Cassian Elwes

Cassian Elwes (born 7 August 1959) is a British independent film producer and talent agent.

Early life and education Cassian Elwes was born on 7 August 1959 in London. He is the son of Dominic Elwes, a portrait painter, and Tessa Kennedy, an interior designer. Cassian is the elder brother of actor Cary Elwes and artist Damian Elwes. Cassian is the stepson of Elliott Kastner, an American film producer.

Career Cassian Elwes began his producing career with 1984's Oxford Blues starring Rob Lowe and Ally Sheedy; he has continued enjoying success in film. His earlier roles include Men at Work with Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen, The Chase with Charlie Sheen, Kristy Swanson, and Henry Rollins; as well as The Dark Backward with Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, and Rob Lowe. In 1989 he produced the independent film Never on Tuesday which featured a cast of cameos including Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Judd Nelson, Nicolas Cage, and Cary Elwes.

The Hollywood Reporter has said that Cassian Elwes was "involved in a virtual who's who of every great independent film of the last ten years" with films such as Thank You for Smoking, Half Nelson, and Frozen River (the last two of which garnered Oscar nominations for Ryan Gosling and Melissa Leo respectively).

Elwes ventured briefly into writing and directing films with the low budget 1993 independent film Blue Flame starring former child actor Kerri Green. The film was critically panned and effectively ended Green's career. His next venture came in the 2023 drama Passenger C, an independent film recreating Elwes's own experience with an unruly airline passenger and the emotional aftermath he experienced.

"What people lose sight of," Elwes said to Screen International, "is that these films cost a tenth of the films that they competed against at the Academy Awards. The privilege was the recognition."

Elwes is an expert in the field of arranging financing and distribution for independent films having done so for 283 films during his tenure at William Morris Independent.

Since leaving William Morris Independent, Elwes has been involved in arranging financing and distribution for 23 films including Lawless, directed by John Hillcoat, (The Road), starring Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy, and the thriller The Paperboy, directed by Lee Daniels (Precious), starring Matthew McConaughey and Zac Efron. Elwes produced the period drama The Butler, which was directed by Lee Daniels and featured an ensemble cast, including Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Terrence Howard, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber, and Robin Williams among others.

Additionally, he produced Dallas Buyers Club starring Matthew McConaughey and Jennifer Garner; Ain't Them Bodies Saints starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster; and Hateship, Loveship starring Kristen Wiig, Guy Pearce, Hailee Steinfeld, and Nick Nolte.

On 29 October 2013, Elwes launched the Cassian Elwes Independent Screenwriter Fellowship, in conjunction with The Black List, to award one writer an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2014 Sundance Film Festival and mentorship from Elwes. Elwes and The Black List award the fellowship annually.

William Morris years From 1994 to 2009, he co-headed William Morris Independent as an agent at The William Morris Agency, representing independent films and independent film producers; a position he held until the agency merged with Endeavor.

