Cannes Film Market 2014 Day 4 & 5: River Phoenix's Final Film 'Dark Blood' Goes to Lionsgate; Benedict Cumberbatch Boards 'The Yellow Birds'
The Cannes Film Market continued to be busy during the fourth and fifth days as companies continued to acquire new films and announce newly casted projects.
One of the biggest acquisitions came from Lionsgate. The company acquired the 1993 film "Dark Blood." The movie has long been delayed because production was never completed due to River Phoenix's untimely death. "Dark Blood" was directed by George Sluzier and was completed in 2007; the director wound up providing voiceover for the scenes that were never shot. The movie premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and Lionsgate is planning a VOD release.
Meanwhile, Remstar obtained Canadian rights to release the latest Michel Hazanavicius film "The Search." The film is attracting a lot of attention, especially since it marks the follow-up to the director's Best Picture winner "The Artist." "The Search" is in competition and is expected to premiere on Wednesday. The movie stars Berenice Bejo and Annette Benning but has no U.S. distribution at the moment. According to Deadline, The Weinstein Company and Fox Searchlight are attempting to see the film before its premiere and there is a chance a bidding war could begin for the film, assuming it lives up to its promise. Worldview Entertainment is representing the movie.
The Weinstein Company took rights to John Carney's upcoming "Sing Street." After a fierce bidding war with Fox Searchlight and A24, the company was able to take the upcoming film for $3 million. The deal marks the second time Carney and the Weinstein Company team up for a project. The company will release Carney's "Begin Again" this summer. "Sing Street" is described as another musical which takes place in a high school and already has U2's Bono attached.
The Weinstein Company also took North American rights for "The Coup." The movie, which is directed by Erick Dowdle and stars Owen Wilson and Pierce Brosnan, will be purchased for $5 million and it will become the second biggest acquisition of the Cannes Market after Paramount's "Story of Your Life," which was purchased for $20 million.
Entertainment One films also purchased the rights to the Tribeca Film festival selection "Dior and I." The documentary scored rave reviews when it premiered in April and Entertainment One is planning a release at the end of the year.
Another huge acquisition came from Open Road, which got the North American rights to "Nightcrawler." The drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and directed by Dan Gilroy started a huge bidding war as Focus features and The Weinstein Company also fought hard for the picture. However, it was Open Road who won the fight and acquired the film for $4.5 million.
Cinedigm and the Film Arcade will team to release "Song One." The Anne Hathaway starrer will be released in both theaters and on VOD and will get a seven-figure P&A budget. Hathaway produced the movie with Jonathon Demme and she has already committed to the release strategy and to promoting the film. The release strategy will be a first for Hathaway as she has never had a film released on both VOD and Theaters at the same time. It also marks her first live action film since her Oscar-winning performance in "Les Miserables."
After having an off year with three releases and being very silent at the festival, Focus Features purchased the right to "Bastille Day." The Idris Elba and Adele Exarchoupoulos starrer was directed by James Watkins and tells the story of a rogue CIA agent who is forced to team up with an unsuspecting American con artist to thwart a terrorist attack on French soil. Production on "Bastille Day" starts later this summer with Philippe Rousselet.
A24 acquired the upcoming Brie Larson starrer "Room." The film will be directed by Lenny Abrahamson and it will be an adaptation of Emma Donoghue's book of the same title. The movie will developed by the Irish Film Board and will be produced under Film 4.
Meanwhile, IFC Midnight acquired "The Vicious Brothers" which played at the Trobeca Film Festival, while Film Movement took rights for "Belle and Sebastian." Spotlight Entertainment acquired rights to "Days and Nights" which stars Jean Reno, Katie Holmes and William Hurt. The film is based on Anton Chekov's play "The Seagull."
A number of casting announcements were also made. Daniel Radcliffe has signed to work on "You Shall Know our Velocity." The movie is being produced by Michael Benaroya for Benaroya Pictures.
Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on for "The Yellow Birds." He will be joined by Will Poulter and Tye Sheridan in a war drama about a 21-year-old (Poulter), who promises the mother of a teen he meets in boot camp (Sheridan) that he will watch over the soldier as they are deployed to Iraq. The film will be financed by Courtney Solomon and Mark Canton. David Lowery who is best known for his work on "Ain't Them Bodies Saints" will write and direct.
Stellan Skarsgard joined the upcoming film "Long Ships." The drama will be directed by the Norwegian director Hans Peter Moland and will be scripted by Tobias Lindholm, who wrote "The Hunt." The movie will be shot in 2016 and there is a 2017 release date planned. Zentropa will produce it with Nordisk Film.
One of the most controversial projects that was pitched at the festival was "The Vanishing Act." At the market, a trailer to the film was shown by director Rupesh Paul. The movie will be based on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight 370. According to Paul, the movie will have some fictional elements and he will shoot it for $3.5 million with over 200 actors. The film will be based on a script Paul wrote in 20 days, and will feature an ending with a theory that suggests what happened to the flight.
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