Chris O'Donnell Launches Lone Cypress, Sets 'Kilkenny' First — SkimNews
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- Chris O'Donnell launched Lone Cypress Entertainment, a new production company backed with capital for development and production, with Jay Lavender serving as his producing partner across genres and formats.
- The company's first project is Kilkenny, an Ireland-set film starring P.J. Byrne and directed by Jay Duplass, with Byrne and Duplass co-writing the script from a story by Byrne and Andrew Muscato; plot details are under wraps.
- O'Donnell said launching the company was inspired by wrapping NCIS: Los Angeles after 14 seasons and by the actors and directors who mentored him early in his career, whom he wants to pay forward to new talent.
- O'Donnell currently stars in and executive produces Ryan Murphy's 9-1-1: Nashville on ABC while running the new venture.
- P.J. Byrne and Duplass pitched Kilkenny after reteaming on the upcoming film 'I Play Rocky' — O'Donnell said he and Byrne have been friends for nearly 30 years and he called Byrne when starting Lone Cypress.
Why it matters: O'Donnell is personally funding a company that aims to develop projects from earliest pitch or spec stage through production across digital, TV, and film. The Kilkenny project emerged from an existing collaboration between Byrne and Duplass on 'I Play Rocky,' signaling that the company's opening slate leans heavily on O'Donnell's pre-existing relationships rather than outside submissions.
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