McSaddle To Direct "Trade Off"

McSaddle To Direct 9/11 Romantic Comedy

Braff and Portman Rumored To Play Leads
News Release • For Immediate Release • December 15, 2007 • Contact: Peppermint Gomez PGomez2@MeatCurtain.Net

New York, NY - Today The Weinstein Company in association with Dimensions Films announced that D. James McSaddle will write and direct Trade Off , an action oriented romantic comedy that takes place in New York City on the day of the 9/11 attacks. McSaddle will begin principal photography after he wraps up the promotional tour of She’s So Easy A Caveman Could Do Her.

"The Weinstein's have a history of getting behind projects that push the envelope, and I am proud to be part of that film making tradition", said McSaddle of the company. He added "These are the guys who said yes to Pulp Fiction and Fahrenheit 9/11".

Rumors are abound that the two leads will be played by Zach Braff and Natalie Portman in their first team up since 2004's Garden State. "We don't have talks with the actors finalized, but I can say that this film isn't going to be a Garden State reunion ala Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks starring in Sleepless In Seattle and then doing a virtually identical movie called You've Got Mail years later. The tone of this film is totally different than anything most actors have tackled". Said McSaddle while chasing a cat around the room. He added, “It’s not my cat, I don’t even like cats that much, it belongs to my flatmate.”

The film will tell the story of Aliza Shamir, an Israeli secret agent and Roscoe Kallis, a New York City firefighter.

Aliza is sent by her government to remove evidence from the rubble of the World Trade Center that would serve as proof that the collapse of the towers was caused by a series of deliberate controlled explosions. If such evidence were found it would reveal that the mission was ordered from the highest levels of Israeli Government in an effort to rally the United States and the Bush Administration around the cause of defeating Israel's enemies in the Muslim world.

"It's a romance set to the backdrop of the burning Reichstag.” said McSaddle. Adding, "Roscoe discovers that this woman he met just that morning before the attacks is removing and destroying debris from the site. He has a choice between exposing her and revealing the truth to the world, or helping her and having a shot at true love.

"We already have a strong distribution agreement in Europe and Saudi Arabia, based on the script". McSaddle told Variety Magazine.

Trade Off is set for release in the summer of 2009.

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