Richard Johns Launches Argo Films

British producer Richard Johns, whose credits include Shadow of a Vampire, has set up Argo Films.

The new indie has been established to produce a new generation of smart, ambitious, original film and TV projects with established and high-profile creative talent and to find and nurture the next generation of outstanding new voices within the industry.

Argo Films will also be home to the scripted assets and development projects from Corona Pictures and Corona Television, the businesses Johns established with Rupert Jermyn in 2009.

Argo Films launches with a slate of TV series and feature films already in development, including several international drama co-productions, some paid for by broadcasters.

Scripted TV projects include a soon-to-be-announced landmark drama, a limited series about family and identity based on real events and an original dramedy series from screenwriter Daniel Hayes (Vs.) that follows a young woman, an outsider, struggling to decide which tribe she most aligns with in life.

Features in the pipeline include a new work from iconic film director E. Elias Merhige.

Johns recently completed a short film for Disney+ under the Argo Films banner: The Shepherd, starring John Travolta and Ben Radcliffe (Anatomy of a Scandal).

Johns, Argo Films’ founder and CEO, commented: “It’s truly exciting to officially announce the launch of Argo Films, especially as the projects already well underway speak volumes about my ambition for the company and the amazing creative collaborators I am so lucky to work with every day. Argo is about taking risks. There’s plenty of safe stuff out there already, and that’s not me: I am passionate about creating ‘filmic TV’ that breaks new ground. Argo will always be authentic, distinctive, and diverse in every sense of the word – successfully crossing conventional boundaries. I also have a soft spot for finely crafted limited series, so expect to see a number of these in future announcements!”

Johns continued: “I’ve worked all over the world on numerous big international projects, but the wealth of talent we have in the UK, especially tucked away in the regions, is incredible. With Argo, I am on a mission to find and nurture new voices who can help create surprising original content, and I’m diving deep into the regions on my quest. Rural areas, in particular, are always overlooked, and I am excited to have already identified fresh new writers with unique perspectives on my home turf in East Anglia.”