FilmDistrict Will Distribute Angelina Jolie's 'In The Land Of Blood And Honey,' Rian Johnson's 'Looper' And More
FilmDistrict, the company spun off from Graham King's GK FIlms, has been very busy at Cannes. The company has picked up distribution rights to the 3D version of Arabian Nights that we reported on a while back, starring Liam Hemsworth, as well as the Gerard Butler and Jessica Biel romcom Playing the Field.
And now that the lousy announcements are out of the way, there are these, too: FilmDistrict is teaming with TriStar to release Rian Johnson's film Looper (we just had the first still from that one on Friday) and Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, which now has the title In the Land of Blood and Honey. More info on all four films, after the break.
The biggest news here is the fact that Angelina Jolie's directorial debut, a romance set during the Bosnian war, finally has a title. Less surprising is the fact that FilmDistrict will distribute the film, as the movie was produced by GK Films. The movie has a release date of December 23, 2011, and a press release says,
In the Land of Blood and Honey is set against the backdrop of the Bosnian War in the '90s. This bold new film illustrates the consequences of the lack of political will to intervene in a society stricken with conflict. "The film is specific to the Bosnian War, but it's also universal," says Jolie. "I wanted to tell a story of how human relationships and behavior are deeply affected by living inside a war. In the Land of Blood and Honey features a completely local cast, most of whom were children of the war. The film was simultaneously shot in English and their native language. During the time of the war the language spoken was Serbo-Croatian and is now referred to as BHS. FilmDistrict will release the English language version on Dec. 23.
More exciting for me is the fact that FilmDistrict will work with TriStar and Endgame Entertainment to release Looper, written and directed by Rian Johnson and starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, and Emily Blunt. There's no date set yet for the release. Without giving too much away, here's the basic recap:
Looper is a time-travel action thriller involves a killer (Gordon-Levitt) who works for the mob of the future. He, along with other so-called Loopers, dispose of people that are sent from the future. When he recognizes one victim as his future self (Willis), he hesitates, letting the man escape.
We reported some time ago on the fact that Chuck Russell (The Mask, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3) wanted to make a 3D Arabian Nights film, and the project is moving forward with a script he co-wrote with Barry Ambrose, and Liam Hemsworth set to star. Here's the synopsis:
ARABIAN NIGHTS is a visually stunning 3-D retelling of the classic adventure tale about a bold, young commander (Hemsworth) who joins forces with Sinbad, Aladdin and his Genie to rescue Scheherazade and save her Kingdom from the dark powers of an immortal Sorcerer. The film weaves together several beloved tales and characters into a wild magic carpet ride for all ages.
And here's the Playing the Field synopsis; the film was written by Robbie Fox (So I Married an Axe Murderer) and directed by Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness). Judy Greer, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thurman and Catherine Zeta-Jones are also in the cast. A Spring 2012 release is targeted.
PLAYING THE FIELD kicks off with the homecoming of George (Gerard Butler), a retired soccer pro whose glory days are behind him. Burnt out on his playboy lifestyle and bankrupted by a string of bad investments, George moves back to Virginia to reconnect with his estranged ex-wife (Jessica Biel) and neglected son (Noah Lomax). Making up for lost time, George starts to coach the boys' soccer team. But can he keep his eyes on the goal when the bleachers are stacked with sexy soccer moms and desperate housewives?
Finally, there is also the report that FilmDistrict is one of three major players vying for John Hillcoat's The Wettest County in the World. CBS Films and Relativity Media are the other two bidders.