Mendes and Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva La Fiesta!. Rodriguez was able to lend her vocal gifts with “Living Your Dreams,” the theme song for the film.
Moviegoing audiences also embraced Rodriguez in her feature film debut Paul Blart: Mall Cop, in which she starred in the role of Kevin James’ daughter.
Rodriguez has also returned to her role of Trish for the fourth season of Disney’s hit show “Austin & Ally.”
In March of 2015, Rodriguez lived out another of her dreams when she made her directing debut with an upcoming episode of “Austin & Ally.”
NEAL MCDONOUGH’s (Vincent) prominent film and television career has spanned more than thirty years. He most recently appeared in Summit’s Red 2 alongside Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren as well as Paramount’s Captain America: The First Avenger. His extensive resume includes leading roles in Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report, Clint Eastwood’s Flags of Our Fathers, Buena Vista’s The Guardian, MGM’s Walking Tall, and Paramount’s Timeline.
On the small screen, Neal will soon be seen in a significant arc on Ed Burns’ and TNT’s “Public Morals,” after starring in another TNT show, “Mob City.” He continues to recur on USA’s “Suits.” McDonough has played significant roles in HBO’s “Band of Brothers,” FX’s “Justified,” ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” and NBC’s “Medical Investigation” and “Boomtown,” among many others.
McDonough lives in Hollywood with his wife of 13 years and 5 children.
DAVID HENRIE (Lane) is well known for playing the role of Ted’s Future Son on Fox’s hit Emmy Award-winning show, “How I Met Your Mother,” and the role of Justin Russo on the Disney Channel’s highest rated show, “Wizards of Waverly Place,” which also received numerous Emmy wins.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 is Henrie’s second Happy Madison Productions film, after first appearing in Grown Ups 2 opposite Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Rock and Kevin James.
Henrie will next play Ronald Reagan as a young man in an upcoming biopic based on the life of the former president.
In 2014, Henrie wrapped on numerous independent films including Walt Before Mickey, a biography on Walt Disney’s early life; Cardboard Boxers, co-starring Thomas Haden Church and Terrence Howard; 1000 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story, a film based on true events, in which Henrie plays the title role of a gifted athlete who works to recover from a stroke opposite Beau Bridges and Hannah Marks; and the animated film Max and Me, playing the role of D.J., about the life of Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish priest who challenges the Nazis.
Numerous other credits, throughout the span of his 15 year professional acting career, include “The Assistants” for CBS; “Arrested Development”; and Walt Disney’s The Secret World of Arrietty, in the lead role of Shawn.
Henrie got his first big break at age 12 when he landed a series regular role, playing Petey Pitt on the FOX sitcom “The Pitts.” Immediately following, he was picked up by Fox again to play a series regular role on “Method and Red.” Other comedies include recurring role on “That’s So Raven.” Aside from comedy, Henrie’s impressive dramatic chops landed him numerous roles, including “Mind Games,” “Cold Case,” “NCIS,” “House,” “Without a Trace,” “Jack and Bobby,” “Judging Amy,” “The D.A.,” and “Home of the Brave.”
Aside from acting, Henrie is writing, directing and producing. His acting experience, as a youth, set the groundworks for the filmmaking business, working alongside some of Hollywood’s top actors, directors, producers, and writers. By age 20, Henrie earned his WGA eligibility by writing for “Wizards of Waverly Place.” He later collaborated with BOOM Comics, creating the comic series “Cloaks,” one of BOOM’s top-three selling comics. He went on to write, produce and direct the short film, Catch; produced a documentary in Peru, currently in post-production; and is co-founder and principal of Novo Media Group, developing television and film projects.
Not only has EDUARDO VERÁSTEGUI (Eduardo) appeared on television, film, and the stage, he has also worked behind the camera, producing award-winning films. Verástegui possesses a diverse range of creative talents, which he has showcased across the board in entertainment.
Born and raised in northern Mexico, Verástegui left home for Mexico City at the age of 18 to pursue a career in entertainment. He toured the world with Latin pop sensation Kairo and is an acclaimed solo artist. In 2004, Verástegui graced the cover of People en Español’s 50 Most Beautiful People edition.
In 1997, Verástegui signed an exclusive television contract with Televisa and appeared on some of the network’s highest rated shows. He followed this success by landing the lead role of Thomas Fuentes in 20th Century Fox’s 2003 film Chasing Papi, alongside Sofia Vergara, Roselyn Sanchez, and Jaci Velasquez. Additional credits include “CSI: Miami” and “Charmed.” He most recently starred in For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada.
