A number of outlets are describing the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival as an unusually quiet and conservative year when it comes to film deals. Fortunately, not all movies are having trouble finding a home at the 41st edition of the fest, and a number of female-led films have been bought.
“Colossal,” a crowd pleasing monster movie toplined by Anne Hathaway, is said to have sold for mid-seven figures to a new company launched by Radius co-founder Tom Quinn and Alamo Drafthouse owner Tim League. The genre-bending flick sees Hathaway playing an alcoholic struggling to take responsibility for her actions. She begins to suspect that she shares a connection with a giant, mysterious monster destroying property and taking lives in South Korea.
Another film to score a big sale is “Their Finest,” a WWII dramedy from “An Education” director Lone Scherfig. Gemma Arterton (“Byzantium”) leads an impressive cast that includes Sam Claflin (“Me Before You”), Bill Nighy (“Love Actually”), and Jack Huston (“Boardwalk Empire”). “Their Finest” follows a group of British filmmakers assigned with making patriotic films to boost morale during wartime. Arterton plays a screenwriter who fights to give female characters a voice. The film went to EuropaCorp in a mid-seven figure deal.
Music Box Films nabbed all U.S. rights to “A Quiet Passion,” a biopic of Emily Dickinson that sees former “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon taking on the role of the legendary poet.
“Lady Macbeth” has been acquired by Roadside Attractions. The critically acclaimed film stars Florence Pugh (“The Falling”) as the titular character, and is not, as you might expect, based on Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth, but Russian author Nikolai Leskov’s 1865 novella “Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk.” The gothic tale is set in 19th-century England.
As we previously reported, “Jackie” got scooped up by Fox Searchlight with plans for an awards season-friendly release date of December 9. The Jackie Kennedy biopic stars Natalie Portman in a performance many are describing as Oscar-worthy.
“Colossal,” “Their Finest,” and “Lady Macbeth” made their World Premieres at TIFF. “A Quiet Passion” debuted at Berlin Film Festival, and “Jackie” at Venice Film Festival.
