DEADLINE
James Farrell Sets Red Sage Studios As Name For His New YA Company, Unveils Initial Feature Slate
EXCLUSIVE: James Farrell, the former head of Amazon MGM Studios International, has announced Red Sage Studios as the name of his new production company, focused on premium young adult feature storytelling, unveiling his initial slate.
Red Sage Studios will operate in partnership with Sun Distribution Group, with Farrell serving as CEO. The companies are targeting IP with passionate, built-in fanbases across both traditional publishing and prominent digital platforms like Wattpad Webtoon. Many of the stories in development span multiple books, allowing for long-term, multi-film storytelling and sustained creative partnerships with authors and filmmakers.
“The years between being a kid and becoming an adult are some of the most emotionally heightened moments of life, yet they are rarely centered on screen. The best young adult stories endure because they capture love, conflict, humor, and self-discovery at their most intense,” Farrell told Deadline. “Red Sage was built to serve that space with stories that are universal and appeal to broad audiences that same way that all the most memorable YA stories do. I can’t wait audiences to watch the work of these authors come to life.”
Among the books on Red Sage’s initial live-action film slate is The Bridge Kingdom, the first installment in a six-part, New York Times bestselling romantasy series from Danielle L. Jensen.
Second on the docket is She’s With Me, based on the Wattpad series by Jessica Cunsolo, which has amassed more than 215 million reads on the platform and is being developed for film in collaboration with Webtoon Productions. The story follows Amelia Collins, a high school senior determined to stay invisible after relocating yet again, as she hides from a dangerous past that threatens to catch up with her.
Thirdly, there’s Let’s Play, based on the Eisner-nominated and Ringo Award-winning romance webcomic by Leeanne M. Krecic, published by Rocketship Entertainment and available exclusively on Tapas. Following a young woman navigating love for the first time, the webcomic is one of the most popular of all time in the romance genre, having amassed more than 7.5 million subscribers and over 700 million views.
We were first to report on Farrell’s exit from Amazon to launch his YA banner early last year. Spending around a decade at Amazon, he was named Head of International Originals in 2018 as Prime Video ramped up its work in the international film and TV originals space. Prior to Amazon, Farrell held senior executive roles at Sony Pictures Entertainment and 20th Century Fox, working prior to that on Wall Street at Bear, Stearns.
A Latin American film rights distributorS based in Uruguay, Sun Distribution Group has worked on the distribution of such acclaimed recent films as Nuremberg and Splitsville.
“Sun’s global perspective and seasoned experience in bringing some of the biggest YA stories to an international audience aligns perfectly with our mission,” Farrell said.
Red Sage Studios is represented by CAA. The rights deal for The Bridge Kingdom was negotiated by Hotchkiss Daily & Associates on behalf of Tamar Rydzinski at Context Literary Agency. Let’s Play author Krecic is repped by Matthew Sugarman of Weintraub Tobin and Tom Akel of Akel Entertainment.