Taking a step behind the camera, Verástegui opened his L.A. based production company, Metanoia Films. His first feature film, Bella, which he produced and starred in, won the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award. The following year, the Smithsonian Museum honored Verástegui with the Legacy Award, in recognition of his positive contributions toward the Latin community within the United States.
When he is not busy creating movies, Verástegui likes to travel to impoverished countries, building water wells and houses as well as providing food and medical supplies for communities in need with his non-profit organization, Let’s be Heroes.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
ANDY FICKMAN (Director) is an award-winning director, writer and producer, named by Variety as a Directors to Watch and by Fade-In magazine as a renaissance man, among its 100 People In Hollywood You Need To Know.
Fickman’s most recent project was the smash hit family comedy Parental Guidance from 20th Century Fox/Walden Media, which starred Billy Crystal and Bette Midler. The film won two Kids Pick Flicks awards and the National Fatherhood Movie of the Year award.
Fickman, along with his partner, the Emmy-award winner Kevin Murphy, and Tony Award nominee Larry O’Keefe developed the stage musical version of “Heathers: The Musical,” which sold out its entire run in Los Angeles. “Heathers” later transferred to New York and played at New World Stages.
Fickman is currently directing and executive producing the third season of the Disney Channel hit series “Liv & Maddie”; Fickman produces through his production company, Oops Doughnuts Productions, which he runs with his producing partner, Betsy Sullenger. “Liv & Maddie” premiered to over 6 million viewers, making it the second-biggest TV show premiere in the channel’s history. He is also working on a Disney Channel TV Movie, “Big Man on Campus,” starring NBA superstar Dwight Howard.
Oops Doughnuts Productions also teamed up with YOMYOMF Network and Bobby Smith’s Ashore Entertainment for the second season of “Internet Icon.” Judged by CAPE Gala Honoree and YouTube sensation Ryan Higa, fellow YouTube star Timothy DeLaGhetto, and Christine Lakin, contestants competed in a series of creative filmmaking challenges to become the next big Internet star. The first two seasons attracted over 24 million viewers. Fickman also served as Executive Producer on the Web Series “Lovin’ Lakin,” starring Christine Lakin, which airs on Hulu and YouTube. The series won the New York Television Festival’s award for Best Web Series Pilot and the Grand Prize at the LA Webfest. The series was an official selection for the Marseilles Webfest in the fall of 2013.
Fickman produced the romantic comedy Jewtopia, a feature adaptation of the off-Broadway hit play, which he also directed, and best-selling book starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Rita Wilson. The film had its world premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival. Fickman is also producing Scout Vs. Zombies alongside producer Todd Garner for Paramount.
Fickman was signed on to direct the comedy The Exes for CBS films, with Leonard Goldberg producing, based on the book The Ex Files by Jane Moore. In addition, for Sony Pictures and AFFIRM Films, Fickman is producing and is slated to direct Kicking Up Dirt, the tale of four time Women’s Motocross Association Champion Ashley Fiolek, who is deaf since birth, based on Fiolek’s autobiography.
Fickman is also slated to direct Walden Media’s Best Christmas Pageant Ever, based on the popular book of the same name. He will also be producing adaptations of classic films from the RKO library, including Bedlam, Five Came Back, and The Plantation, and directing Body Snatchers.
Fickman’s other television developing credits include Lifetime’s “Nashville Pride” and Showtime’s “Death Pact.” Previously, Fickman directed episodes of “Hellcats” and “Aliens in America.”
Fickman’s past film directing credits include She’s the Man, which won a Teen Choice Award for Best Comedy and starred Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum, and the indie comedy Who’s Your Daddy?, starring Christine Lakin. For the stage, he directed the critically acclaimed and award winning musical “Reefer Madness,” for which he won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award for Best Director as well as the Ovation Award for Best Director. Fickman also directed the Emmy Award-winning film version of “Reefer Madness” for Showtime. The telefilm also won best picture at the International Satellite Awards as well as the Premiere Audience jury award at the Deauville Film Festival in addition to winning High Times Magazine’s prestigious Stony awards not once, but twice.
Additionally, Fickman directed Touchstone’s romantic comedy You Again, starring Kristen Bell. This was Fickman’s third outing with Disney, following his two major hits Race To Witch Mountain and ESPY-nominated The Game Plan, both starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson. In addition, Fickman was an associate producer on Columbia’s hit film Anaconda.
