Argo’s Richard Johns & director E. Elias Merhige launch Promethean Pictures

Howl

British producer Richard Johns, founder of Argo Films, has partnered with US director E. Elias Merhige to launch Promethean Pictures, a new UK-based production outfit.

Merhige and Johns first worked together as director and producer on the 2000 feature film Shadow of the Vampire, with Merhige also having directed 2004’s Suspect Zero and the 1991 film Begotten.

Johns has recently concluded filming The Shepherd starring John Travolta for Disney+ and his Argo Films is developing the limited series Biafra with a team that includes actor David Oyelowo. He is also working on a slate of projects with Sympatico partner Min Lim of Double Vision in Malaysia.

“Promethean Pictures will be targeting mainstream commercial audiences with its projects but with Elias in the mix, these projects will be anything but ordinary,” revealed Johns.

The firm launches with a slate of TV and film projects in development, the first of which is feature film Howl. Written by Christopher Monger, with Doug Allan on board as cinematographer, the drama tells the story of Harry, a friendly family dog that inadvertently gets left at home during an extreme winter after his owners die in a car crash.

Told from Harry’s point of view, he goes through a rollercoaster survival ride, until he meets his greatest challenge, an orphaned wolf-cub. Eventually, they overcome their mutual fear and suspicion and learn to cooperate and collaborate, becoming the closet of friends.