Filmography Year Title Role Director With Rotten Tomatoes 1984 Oxford Blues Producer Robert Boris Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy, Amanda Pays, Julian Sands, Cary Elwes, Chad Lowe, Michael Gough, Gail Strickland, Aubrey Morris1986 Nomads Producer John McTiernan Pierce Brosnan, Lesley-Anne Down, Adam Ant, Frances Bay 13% Heat Producer Dick RichardsJerry Jameson Burt Reynolds, Karen Young, Peter MacNicol, Howard Hesseman, Diana Scarwid 1987 White of the Eye Producer Donald Cammell David Keith, Cathy Moriarty 33% Zombie High Executive producer Ron Link Virginia Madsen, Paul Feig, Sherilyn Fenn 1988 Jack's Back Producer Rowdy Herrington James Spader1989 Never on Tuesday Executive producer Adam Rifkin Peter Berg, Nicolas Cage, Claudia Christian, Charlie Sheen, Judd Nelson, Emilio Estevez, Cary Elwes Warm Summer Rain Executive producer Joe Gayton Cold Feet Producer Robert Dornhelm Keith Carradine, Sally Kirkland, Tom Waits, Rip Torn Psycho Cop Producer Wallace Potts 1990 Cool Blue Co-Producer Mark MullinRichard Shepard Woody Harrelson, Hank Azaria, Sean Penn Men at Work Producer Emilio Estevez Charlie Sheen, Emilio Estevez, Keith David, Leslie Hope 30% 1991 9 1/2 Ninjas! Executive producer Aaron Barsky The Dark Backward Producer Adam Rifkin Judd Nelson, Bill Paxton, Wayne Newton, James Caan, Rob Lowe, Lara Flynn Boyle, Wayne Newton, Claudia Christian 45% Liquid Dreams Executive producer Mark S. Manos Mom Executive producer Patrick Rand 1992 Love Is Like That Executive producer Jill Goldman Seymour Cassel Leather Jackets Producer Lee Drysdale Bridget Fonda, D.B. Sweeney, Cary Elwes, Chris Penn, James LeGros, Jon Polito Mad at the Moon Producer Martin Donovan Fionnula Flanagan 1993 Psycho Cop 2 Executive producer Adam Rifkin 1994 The Chase Producer Adam Rifkin Charlie Sheen, Kristy Swanson, Henry Rollins, Cary Elwes, Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Claudia Christian, Ray Wise 29% The Cool Surface Executive producer Erik Anjou Robert Patrick, Teri Hatcher Frank and Jesse Producer Robert Boris Rob Lowe, Bill Paxton, Randy Travis, Alexis Arquette, William Atherton, Sean Patrick Flanery A Brilliant Disguise Executive producer Nick Vallelonga 1995 Deep Down Producer John Travers The Girl with the Hungry Eyes Executive producer Jon Jacobs 2005 What Is It? Executive producer Crispin Glover 56% 2009 The Other Woman Executive producer Don Roos Natalie Portman, Lisa Kudrow 39% 2010 Blue Valentine Co-executive producer Derek Cianfrance Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams 87% Henry's Crime Executive producer Malcolm Venville Keanu Reeves, James Caan, Vera Farmiga 40% The Big Bang Executive producer Tony Krantz Antonio Banderas, Snoop Dogg 13% 2011 Margin Call Executive producer J.C. Chandor Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore, Mary McDonnell 88% The Son of No One Executive producer Dito Montiel Channing Tatum, Tracy Morgan, Katie Holmes, Ray Liotta, Juliette Binoche, Al Pacino 16% Cats Dancing on Jupiter Executive producer Jordan Alan Sarah Palin: You Betcha! Producer Nick BroomfieldJoan Churchill 30% Catch .44 Executive producer Aaron Harvey Malin Åkerman, Forest Whitaker, Bruce Willis 2012 The Words Executive producer Brian KlugmanLee Sternthal Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldaña, Olivia Wilde, Jeremy Irons, Ben Barnes, Dennis Quaid, J. K. Simmons 22% Lawless Executive producer John Hillcoat Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke, Jessica Chastain, Guy Pearce, Mia Wasikowska, Gary Oldman 67% The Paperboy Producer Lee Daniels Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray, John Cusack, Nicole Kidman 43% Generation Um... Executive producer Mark Mann Keanu Reeves 0% Stolen Executive producer Simon West Nicolas Cage, Malin Åkerman, Bruce Willis 16% 2013 Ain't Them Bodies Saints Producer David Lowery Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Ben Foster 81% All Is Lost Executive producer J. C. Chandor Robert Redford 94% The Butler Producer Lee Daniels Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Mariah Carey, Terrence Howard, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Lenny Kravitz, Robin Williams, Liev Schreiber, John Cusack, Alan Rickman, Jane Fonda 73% Dallas Buyers Club Executive producer Jean-Marc Vallée Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, Jared Leto, Steve Zahn 94% 2014 She's Funny That Way Executive producer Peter Bogdanovich Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Imogen Poots, Kathryn Hahn, Will Forte, Rhys Ifans, Cybill Shepherd, Ahna O'Reilly, Joanna Lumley, Lucy Punch A Case of You Executive producer Kat Coiro Justin Long, Evan Rachel Wood, Sam Rockwell, Sienna Miller, Brendan Fraser, Vince Vaughn, Peter Dinklage 40% Hateship, Loveship Producer Liza Johnson Kristen Wiig, Hailee Steinfeld, Guy Pearce, Christine Lahti 57% Reach Me Producer John Herzfeld Sylvester Stallone, Kyra Sedgwick, Thomas Jane, Tom Berenger, Cary Elwes, Kelsey Grammer, Danny Trejo, Danny Aiello, Tom Sizemore Parts per Billion Executive producer Brian Horiuchi Josh Hartnett, Rosario Dawson, Teresa Palmer, Penn Badgley, Gena Rowlands Black and White Executive producer Mike Binder Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer We'll Never Have Paris Executive producer Simon HelbergJocelyn Towne Melanie Lynskey, Simon Helberg, Zachary Quinto, Maggie Grace Midnight Man Executive producer Rob Kennedy Theo Executive producer Ezna Sands Shreveport Executive producer Ryan Phillippe Ryan Phillippe Shelter Executive producer Paul Bettany Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Mackie I Origins Co-executive producer Mike Cahill Michael Pitt, Brit Marling Burying the Ex Executive producer Joe Dante Anton Yelchin, Alexandra Daddario2015 Queen of the Desert Producer Werner Herzog Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattinson Submerged Executive producer Steven C. Miller Talullah Riley The Knife Thrower Executive producer Terry Nemeroff Jason Flemyng, Lars Mikkelsen, Patrick Bauchau, Peter Stormare, Ray Winstone, Til Schweiger, Jon Gries Knock Knock Executive producer Eli Roth Keanu Reeves, Lorenza Izzo, Ana de Armas 2016 Elvis & Nixon Producer Liza Johnson 2017 Mudbound Producer Dee Rees Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan 97% 2018 The Con Is On Producer James Oakley Siberia Executive producer Matthew Ross 7% Billionaire Boys Club Producer James Cox 13% 2020 The Last Thing He Wanted Producer Dee Rees 2021 Crisis Producer Nicholas Jarecki Best Sellers Producer Lina Roessler Violet Executive producer Justine Bateman2022 9 Bullets Producer Gigi Gaston Medieval Producer Petr Jákl 2023 Desperation Road Producer Nadine Crocker Garrett Hedlund, Mel Gibson 2025 Hurricanna Producer Francesca Gregorini Sylvia Hoeks, Holly Hunter, Mark Duplass, Nicholas Hamilton, Kevin Sussman, Michael Nouri Bride Hard Producer Simon West Dead Man's Wire Producer Gus Van Sant

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