Fickman’s other success’ on the stage include “Jewtopia,” “Sneaux!” (LA Weekly – Best Director Award), “Les Girls 4,” “We The People,” and “The Marrieds.” Fickman and Kevin Murphy are also developing the stage musical version of “Dennis the Menace: The Musical.” Fickman also completed his fifth time directing Rosie Perez’ star-studded benefit for Urban Arts, 24-Hour Plays in New York and Los Angeles.
Fickman was co-founder and managing director of the critically acclaimed Fountainhead Theatre Company and was directly involved with their productions “Pretty Fire,” “Culture Clash,” and “Big Al.” Fickman’s first job in Hollywood was a tour guide at Universal Studios.
KEVIN JAMES (Co-Writer / Paul Blart / Producer) Please see above bio.
NICK BAKAY (Co-Writer) is a writer, actor, comedian, commentator and sportscaster whose work spans television, books, and film. He is currently Executive Producer on the hit CBS comedy “Mom” starring Emmy Winner Allison Janney and Anna Faris. He previously served as a consulting producer on CBS’ long-standing comedies “Two and a Half Men” and “King of Queens.”
Bakay is well known to sports fans through his opinionated editorials on the NFL Network and ESPN, including “Just Living the Dream,” in which Nick and his wife Robin became the patron saints of bad football bets. His wit and wisdom were featured across both network’s properties in both commentary and guest-hosting spots, and collected into Hyperion/ESPN Books’ Nick Bakay’s Tale of the Tape.
As an actor, Bakay has appeared on numerous network sitcoms, including “The King of Queens,” “‘Til Death,” and “That 70’s Show,” but the veteran’s most mentioned guest appearance is still as Elaine’s lover in a particularly distinguished “Seinfeld” episode, titled “The Smelly Car.” Bakay’s voiceover work includes “The Angry Beavers” for Nickelodeon and Comedy Central’s edgy, Emmy-nominated Sundance Film Festival entry, “The Adventures of Baxter & McGuire” (a show he also co-created and wrote), but is best-known to teenage audiences through his work as a writer-producer and voice of Salem, the feline with cattitude, for seven seasons on “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.”
Prior to writing the current film and the screenplays to box-office hits Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Zookeeper, Bakay teamed with Kevin James for seven seasons as a writer-producer on “The King of Queens.”
Bakay’s career began in New York City when, despite his training as a dramatic actor, The National Lampoon plopped him on the comedy map by continually featuring his comic creation, The Evil Clown. This led to Bakay’s role on the staff of Comedy Central’s original late night talk show, “Night After Night with Allan Havey.” Comedy Central was also the home to Bakay’s initial foray into sports comedy, “Sportsmonster,” the first show to take sports humor beyond the bloopers and blunders. He later returned to do a year of sports specials, including “Offsides” with NFL Films and “Baseballapalooza.” Bakay has hosted a variety of sports programming, including “Up Close” on ESPN, “Talk2” on ESPN2, “Reel Classics” on ESPN Classic, and “Football Follies” for NFL Films. Bakay also served writer/performer stints on “The Dennis Miller Show,” “In Living Color” (where he starred as the host of the infamous “Dirty Dozens” sketches), and ABC’s “She TV” (which sparked the radio wrath of the man he impersonated, Rush Limbaugh)
He lives in Hollywood Hills with his wife Robin, their sons James and Romeo, and a slew of rescued dogs, cats, and relatives.
TODD GARNER (Producer), the head of Broken Road Productions, is a veteran producer and Hollywood creative executive with a unique gift for creating and nurturing mainstream, commercial motion pictures. He is very active in various charities such as the Learning Garden and Doheny Eye Institute and is on the board of the Environmental Media Association. In various capacities throughout his career, Garner has developed, overseen, executive produced or produced well over 170 movies, many of them major hits for their respective studios. Formerly a founding partner of Revolution Studios and before that co-head of production at Walt Disney Studios, Garner founded Broken Road Productions in summer 2005. In the last nine years, Broken Road has produced thirteen movies and counting.
Broken Road released Here Comes the Boom with Kevin James and Salma Hayek at Sony Pictures, the tornado movie Into the Storm at New Line, and the TV show “Snack-Off,” which aired on MTV this past July. In addition to Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, there is the upcoming release of Scouts Vs Zombies at Paramount.
