The ongoing Hollywood screenwriters’ strike has cast a pall over what was expected to be a solid Cannes film market. This year, most buyers and sellers came out of Berlin with “cautious optimism” as the (partial) recovery of the theatrical market and the slow but steady growth of digital ancillary businesses provided reason to believe reports of the death of the indie industry – followed by the widespread spread of COVID The number of theater closures — is greatly exaggerated.
“I think Amazon and Apple TV’s investment in the theater business is a real positive,” said Mr. Smith Entertainment’s David Garrett, “because It shows that they recognize the true value of theater experiences in theaters.” Amazon hits success with Ben Affleck’s sports marketing biopic Air, box office Earning over $ Millions in global theaters before launch, heralds upcoming Cannes release of Apple’s Killers of the Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese, Paramount will be distributed worldwide.
But what actually still constitutes a theatrical film is an unresolved debate among international buyers. Despite the many projects entering the Cannes film market this year, including the Guy Ritchie action flick starring Henry Cavill and the Sebastian Lerio starring Andrew Garfield and Daisy Edgar Jones Romance dramas, it seems, are all calling for “theatrical release,” but international buyers remain wary of taking chances on anything that doesn’t tick every box: cast, director, genre and budget level.
Here’s what THR thinks about the Cannes hits.
Arthur’s Whiskey
Director Stephen Cookson STARS Diane Keaton, Patricia Hodge, Lulu, Boy George Buzz The Fountain of Youth concept gets a British comedy spin with this pre-order feature, in which three women Leighton, Hodge and Scottish singer-actress Lulu) drank an anti-aging elixir. But once at the nightclub, they realize that they are not young enough in the modern world. Sales Arclight Films
Bride Hard
Director Simon West Star Rebel Wilson BUZZ An Action Comedy Miss Congeniality and The Hot , this project sees Con-Air Director West with Pitch Perfect and The Hustle stars Wilson, who will play a badass agent with her biggest yet Tough task: becoming a bridesmaid for her childhood best friend. Sales WME Indie
Cliff Sequel
Directed by Ric Roman Waugh Star Stallone BUZZ Sequel to action-thriller stars Stallone as a former mountain rescuer who must face a violent gang in the Rockies, will be led by veteran Waugh Member of the action camp that directed Gerard Butler. Neal Moritz is producing. Sales Rocket Science, CAA Media Finance
Dreamquil
DirectorAlex Prager Star Elizabeth Banks, John C. Reilly BUZZ A very timely recent thriller that capitalizes on current anxiety about artificial intelligence, this high-concept pitch Think of Banks and Riley as husband-and-wife Carol and Gary, who find their lives disrupted when Gary chooses a robot version of Carol over the original Carol. Sales HanWay Films, UTA Independent Film Group, CAA Media Finance
Flight Risk
Director Mel Gibson Star Mark Wahlberg
BUZZ Gibson Seven Years After Global Success at Hacksaw Ridge Returning to the director’s seat , sure to excite buyers. Adapted from a screenplay by Jared Rosenberg Berg will play a trial pilot who transports dangerous criminals. Sale LIONSGATE
GOOD LUCK
Director Aziz · Ansari Stars Ansari, Seth Rogen, Keanu Reeves BUZZ Although comedy is hard to sell, this star has pulled the box office all over the world Weiss. Ansari, along with Rogen and Reeves, wrote, directed and starred in the film, which is currently in production. Projects with Armageddon Time and Master of None producers get international rights (Ansari previously made his debut in Searchlight’s Being Mortal, but production was suspended following an investigation into star Bill Murray’s conduct.) SalesLIONSGATE
SHOOTS
DirectorEdward Drake
starKevin James buzz king of queens and With this new feature, the Pall Blart: Mall Cop star delivers a slice of mainstream action comedy, playing an ex-cop and family man who moonlights as a henchman for the mob. When a job goes terribly wrong, he’s given one night to get his family out of the city. Edward Drake (Broil) will direct from his own script. Sale Millennium Media Mess
