Mattson Tomlin Does What Every Screenwriter Wants To Do: His First Feature Film Lands Two A-listers!

If you're an indie filmmaker and you're getting discouraged because you're not where you thought you would be in your career, the new movie "Project Power" is a wonderful example that it's possible to carve out a successful career in Hollywood, if that's what you aspire to do.  The screenwriter behind "Project Power," which is now streaming on Netflix and stars Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Dominique Fishback as a teenage drug dealer, is proof.

Screenwriter Mattson Tomlin started writing a draft of the movie in a coffee shop in 2016.  At the time, he was just 25 years old.  The script is his first major feature film.  For some people, having a movie starring Jamie Foxx would be enough!  But Tomlin already has a number of other projects lined up.  They include writing and producing the upcoming film "Little Fish," starring Olivia Cooke.  He was also brought onboard to co-write "The Batman" with Matt Reeves, which will star Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, and Jeffrey Wright, as well as a number of others.  Tomlin will also re-team with the co-directors of "Project Power," Henry Joost & Ariel Schulman, on "Mega Man," which is based on the best-selling video game series developed by Capcom.

Just how did Tomlin's script for "Project Power" come to the filmmakers' attention?  Make no mistake about it.  He worked hard to get where he is.  Take a look at this excerpt from his bio:

Mattson Tomlin is a screenwriter/director, best known for his original screenplay of the Netflix film PROJECT POWER. 

Earlier this year, he began writing the pilot for an adaptation of the comic book series FEAR AGENT, and a film adaptation of the comic book series MEMETIC for Lionsgate; both from Seth Rogen’s Point Grey Pictures. He recently sold a spec script titled 2084 to Paramount and is also writing a film adaptation of the video game MEGA MAN.

Tomlin was born in Romania during its revolution and was quickly adopted into the US, growing up in Massachusetts and later attending college in New York at SUNY Purchase.  While getting his Master’s Degree in directing at the American Film Institute, he created over a dozen short films, most as writer-director. Tomlin has appeared on the annual Black List six times in the past four years. Now at age 30, he currently resides in Los Angeles.

So, call Tomlin anything but an overnight success because he's far from it.  What he is, is proof that hard work has its rewards.  So, if you're an aspiring screenwriter, just keep cranking those scripts out because you never know when one of them will become "the one" that changes your life forever.

See you at the top!

Read my review of "Project Power" by clicking here.

Follow me on Twitter @TerriJLee

Follow the I See You Awards® on Twitter @ISeeYouAwards

Terri Lee Chandler is a voting member of:

Critics Choice Association 

African American Film Critics Association 

SAG-AFTRA

The I See You Awards®, which is celebrating 4 years, is sponsored by the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office, Emagine Entertainment, Final Draft, Paramount, and WWJ Newsradio 950, with additional partners Randazzo Formal Wear, The Lee Group, ES Communications Agency and Casey Sign Company.