Echelon Studios acquires The Opera Game
May 21, 2024
Echelon Studios has captured the global rights to The Opera Game, a hidden-figure story starring Clarke Peters (The Wire), Blaine Kern III (The Walking Dead) and Evan Daigle (Daisy Jones & The Six). Directed by Monty Ross (Malcolm X), Marshall Woodworth (We Are the Beginning), and Wendy Fleetwood (Woman Thou Art Loosed), and penned by Ken Mask and Simeon Barrett Marsalis, the film will be released on VOD later this year.
Set in 1850s New Orleans, the film examines the brilliant but tortured life of chess prodigy Paul Morphy, detailing the champion’s legendary rise in the face of family strife, sibling rivalry, and personal uncertainty. With undertones of political and sociological troubles of the impending Civil War, we see Morphy’s journey unfold — from struggling with the surrounding players in his early life, to the historical chess match against amateurs German noble Karl II, Duke of Brunswick, and French aristocrat Comte Isouard de Vauvenargues.
Paul Morphy was known as ‘The Pride and Sorrow of Chess’ for his sensational, but all too brief chess career, and acknowledged during this time as the world’s greatest chess master. The Opera Game itself is analyzed around the world for its brilliance and strategic authenticity.
The film also stars Peyton Wich (Stranger Things), Brian Stapf (Outer Banks), Michael Patrick Lane (Tyler Perry’s Ruthless), and Brad Blanchard (Where the Crawdads Sing).
In a statement announcing the acquisition, President of Licensing and Logistics at Echelon Studios, Sandro Gohoho, said: “We are thrilled to be able to share this remarkable story with audiences. The Opera Game offers a captivating narrative and thought-provoking commentary on the life of a genius during a time of turmoil, which the standout cast, and crew sensitively bring to life.”
Writer and producer Ken Mask recently took to the stage for the Cannes Louisiana Day at Film USA panel, where his latest film was among the nominees for the Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase Best Documentary.