Garner was executive producer on films such as XXX, Anger Management, 13 Going On 30, and Are We There Yet? After producing the runaway hit Paul Blart: Mall Cop, which grossed over $183 million at the box office worldwide, Broken Road most recently produced MGM and Sony’s Zookeeper, which grossed $170 million. Broken Road also produced Knight and Day for Fox. Knight and Day grossed over $261 million worldwide. The film starred Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
Garner joined Revolution as a partner in May 2000. He was responsible for overseeing all aspects of development and production for the company’s motion pictures during its remarkable first five years. Garner oversaw such hit Revolution films as Black Hawk Down, Hellboy and Daddy Day Care.
ADAM SANDLER (Producer) has enjoyed phenomenal success as an actor, writer, producer and musician. Sandler’s films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide. He recently starred in Blended with Drew Barrymore and Jason Reitman’s Men, Women & Children. He is soon to be in the upcoming Thomas McCarthy’s The Cobbler and Chris Columbus’s Pixels with Kevin James, Josh Gad, Peter Dinklage and Michelle Monaghan. Previous films include Grown Ups 2 with Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade & Salma Hayek, That’s My Boy with Andy Samberg, Jack and Jill with Katie Holmes, Just Go With It with Jennifer Aniston and Grown Ups, the highest grossing of his career, taking in more than $271 million worldwide. Sandler also starred in Funny People, written and directed by Judd Apatow starring with Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman, as well as the box office smashes Bedtime Stories, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry.
Sandler’s voice was recently heard in the lead role of Dracula in Columbia Pictures’/Sony Pictures Animation’s hit CG-animated feature, Hotel Transylvania and soon to be sequel. He also was heard in Zookeeper, starring Kevin James; Sandler also served as a producer of that film. Previously, Sandler has been seen in the starring role opposite Don Cheadle in Reign Over Me for director Mike Binder, the box-office hits Click, starring with Kate Beckinsale, and The Longest Yard, starring with Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds. He also starred in James L. Brooks’ Spanglish, opposite Tea Leoni; the romantic comedy 50 First Dates, with Drew Barrymore; Anger Management, with Jack Nicholson; and Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Manchester, New Hampshire, Sandler’s first brush with comedy came at age 17, with a performance at a Boston comedy club. From then on he was hooked, performing regularly in comedy clubs throughout the state, while earning a degree in Fine Arts from New York University.
Sandler’s production company Happy Madison Productions was co-founded by Jack Giarraputo and Sandler and has gone on to become an almost self-contained mini studio, being involved in all aspects of film production. Happy Madison has produced Click, The Benchwarmers, Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Strange Wilderness, The House Bunny, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Zookeeper, Here Comes the Boom and Blended. Sandler has also collaborated with writer Tim Herlihy on the screenplays for Happy Gilmore, Little Nicky, Billy Madison, Big Daddy, and The Waterboy and executive produced Grandma’s Boy, The Animal, Joe Dirt, The Master of Disguise, The Hot Chick and Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo.
Happy Madison Productions also has a deal with Columbia Tri-Star Domestic Television to develop shows for the studio including ABC’s “The Goldbergs,” “Pretend Time” on Comedy Central, “Breaking In” on Fox and the former hit CBS show “Rules of Engagement.” Sandler’s comedy albums on Warner Bros Records have gone multi-platinum. Collectively, they have sold more than six million copies to date. His awards include The People’s Choice, Kids Choice, MTV and Teen Choice awards.
JACK GIARRAPUTO (Producer) is one of Hollywood’s most successful producers. His films have grossed more than $2 billion domestically and over $3 billion worldwide, with 13 films topping the $100-million mark domestically. These films include Grown Ups 2, Just Go With It, Grown Ups, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Bedtime Stories, You Don’t Mess With the Zohan, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Click, The Longest Yard, 50 First Dates, Anger Management, Mr. Deeds, Big Daddy and The Waterboy.
MARTY P. EWING (Executive Producer) began his career as a UPM on films such as The X Files, Face/Off, 2 Days in the Valley, and Jumanji. He collaborated with Robert Zemeckis as the first assistant director on Death Becomes Her and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and was part of the team, led by director James L. Brooks, that won the 1984 DGA Award for Terms of Endearment.
He quickly climbed the ranks, serving as co-producer on Stealing Harvard and Sweet November and associate producer on Almost Famous and The Haunting. He eventually went on to executive produce the critically acclaimed family films Holes and My Dog Skip.
As one of the most sought after line producers in the industry, he has gone on to executive produce commercially successful and critically acclaimed hits, such as Project X, Yes Man, Observe And Report, Blades of Glory, Here Comes the Boom, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, and Ladder 49. Most recently, Ewing produced The Accountant for Gavin O’Connor.