Director
Katie Locke O’Brien
Star Emma Roberts BUZZ DO IT WRONG, WOMEN – The broad-focused comedy is a proven global box office draw – see Bridemaids and Bad Moms Franchise — This indie game company is targeting the American Horror Story and Mrs. Internet Actress Emma Roberts plays a woman whose private life has a breakdown on a TV dating show. Had to walk home with ultimate disgrace. Sale Mister Smith Entertainment/Rebelle Media
The Life of Chuck
Director Mike Flanagan Stars Tom Hiddleston, Mark Hamill BUZZ Horror is still the most reliable genre at the box office , a project based on a short story by Steven King, with the star power of Hiddleston and Hamill and Doctor Sleep and The Haunting of Hill House Directed by Mike Flanagan. Sale FilmNation, WME Independent
Lord of War
Director Andrew Niccol
star Nicolas Cage, Bill Skarsgard
buzzing 1600’s sequel hit Lord of War, with the ever-profitable Cage reprising his role as conflict-ridden international arms dealer Yuri Orlov and Skarsgard, as the son trying to rise above his father’s commercial excesses, should find eager buyers for indie titles with crossover action potential. Sales FilmNation Entertainment, CAA Media Finance
Lolita of Tehran
Director Eran Riklis star Golshifteh Farahani, Zar Amir-Ebrahimi BUZZ was the winner of this year’s Cannes international art drama vying for buyers in this adaptation of Azar Nafi Azar Nafisi’s best-selling Iranian film memoir—about a teacher who started a secret reading club with seven of her most devoted female students during the Islamic Revolution—features two of Iran’s hottest geniuses : Holy Spider star (and 2023 Cannes Best Actress winner) Amir-Ebrahimi and Pirates of the Caribbean
/About Elly Actress Farahani. Sales WestEnd Films Modigliani
Director Johnny Depp Star Ricardo Scamasio, Pierre Nini, Al Pacino BUZZ Depp is keen to use Maïwenn Momentum at the Cannes premiere of Jeanne du Barry, where Pirates of the Caribbean starring King Louis XV of France , by launching his second directorial effort (following the 1440 of
Brave ), Amedeo Modigliani biopic starring John Wick: Chapter 2 Actor Scamasio plays the Italian artist, Pacino plays art collector Morris Gannett. Sales Veteran
‘Memoirs of a Shell’Memoirs of a Snail
Director Adam Elliot
STARS Jacki Weaver, Cody Smit-McPhee, Dominique Pinon, Magda Szubanski, Eric Bana BUZZ Animated art films are a rare beast, but when they work – like Eliot’s Features Mary and Max — they could be crossover success stories. The director’s follow-up is a 1500 story about a lonely misfit Who hoards ornamental snails and indulges in romance novels. SalesCharades/Anton Peerless beauty
Director Romola Garai Star Bella Ramsay, Dominic West, Ruth Negga, Fiona Shaw
BUZZ The Last of Us breakout Bella Ramsey stars in this48 Period dramas set in the century may catch the attention of distributors who have Works such as “Portrait of a Burning Woman” were successful. Ramsey plays a woman born into poverty with an abnormal condition that means she is covered in hair all over her body. Hailed as a ‘miracle of nature’, she was honored at the king’s court, but determined to make her own way as an artist. Sales Hanwei Films The One
Director Kevin Armento, Jaki Bradley Star Melissa Barrera, Nicholas Hoult, Lana Condor BUZZ What The Menu did to satirize high dining, One can go on a reality show date (see: The Bachelor, Love Island and Love is blind). The story follows Tyler (Barrera) on a reality dating show to woo Mason (Holt). Along the way, the crafted veneers start to disintegrate, and the game becomes dire. Riley Ke rough produced with Hoult.
Sale HanWay, CAA Media Finance, UTA Independent Film Group
in pieces Side of
DIRECTOR Martin Campbell Stars Daisy Ridley
BUZZ Casino Royale
and GoldenEye filmmaker Martin Campbell with Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley partners with Die Hard action-thriller set in London’s skyscraper The Shard. When radicals seize the building 253 Hostage, Joey Locke (Ridley), ex-soldier turned window cleaner, suspended 80 floors outside the building and must rescue those trapped inside.
