Surrogates

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Executive Producer

Elizabeth Banks

Bio

ELIZABETH BANKS marks her first foray into the production ranks with “Surrogates,â€� which she developed with her husband, producer Max Handelman, who optioned the graphic novel after discovering it on the Internet.

Together, Banks and Handelman head Brownstone Productions, whose current slate of projects includes the film adaptation of Ann Rowe Seaman’s nonfiction book, “America’s Most Hated Woman: The Life and Gruesome Death of Madalyn Murray O’Hairâ€�; “Expedition Six,â€� which is based on Chris Jones’ book about a trio of astronauts stranded on the International Space Station following the Space Shuttle Columbia explosion in 2003; the romantic comedy “What About Barb,â€� which is about a socialite who allows her cousin to be her maid-of-honor so her wealthy uncle will pay for the wedding; and “Pitch Perfect,â€� a comedy set in the world of competitive collegiate a cappella singing. Most recently, they began work on “Forever 21,â€� a film developed for Banks at DreamWorks.

In addition to her role as film producer, Banks’ career in front of the cameras over the past few years has marked her as one of Hollywood’s emerging talents. She first won acclaim for her starring role of Marcela Howard opposite Jeff Bridges and Toby Maguire in the Oscar®- nominated “Seabiscuitâ€� (sharing a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Best Ensemble Cast).

The year prior, she appeared opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can,â€� which followed on the heels of her performance as journalist Betty Brant in Sam Raimi’s record-setting blockbuster, “Spider-Man.â€� Raimi created the role specifically for the actress, who reprised the character in his two hit sequels, “Spider-Man 2â€� and “Spider-Man 3.â€� She continued to score at the box office as a playful bookstore employee who seduces Steve Carell’s “40-Year-Old Virgin,â€� the Judd Apatow comedy hit of 2005.

More recently, Banks starred along with Ryan Reynolds and Rachel Weisz in the romantic comedy “Definitely, Maybe,â€� Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti in the holiday comedy “Fred Claus,â€� Eddie Murphy in the sci-fi comedy “Meet Dave,â€� David Strathairn in “The Uninvited,â€� a remake of the cult Korean horror film, the holiday fable “Lovely, Stillâ€� with Oscar® winners Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn, Kevin Smith’s new comedy “Zack and Miri Make a Pornoâ€� with Seth Rogen; and the romantic comedy “Mentors,â€� reuniting with co-star Paul Rudd. She most recently won acclaim as First Lady Laura Bush opposite Josh Brolin in Oliver Stone’s new biopic, “W.â€�

Other motion picture credits include the inspirational football drama “Invincible,â€� the horror/comedy “Slither,â€� the Merchant/Ivory drama “Heights,â€� “The Baxterâ€� with Rudd and Peter Dinklage, “The Sistersâ€� (from Anton Chekov’s “Three Sistersâ€�) with Maria Bello and Erica Christensen, and Guy Ritchie’s remake of “Swept Away.â€�

Equally busy on the small screen, Banks continues her recurring role of Dr. Kim Griggs, physician J.D.’s (Zach Braff) love interest, on NBC’s quirky hit comedy, “Scrubs.â€� She recently co-starred opposite Val Kilmer and Steve Zahn in the CBS miniseries “Comanche Moonâ€� (the prequel to “Lonesome Doveâ€�) and has also guest-starred on such series as “Third Watch,â€� “Sex and the City,â€� “Law & Order: SVUâ€� and “Without a Trace.â€�

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts native is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania who later received her M.F.A. from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. Her stage career includes two famous regional playhouses—Minneapolis’ renowned Guthrie Theater, where she appeared in Williams’ “Summer and Smoke,â€� and the Williamstown Theatre Festival (in her home state) in Inge’s memorable drama “Bus Stop.â€�

Executive Producer- Job Description

The credit given to someone who either contributes or raises the majority of finaces for a production or is responsible for creative input such as writing the screenplay.