BEN WAISBREN (Executive Producer) is Chairman and President of LSC Film Corporation, which co-finances major motion pictures with Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. He is also an attorney with the international law firm of Winston & Strawn, where he advises clients in the U.S. and Europe in the media & entertainment and finance sectors. His clients include independent production and distribution companies, private equity firms, hedge funds, investment banks and commercial banks.
Earlier in his career, Waisbren was a managing director and head of investment banking restructuring at Salomon Brothers in New York, following a legal career at a large Chicago law firm, Lord, Bissell & Brook, where he led a national bankruptcy litigation practice.
Prior to joining Winston & Strawn in early 2013, Mr. Waisbren was the President of Continental Entertainment Capital LP, a direct subsidiary of Citigroup, with operations in New York, Los Angeles and Paris. Before that, he was a managing director of a global hedge fund company, Stark Investments, where he was a co-portfolio manager in the fixed income and private equity areas, and responsible for investments in the feature film industry, and the formation of the firm’s structured finance fund and a related, branded middle market leveraged lender, Freeport Financial.
Waisbren served as a member of the Board of Directors of France’s Wild Bunch, S.A., a pan-European motion picture production, distribution and sales company, from 2005 until 2009, in connection with private equity investments that he managed.
He was Executive Producer of Warner Bros. Pictures’ 300; Blood Diamond; V for Vendetta; Nancy Drew; The Good German; Poseidon; and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. In addition, he was Executive Producer of the following independent studio releases: Cassandra’s Dream; First Born; Next; Bangkok Dangerous; and Gardener of Eden. For Sony Pictures Entertainment, he served as an executive producer of Columbia Pictures’ 22 Jump Street, Sex Tape, The Equalizer, Fury, and Chappie, and Screen Gems’ The Wedding Ringer.
JEFF SUSSMAN (Executive Producer) is a manager and producer who has been working in comedy for almost 30 years. He recently executive produced Here Comes the Boom, as well as Zookeeper, and the box office hit Paul Blart: Mall Cop, all starring Kevin James. Sussman was an executive producer of the hit CBS/Sony sitcom “The King of Queens,” now syndicated worldwide. He also recently exec produced the TV show “Joe Rogan Questions Everything” for Syfy.
Sussman started his personal management business in 1985 focusing on stand-up comedians. Since then, he has executive produced several comedy specials including “Joe Rogan: Live from the Tabernacle” which can currently be seen on Comedy Central, “Joe Rogan Live,” which aired on Showtime, Joe Rogan’s “Talking Monkeys in Space” for SpikeTV, and “Sweat the Small Stuff” with Kevin James for Comedy Central. Additionally, Sussman was a producer on Joe Rogan’s standup CD “I’m Gonna Be Dead Someday” and an executive producer on the follow-up CD “Shiny Happy Jihad” for Warner Brothers Records and Comedy Central Records, respectively. His other film credits include producing the independent feature, which aired on The Sundance Channel and Showtime Melvin Goes to Dinner, as well as the New Line Cinema feature Grilled.
DEAN SEMLER, ACS ASC (Director of Photography) was born and raised in Renmark, Aboriginal for “Red Mud”, a country town in South Australia. At 17 years old, Semler started his career as a Props Boy at one of Rupert Murdoch’s first television stations in Australia. He had not studied photography, but aspired to shoot film. After about a year of moving scenery around stages, he graduated to operating a live studio camera. After a few years Semler was a fully-fledged News Cameraman using a 16mm Bell and Howell and only black and white film. From then on, he was entirely self-taught. This led to work on current affair shows and documentaries, followed by a nine year stint at Film Australia, the Australian government’s film making body. At Film Australia, he worked on a wide range of films including documentaries, short films, television dramas, and his first full-length feature, Let the Balloon Go. The documentaries included anthropological films used for educational purposes, both with the Australian Aborigines and the tribes in the New Guinea Highlands, which he describes as “an exercise in pure film making.”
Semler earned critical acclaim for his innovative camerawork in a series of early 1980s films, including The Road Warrior, Dead Calm, Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome, and Razor Back, which earned him the prestigious AFI Award.
His US credits include Cocktail, Young Guns, City Slickers, Waterworld, The Bone Collector, Bruce Almighty, The Longest Yard, Get Smart, Secretariat, We Were Soldiers, Apocalypto, In the Land of Blood and Honey, Grudge Match, Heaven Is For Real, and Maleficent. His next project is Netflix’s The Ridiculous Six.