SaleAnton
‘Drunk Driving’
Drunk Driving
Director Markus Goller STAR Frederick Liu, Nora China BUZZ Pitch as a German Another Round , a show featuring Victorian star Liu who is a frequent drinker after drinking After driving, he was forced to confront his relationship with the bottle, requiring him to undergo a medical psychological examination to get his driver’s license back. Produced and distributed locally by Sony Germany. SalesBeta Cinema
Relax
Director Bernard Ross StarCallum Scott Howells BUZZ Bohemian Rhapsody and Rocketman proved that’ Box Office Potential , the popular biopic, and this British supergroup Frankie Goes to Hollywood, featuring the band
named after , the hit single based on frontman Holly Johnson’s memoir, looks set to top the Cannes sales charts on top. This is a Sin breakout Howells will play Johnson, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner as producers of Working Title (Les Miserables, cats). Sales Independent Entertainment Shell
Director Max Minghella Star Elizabeth Moss, Kate Hudson, Kaia Gerber BUZZ Handmaid’s Tale co-star Moss and Minghella (director here) is an enticing pitch for international buyers looking for a high-concept thriller with star power. In recent episodes, Moss played a struggling actress who gets a free trial at Shell, a high-tech beauty company that promises to keep clients forever young. Sales Black Bear International, CAA Media Finance, WME Independent
they found us
Director Neil Blomkamp star Joel Kinnaman BUZZ As one of the few sci-fi films headed to Cannes this year, this South African sci-fi wizard Blomkamp The alien abduction thriller ( District 9, Elysium) promises international Publishers offer future stimulus for independent budgets. The Expendables and RoboCop actor Kinnaman plays a father, Taking his estranged daughter on a camping trip is forced to battle hostile aliens. SalesAGC Studios, UTA Independent Film Group
Untitled Guy Ritchie Action Film
Director Guy Ritchie Stars Henry Cavill, Jake Gyllenhaal, Aisha Gonzalez
BUZZ A star-studded Ritchie action flicks are selling well in the international market, so there will be no shortage of them from Sherlock Holmes and The Gentlemen Assistant’s newest buyer. Cavill and Gyllenhaal star as evacuation specialists who must devise an escape route for a senior female negotiator (Gonzalez). Sales Black Bear International
Untitled Jesse Moss/Tony Gerber Political Thriller
Director Jesse Moss, Tony Gerber BUZZ The film has been described as a political thriller and dystopian sci-fi, as high as The Doctor can go. Moss, the man behind SundanceBoys State, and National Geographic veteran Gerber come together for this film that connects non-fiction filmmaking with more. Combined documentary film visual effects. Sale Submarine, anonymous content Ursa Major
Directed by Jonathan & Josh Baker Star Jessica Biel, Scott Mescudi, Sochitel Gomez BUZZ Biel and Gomez play mother and daughter fighting for survival , and they’re in this high-concept sci-fi thriller from genre master XYZ. X Actor Mescudi, aka Kid Cudi, will play one of the enemy factions trying to hunt them down. Sales XYZ Films, WME Independent
Voyagers
Director Sebastian Tian Lerio Stars Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar-Jones
BUZZ FilmNation is working with Gloria Bell Director Lelio is back with this romantic biopic aimed at professional and award-friendly distributors. Garfield and Edgar Jones will play famed astronomer Carl Sagan and Emmy-winning documentary filmmaker Andrew Young in a true love story that began when they both worked on the Gold Record project, trying to learn from humanity. Information conveyed in the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 missions that accompanied NASA’s first interstellar probes.
SaleFilmNation Entertainment
We live in time
DirectorJohn Crowley
STARS Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield The two most popular Welcome young stars (whose popularity grew even more after their Oscar appearance together) come together for this romance from Brooklyn director . Brit executive Benedict Cumberbatch produced the feature from playwright Nick Penn. SalesStudioCanal
Millions in global theaters before launch, heralds upcoming Cannes release of Apple’s Killers of the Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese, Paramount will be distributed worldwide. 
