Well, it looks like disney is accelerating the production of DCOMs again. They’ve just announced another one, Lemonade Mouth, based on the book from Mark Peter Hughes.
Official Disney Press Release Follows:
PATRICIA RIGGEN SET TO DIRECT “LEMONADE MOUTH,”
A MUSIC-DRIVEN DISNEY CHANNEL ORIGINAL MOVIEAward-winning film director Patricia Riggen, who directed the critically acclaimed “La Misma Luna” (aka “Under the Same Moon”) and this week presents her short film, “Revolución” at Critics’ Week in Cannes, will direct the music-driven “Lemonade Mouth,” a Disney Channel Original Movie.
The “Lemonade Mouth” script was written by April Blair based on the popular novel by Mark Peter Hughes. Executive-produced by Debra Martin Chase (“Just Wright,” “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants,” Disney Channel’s “The Cheetah Girls” movies), it will begin production in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in July.
In making the announcement, Ms. Martin Chase said: “Having Patricia at the helm of this movie is a dream come true for me and a testament to the climate Disney Channel creates for a flow of new ideas, interesting talent, creative risk-taking and willingness to explore new areas — all essential for our business.”
A native of Guadalajara, Ms. Riggen worked as a newspaper journalist in Mexico, then as a photographer, before moving to New York City to attend Columbia University’s Masters Film program, where she pursued her interests in screenwriting, producing and directing. Her first documentary was 2002’s “La Milpa,” followed by 2004’s “Family Portrait,” which won the Short Filmmaking Award at Sundance and the Best Documentary Award at the Aspen Film Festival.
Riggen’s “La Misma Luna” premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was quickly acquired for worldwide distribution by Fox Searchlight and The Weinstein Company. It was released theatrically as “Under the Same Moon” in March 2008, setting records for a Spanish language film opening in the U.S. It is the third-highest grossing Mexican film of all time in the U.S. and the fifth in its own country.
Casting is underway for “Lemonade Mouth,” a script about five teens from different walks of life who meet in detention and go on to form the greatest high school garage band ever. The ensemble features Olivia on vocals, Stella on electric guitar, Wen on keyboards, Charlie on percussion and Mohini on bass guitar, and their wide-ranging music, from pop to rock and hip hop to soul, ultimately brings them together as friends and inspires their classmates to speak up and be heard.
The over 80 titles in the Disney Channel Original Movie franchise are the ratings success stories around the world. In the U.S., across all basic cable, the DCOM franchise has produced basic cable’s #1 movie with Kids 6-11 and/or Tweens from 2002-09 (“Cadet Kelly,” “The Cheetah Girls,” “Halloweentown High,” “Twitches,” “The Cheetah Girls 2,” “High School Musical 2,” “Camp Rock” and “Wizards of Waverly Place The Movie,” respectively).