Semler won an Academy Award® and the American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Award for his work on Dances with Wolves. For Apocalypto, Semler was nominated for an American Cinematographer’s Society Outstanding Achievement Award.
In 2002, it was announced that Semler was the recipient of a Member in the General Division of the Order of Australia, appointed by her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, for Services to the Arts, an honor bestowed on him by his fellow countrymen. 2012 saw him receive the lifetime achievement award from the American Society of Cinematographers.
PERRY ANDELIN BLAKE (Production Designer) began his design career after receiving a Master of Architecture degree from Harvard University, where he met noted architect Frank Gehry. After working with Gehry as a design architect for several years, including work on the Chiat/Day ‘Binocular’ building in Venice, California, he opened his own architectural and design firm in Santa Monica. Blake soon began designing not only homes and offices, but also sets for more than 100 commercials for such clients as Coke, Nike and Pepsi.
Blake’s first feature film was Billy Madison, starring Adam Sandler. He went on to design many other Sandler films, including The Wedding Singer, The Waterboy, Click, The Longest Yard, Mr. Deeds, and You Don’t Mess With The Zohan, which was shot in New York, Mexico, Israel and California. He also designed Around the World in 80 Days, starring Jackie Chan, shot in Germany and Thailand. He most collaborated with Sandler on the film Blended, shot in South Africa and Atlanta. His Kevin James movies, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Here Comes the Boom, grossed more than $200M total. Overall, the films Perry Blake has production designed have grossed over $1.5 billion.
Blake’s work also includes such eclectic design projects as the rock and roll stage set for Ozzy Osbourne’s Ozzfest and the animated holiday feature film Adam Sandler’s Eight Crazy Nights. He was the second unit director on many films such as Zookeeper, Blended and The Longest Yard. He made his directorial debut with the Dana Carvey feature The Master of Disguise. Blake’s design work has also been published in numerous magazines and periodicals. He also speaks fluent Spanish.
SCOTT HILL (Film Editor) is a talented editor whose most recent motion picture credits include the comedies Zookeeper and Here Comes the Boom starring Kevin James; Evan Almighty, starring Steve Carell; Accepted, starring Justin Long and Jonah Hill; Monster-in-Law, starring Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda; Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!, starring Kate Bosworth, Topher Grace and Josh Duhamel; Just Married, starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy; and Bruce Almighty, starring Jim Carrey and Steve Carell.
Hill served as first assistant editor and visual effects editor on Dragonfly, Galaxy Quest, Patch Adams, Half Baked, Liar Liar, and The Nutty Professor. He was the first assistant editor on The Ladies Man, and Brokedown Palace.
GENEVIEVE TYRRELL’s (Costume Designer) career began with a bit of Hollywood serendipity and the good fortune to be noticed by the right people. While working on a commercial, Tyrrell was tapped by the producer of the cult classic Swingers which launched her career in the world of indie filmmaking, only then to expand into prominent feature film work. Her work experience has run the gamut from music videos and commercials to episodic television including “Entourage,” “Breaking In,” and “House of Lies” .
Tyrrell counts Freaky Friday and Dukes of Hazzard in her extensive list of film projects. Other releases include; Go, Parental Guidance, You Again, Race to Witch Mountain, The Game Plan, Accepted, Veronica Mars and The Wedding Ringer.
In addition to film, Tyrrell spends her not-so-idle time working with the non-profit, U+ Project, which focuses on helping kids to develop their potential in the art of filmmaking. She lives in Los Angeles with her fan-boy son, Hank.
RUPERT GREGSON-WILLIAMS (Music By) is a British composer who has scored a wide variety of film and television projects, including a number of collaborations with Adam Sandler on the films Blended, Grown Ups 2, Here Comes the Boom, That’s My Boy, Jack and Jill, Just Go With It, Grown Ups, Bedtime Stories, You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Click, and Zookeeper. Other projects include Winter’s Tale, Postman Pat: The Movie, Made of Honor, the animated films Bee Movie and Over the Hedge and on television, “Veep” and “Agatha Raisin: The Quiche of Death.” In 2004, he collaborated with Andrea Guerra to compose the score for the acclaimed true-life drama Hotel Rwanda, for which the composers won the European Film Award. He also composed the score for the British television series “The Prisoner.”
Gregson-Williams has also created the scores for such feature films as the teen comedy What a Girl Wants, the biographical comedy-drama The Night We Called It a Day, Crime Spree, Plots with a View, Thunderpants, Virtual Sexuality, and Urban Ghost Story.
He has also collaborated with composer Hans Zimmer on a number of animated and live-action features.