Fanning sisters launch prodco

Elle Fanning stars alongside Nicholas Hoult in The Great

US actor sisters Dakota and Elle Fanning have launched their own production company called Lewellen Pictures.

On top of the launch, they have also signed a first-look TV deal with Civic Center Media and MRC Television, the prodcos behind Hulu series The Great, which Elle Fanning stars in and exec produces.

Lewellen Pictures will develop feature films and TV series, as well as podcasts. Its first project under the first-look deal is a series adaptation of Megan Miranda’s crime thriller novel The Last Guest House, about a woman whose best friend dies under suspicious circumstances while on her summer vacation.

Australian screenwriter Sarah Walker (The Secrets She Keeps) is attached to write and exec produce the series, with the Fanning siblings also exec producing alongside Echo Lake Entertainment’s partner Brittany Kahan Ward and president of production Mary Jane Skalski.

Elle Fanning’s other recent credits include Bleecker Street’s drama film The Roads Not Taken and Netflix’s teen romantic drama film All the Bright Places, both of which were released in early 2020.

Dakota Fanning appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 comedy-drama film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood and was recently cast in Showtime’s upcoming anthology drama series The First Lady.

“We are thrilled to be launching this company together and to be teaming up with MRC who have been excellent partners on The Great. Our goal is to tell stories, through comedy and drama, which are authentic to the human experience, and not just from our own perspective,” the Fannings said.

“We also want to create content that we wouldn’t be able to make just as actors. We can learn so much when we look outside our specific points of view. We have been fortunate to work with many brilliant storytellers and hope to continue that track while also providing opportunities for many more.”