Left Seat: new film starring Michelle Rodriguez and Richard Gere produced by Peter Guber

Michelle Rodriguez (Fast & Furious franchise, Steve McQueen’s Widows) and Golden Globe winner Richard Gere (Pretty Woman, Unfaithful, Chicago, The Agency) are set to star in the survival thriller Left Seat, it was announced today. The film is directed by Ben Younger (Bleed for This, Boiler Room, Prime, FX’s “Snowfall”). David M. Crabtree wrote the screenplay, with current revisions by Ben Younger. Anton is handling international sales, and WME Independent will handle North American sales, launching at the Marche du Film.

Richard Gere Headshot - photo credit Myrna Suarez

Left Seat is produced by Jason Michael Berman (Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest premiering out of competition in Cannes, and Ben Affleck’s Air) for A/Vantage Pictures, David M. Crabtree and Ben Younger. Executive Producing is Peter Guber for Mandalay Pictures and Matthew Lindner and Jordan Moldo for A/Vantage Pictures.

Peter Guber was Bruno Chatelin's former boss at Sony Pictures: Guber's impressive resume includes serving as the chairman & CEO of Sony Entertainment, president of Columbia Pictures, chairman and CEO of Polygram Entertainment and co-owner and co-chairman of Casablanca Record.

A/Vantage Pictures is providing financing for the picture.

When a traveling pharmaceutical rep (Rodriguez) is forced to take control of a small charter plane after the pilot falls unconscious mid-flight, she must rely on the help of a stranger (Gere) over the radio, to navigate through deadly storms and land the aircraft before the fuel runs out.

Producer Jason Michael Berman said, “I am thrilled to be bringing David M. Crabtree’s brilliant screenplay to life, which is a visceral cinematic experience that explores important themes of the human experience with emotional depth. To have Ben Younger directing and writing on the movie will create the most authentic experience possible for our audience, as Ben is a pilot in real life, as well as a brilliant filmmaker and screenwriter who creates movies with incredible tension, along with heart. And finally, to be working with the extraordinarily talented actors Michelle Rodriguez and Richard Gere to bring Left Seat to the screen is a dream come true.”

Michelle Rodriguez is known for her starring role as Letty Ortiz in the blockbuster Fast & Furious franchise, which most recently includes Fast X and its upcoming sequel, Fast X: Part 2. She’s also starred as Rain Ocampo in the billion-dollar Resident Evil franchise opposite Milla Jovovich. Additional credits include Robert Rodriguez’s Machete and its sequel Machete Kills, Steve McQueen’s Widows, the crime thriller S.W.A.T. opposite Samuel L. Jackson, James Cameron's science fiction epic Avatar and the action film Battle: Los Angeles. She was awarded the Independent Spirit Award for her breakout performance in the sports drama Girlfight.

Richard Gere currently stars on TV’s The Agency and starred last year in Paul Schrader’s Cannes title Oh, Canada with Uma Thurman and Jacob Elordi. Some of his most notable roles include the iconic Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Rob Marshall’s Academy Award-winning film Chicago, for which he was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actor. His many film credits also include An Officer and a Gentleman, Internal Affairs, The Jackal, The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, American Gigolo, The Cotton Club, Days of Heaven and Looking for Mr. Goodbar.

Rodriguez is repped by WME;  Gere is repped by WME; Younger is repped by CAA; Crabtree is repped by Management 360.

ABOUT ANTON

Helmed by producer Sébastien Raybaud and headquartered in London, with offices in Los Angeles and Berlin, Anton’s current film slate includes Zachary Wigon’s psychological horror film Victorian Psycho from Longlegs producer Dan Kagan; David Mackenzie’s thriller Fuze starring Theo James and Aaron Taylor Johnson; Night of the Zoopocalypse, the CGI animated feature from the Studios behind Despicable Me, Ice Age: Collision Course and Paw Patrol; Memoir of a Snail, the stop motion animated feature from Academy Award-winner Adam Elliott, which was Oscar Nominated for Best Animated Feature, took home the top Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, was awarded the Best Film at the London Film Festival and screened in Official Selection at the Telluride Film Festival; Martin Campbell’s Cleaner starring Daisy Ridley and Clive Owen; the survival thriller A Prayer for the Dying starring Johnny Flynn and John C. Reilly, currently in post-production; and Claude Barras’ animated feature Savages which enjoyed its World Premiere in Official Selection at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. Additional projects include Greenland: Migration starring Gerard Butler, who reprises his role in the sequel to Anton’s blockbuster Greenland, currently in post-production.

Recently, Anton developed, produced and financed the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival title The End We Start From starring Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch; Mothers’ Instinct starring Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway; the action thriller Canary Black, starring Kate Beckinsale and Rupert Friend; and Jamie Child's thriller Jackdaw, starring Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Jenna Coleman.

A/Vantage Pictures 

A/Vantage Pictures is a production company founded by acclaimed producer Jason Michael Berman, with offices in Los Angeles, New York & Boulder. The company develops and produces elevated, commercially driven films with a focus on culturally resonant storytelling and bold, director-led vision.

Launched in 2025 following Berman’s decade-long tenure as President of Mandalay Pictures, A/Vantage was created to bridge the gap between artistic integrity and commercial scale. The company supports diverse voices and brings them to life through elevated, emotionally driven films that aim to inspire and challenge audiences worldwide.

A/Vantage’s debut feature Highest 2 Lowest, a contemporary reimagining of Kurosawa’s High and Low, is directed by Spike Lee and stars Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and Ilfenesh Hadera. The film will premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival ahead of an August theatrical release by A24 and streaming release on Apple TV+. The company is also in post production on Rock Springs, a psychological thriller written and directed by Vera Miao, starring Benedict Wong, Kelly Marie Tran, and Jimmy O. Yang. Recent credits for Berman include Air (Amazon Studios), Surrounded (MGM), and festival standouts like Nine Days and The Birth of a Nation, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at Sundance.

Jason Michael Berman Bio

Jason Michael Berman is the Founder and President of A/Vantage Pictures, a production company with offices in Los Angeles, New York, and Boulder. Launched in 2025 following Berman’s decade-long tenure as President of Mandalay Pictures, A/Vantage was built to develop and produce elevated, commercially driven films rooted in culturally resonant storytelling and bold, director-led vision.

Currently, Berman is gearing up for A/Vantage’s debut feature Highest 2 Lowest, a contemporary reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s High and Low directed by Spike Lee and starring Denzel Washington, Jeffrey Wright, and Ilfenesh Hadera. The film will have its world premiere at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and be released theatrically by A24 in August, followed by a global streaming launch on Apple TV+. The company is also in post production on Rock Springs, a psychological thriller written and directed by Vera Miao, starring Benedict Wong, Kelly Marie Tran, and Jimmy O. Yang. 

Prior to founding A/Vantage, Berman produced a wide range of acclaimed and high-profile films, including Air (Amazon Studios), directed by Ben Affleck and starring Matt Damon, Viola Davis, and Jason Bateman; Surrounded (MGM), starring Letitia Wright; and Nine Days (Sony Pictures Classics). He also produced The Birth of a Nation, which won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, alongside additional credits such as Burning Sands, Uncorked, IO, Juanita, and Little Evil.

Recognized in Variety’s Dealmakers Impact Report and "Top Ten Producers to Watch," Berman is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He also played a founding role in the Sundance Institute Catalyst program, which has raised over $60 million for independent filmmakers. Since 2013, he has served as an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he earned his degree.

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Berman began his career at the William Morris Agency and MGM Studios, and has collaborated closely with Oscar-nominated writer-director Gary Ross.