Mom: Arlington Road’s Mark Pellington to direct human trafficking revenge thriller

Roundtable Entertainment has announced that they’re teaming up with director Mark Pellington – whose credits include Arlington Road, The Mothman Prophecies, Henry Poole Is Here, The Last Word, The Severing, and Survive, among many other projects – for the adrenaline-fueled human trafficking revenge thriller Mom.

Scripted by Brent Jordan, Mom tells the compelling story of a single mother embarking on a daring cross-country rescue mission, piecing together clues in the search for her teenage daughter who has fallen victim to the horrors of human trafficking.

Casting Director Lisa Zagoria, who assembled the cast for the Best Picture winner CODA, will be handling the casting of this film as well.

Pellington had this to say about the project: “Mom is a fast-moving story of protection and revenge. The film explores the true price of violence and the cost of justice, when an ordinary mom is pushed to an extraordinary place. This is a muscular, intense dramatic thriller with a commanding lead role that is emotional, relatable, and grounded. I’m hungry and humble and super pleased to be collaborating with Roundtable on this piece. From Arlington Road to Pearl Jam’s “Jeremy”, I love to create intense dark action with emotional power and a brain and feel that Mom continues in that thrilling lineage of my work.“

Roundtable CEO Dominic Ianno added, “Roundtable looks to build franchises behind commercial product. Mom has all the makings of a female version of Taken and is an important story to bring to the world. I had the privilege of being involved with Larysa Kondracki’s The Whistleblower (Rachel Weisz) and this story shows another side happening right here in the U.S.“

Roundtable’s Head of Scripted John Baldecchi will be producing the film while Ianno and Pellington serve as executive producers alongside Jason Resnick, Sarah Donnelly, and Gabe Torres. Baldecchi provided the following statement: “We had been looking to do a movie that felt like a throwback to a movie like Rolling Thunder – something real, gritty and of the moment; we were thrilled that Gabe Torres brought us this harrowing tale which is based on true events – and straight out of screenwriter Brent Jordan’s life experience. And Mark is the ideal partner for the material.“

And Donnelly, who is Roundtable’s Head of Production, said, “Mark is a prolific filmmaker who has a profound understanding of the human experience. As a director, his unique ability to tell morally complex stories and handle delicate material with a masterful touch is exactly why we are so excited to work with him on Mom. In Mark’s capable hands, Mom will be a truly entertaining film, with enough realism and grit to keep this incredibly timely story grounded in the harsh reality of human trafficking and a mother’s fight to save her child.“

The press release announcing the project notes that “Over 27 million people worldwide can be classified as victims of human trafficking, this staggering number disproportionately impacting females, according to Human Trafficking Courts. The U.S. may be responsible for hundreds of thousands of these cases where women and girls are kidnapped and sold for profit. The few that do survive the horrors of human trafficking are too often not empowered to come forward due to trauma and fear or a lack of available resources. Mom shines a spotlight on the horrific victimization of the innocent and the courage of those who step up to help.“

Mark Pellington directing a thriller that shines a spotlight on a real world issue while also drawing comparisons to the likes of Taken and Rolling Thunder sounds like a great project to me. I look forward to seeing how this is going to turn out.

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