Red Granite Pictures

Red Granite Pictures
IndustryFilm
Founded2010; 16 years ago (2010)
FounderRiza Aziz
Joey McFarland
Defunct2018; 8 years ago (2018)
FateClosed after 1MDB scandal
HeadquartersWest Hollywood, California
ProductsMotion pictures
DivisionsRed Granite International
Websiteredgranitepictures.com

Red Granite Pictures was an American film production and distribution company, co-founded by Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland in 2010. Its productions included The Wolf of Wall Street and Dumb and Dumber To. It was dissolved in 2018 after being implicated in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad corruption scandal, having been financially backed by the scandal's key figure, Jho Low.

History

Red Granite Pictures made its debut with Friends with Kids, a romantic comedy written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt. It then co-produced the thriller Out of the Furnace and produced the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, which was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture (see § Accolades). The Wolf of Wall Street was directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie and Jonah Hill. The film is based on the memoir of the same name by former stockbroker Jordan Belfort. Red Granite Pictures then produced films such as Dumb and Dumber To and the 2017 film Papillon, which was based on the best-selling autobiography by the French convict Henri Charrière.

The producers of the 1994 film Dumb and Dumber claimed Red Granite Pictures pushed them out of producing the 2014 sequel. On July 16, 2014, plaintiffs withdrew their racketeering claim with prejudice, meaning it could not be refiled, which was characterized as a strong suggestion that the lawsuit underlying it had been settled. On July 18, 2014, a request for dismissal was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and the case was officially settled. The announcement of the settlement lists the plaintiffs as executive producers, and all claims of racketeering made against Red Granite, Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland were withdrawn. The plaintiffs said in a statement, “We apologize for naming Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland as individual defendants rather than just Red Granite.”

1MDB scandal

Red Granite Pictures was caught up in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal: the company was financially backed by the scandal's central figure, Jho Low, with funds allegedly stolen from 1MDB. In 2016, the FBI issued subpoenas to several past and present employees of the company in regard to allegations that US$155 million was diverted from 1MDB to help finance the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, where Jho Low had been given "Special Thanks" in the credits. Red Granite Pictures, whose co-founder and chairman Riza Aziz is the stepson of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, denied any wrongdoing. However, in March 2018, Red Granite Pictures agreed to pay $60 million to the US government in order to settle a civil lawsuit alleging that its movies were funded in part by money siphoned from 1MDB. The company ceased operations in 2018. Co-founder Joey McFarland left in late 2018 and later formed McFarland Entertainment.

Filmography

Feature films

Year Title Director Co-production with Distributor(s) Notes
2012 Friends with Kids Jennifer Westfeldt Points West Pictures
Locomotive		 Lionsgate
Roadside Attractions		 First film
2013 Out of the Furnace Scott Cooper Scott Free Productions
Appian Way Productions		 Relativity Media
2013 The Wolf of Wall Street Martin Scorsese Appian Way Productions
Sikelia Productions
EMJAG Productions		 Paramount Pictures
(United States, Canada and Japan)
Universal Pictures
(select European territories)		 5 Academy Award nominations; see § Accolades
2014 The Bag Man David Grovic Cinedigm
TinRes Entertainment		 Cinedigm
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
2014 Horns Alexandre Aja Mandalay Pictures Dimension Films
RADiUS-TWC
2014 Dumb and Dumber To Peter and Bobby Farrelly New Line Cinema
Conundrum Entertainment		 Universal Pictures
2014 Dying of the Light Paul Schrader Grindstone Entertainment Group Lionsgate
2015 Daddy's Home Sean Anders Gary Sanchez Productions Paramount Pictures
2017 Papillon Michael Noer Czech Anglo Productions
Ram Bergman Productions
FishCorb Films		 Bleecker Street Final film before closure

Accolades

The Wolf of Wall Street was Red Granite's most honored production. Its Producers Guild of America nomination credited Riza Aziz, Joey McFarland and Emma Tillinger Koskoff as the film's producers.

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Academy AwardsBest PictureThe Wolf of Wall StreetNominated
Best DirectorMartin ScorseseNominated
Best ActorLeonardo DiCaprioNominated
Best Supporting ActorJonah HillNominated
Best Adapted ScreenplayTerence WinterNominated
Golden Globe AwardsBest Motion Picture – Musical or ComedyThe Wolf of Wall StreetNominated
Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or ComedyLeonardo DiCaprioWon
British Academy Film AwardsBest DirectionMartin ScorseseNominated
Best Actor in a Leading RoleLeonardo DiCaprioNominated
Best Adapted ScreenplayTerence WinterNominated
Best EditingThelma SchoonmakerNominated
Producers Guild of America AwardsBest Theatrical Motion PictureRiza Aziz, Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Joey McFarlandNominated

References

  1. ↑ Goldstein, Gregg (November 8, 2011). "Red Granite Pictures: Duo combine investment savvy with creative juice". Variety.
  2. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (May 22, 2012). "Red Granite Pictures Riza Aziz and Joey McFarland on Scorsese's "Wolf of Wall Street"". The Hollywood Reporter.
  3. ↑ "'Dumb and Dumber' Producers Fire Back". Entertainment Law Digest. July 23, 2013. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  4. ↑ "'Wolf of Wall Street' Financier Gets Racketeering Claim Dropped". The Hollywood Reporter. July 16, 2014.
  5. ↑ Johnson, Ted (July 19, 2014). "Red Granite, 'Dumb and Dumber' Producers Settle Dispute Over Sequel". Variety.
  6. ↑ "Red Granite: What Lies Ahead for the Embattled Company With Its Sales Arm Gone?". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
  7. ↑ "The Secret Money Behind 'The Wolf of Wall Street'". The Wall Street Journal. April 1, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Malaysia's 1MDB refutes report that it financed 'Wolf of Wall Street': Statement". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on January 25, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  9. ↑ "FBI probes 1MDB-Red Granite US$155m financing claim – WSJ". The Edge Markets.
  10. ↑ "Malaysia's mega-scandal: Switzerland widens its enquiries into Malaysia's 1MDB". The Economist. April 14, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  11. ↑ Iyengar, Rishi. "'Wolf of Wall Street' maker settles US lawsuit for $60 million". CNNMoney. Archived from the original on March 7, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Red Granite Pictures to Pay $60 Million to U.S. Government in Malaysian Corruption Case". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  13. ↑ "Red Granite to pay US gov't RM230m, salary for Riza slashed". Malaysiakini. March 7, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2018.
  14. ↑ "Bloomberg: Riza Aziz's ex-partner surrenders King Kong poster, Basquiat painting". Malay Mail. July 16, 2019. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  15. ↑ Liza Foreman (November 8, 2012). "'The Wolf of Wall Street' Secures Overseas Distribution in Multiple Territories Through Universal". TheWrap. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  16. ↑ Dominic Patten (November 8, 2012). "Universal International Acquires 'Wolf Of Wall Street' European Rights". Deadline. Retrieved February 5, 2021.
  17. 1 2 "PGA Awards Unveils Film, Longform TV Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. January 2, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  18. ↑ "List of 86th annual Academy Award nominations". Hawaii News Now. Associated Press. January 16, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Golden Globes 2014: Leonardo DiCaprio wins Best Actor for The Wolf of Wall Street". The Independent. January 13, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  20. ↑ "BAFTAs 2014: the nominations in full". British Film Institute. January 8, 2014. Retrieved October 17, 2026.