By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

DAVID MICHÔD’S THE ROVER SECURES SIGNIFICANT INTERNATIONAL SALES

Posted Friday, September 7th, 2012 - Comments Off on DAVID MICHÔD’S THE ROVER SECURES SIGNIFICANT INTERNATIONAL SALES
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Toronto – September 7, 2012 – THE ROVER, directed by David Michôd and starring Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson, has generated multiple pre-sales in several key territories.  The drama has now been sold in territories including the UK, Canada and Benelux to eOne, Scandinavia to Nordisk, Latin America to Sun Distribution, the Middle East to Italia Film, and Eastern Europe excluding Russia to Revolutionary Releasing.  This growing list joins Village Roadshow which previously picked up the film in Australia and New Zealand.

FilmNation Entertainment acquired the majority of worldwide sales rights to THE ROVER during the Cannes Film Festival in May and will continue to introduce the film to buyers in Toronto.  FilmNation is also representing the U.S. sales with UTA Independent Film Group.

“We’ve had a great response from buyers so far,” commented FilmNation’s Glen Basner. “David has emerged as an innovative filmmaker, generating much anticipation for his next film among both distributors and audiences worldwide.”

David Linde will produce THE ROVER for Lava Bear Films, while Liz Watts will produce for Porchlight Films with David Michôd.

In addition to directing, Michôd wrote the script for THE ROVER, which commences principal photography this winter and is based on a story he conceived with Joel Edgerton (Zero Dark Thirty, The Great Gatsby).  Set in the near future, the world of THE ROVER is one where mankind’s greed and excesses have pushed civilization to the breaking point. With society in decline, the rule of law has disintegrated and life is cheap.

The film follows hardened loner Eric (Pearce), who travels the desolate towns and roads of the Australian outback. When a brutal gang of thieves steals his car and only remaining possession, they leave behind the wounded Rey (Pattinson) in their wake. Forcing Rey to help track the gang, Eric will go to any lengths to take back the one thing that matters to him.

Liz Watts and Porchlight Films produced Michôd’s debut feature, the award winning and internationally acclaimed Animal Kingdom. Liz most recently produced the Cate Shortland (Somersault) helmed Lore, a German/ Australian co-production; and Dead Europe with Director, Tony Krawitz, working with Producers Emile Sherman and Iain Canning.  Porchlight’s producer Vincent Sheehan’s most recent release was The Hunter, starring Willem Dafoe, adapted from the Julia Leigh novel, and directed by Daniel Nettheim. Porchlight has a number of feature films in development including Valve, with Director Andrew Lancaster, and F***ked! A Romance with Red Dog director Kriv Stenders.

David Linde’s Lava Bear Films is currently developing a slate of projects including A Giantdirected by Gil Kenan from a screenplay he wrote as well, the Untitled Goffigan Thriller from writer L.D. Goffigan, and the Untitled David Goyer Project, a supernatural thriller project based on an original idea by David S. Goyer.

FimNation Entertainment is handling international sales on Rian Johnson’s Looper, which opened the Toronto International Film Festival as well as Terrence Malick’s To The Wonderstarring Ben Affleck, Olga Kurylenko, Rachel McAdams, and Javier Bardem; Deepa Mehta’sMidnight’s Children; and Eli Roth Presents Aftershock from director Nicolás López.

About Porchlight Films

Principal producers Liz Watts and Vincent Sheehan established production company Porchlight Films with co-director Anita Sheehan in 1997. Their titles include both feature films and television working with the very best of Australian and international talent including David Michôd’s Animal Kingdom, Lore directed by Cate Shortland, Dead Europe with director Tony Krawitz, The Hunter starring Willem Dafoe, Little Fish starring Cate Blanchett, The Home Song Stories starring Joan Chen, and the critically acclaimed features, Mullet and Walking on Water.

About Lava Bear Films 

Lava Bear Films was founded in 2011 as a film production and financing company developing projects specifically designed for the global marketplace.  Leveraging CEO David Linde’s industry experience, success at building filmed entertainment related businesses and harnessing both traditional means of distribution as well as new technologies, platforms and markets, the company offers tremendous opportunities to creative partners worldwide.  Reliance Entertainment is a major equity partner in the venture.  Lava Bear has a production and distribution agreement with Universal Pictures along with a network of direct distribution partnerships in several key territories around the globe with leading distribution companies overseas.

About FilmNation Entertainment

Founded in 2008 by veteran international film executive Glen Basner, FilmNation Entertainment is a global, versatile and full-service film company that has become a go-to destination for renowned filmmakers such as Steven Soderbergh, Terrence Malick, Pedro Almodóvar, Jeff Nichols and Sofia Coppola.

FilmNation’s sales line-up showcases the work of many of today’s most prolific filmmakers and includes: Steven Soderbergh’s  Magic Mike and Side Effects starring Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum; John Hillcoat’s 2012 Cannes Competition film Lawless starring Shia LaBeouf and Tom Hardy; Michael Hoffman’s Gambit starring Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz; Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin with Scarlett Johannson; Sofia Coppola’s The Bling Ringstarring Emma Watson; Terrence Malick’s next two projects — Knight of Cups and an untitled film starring Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling; J.C. Chandor’s All is Lost starring Robert Redford;  Eli Roth’s The Clown; Pedro Almodóvar’s Los amantes pasajeros; Daniel Benmayor’s Tracers starring Taylor Lautner; Anton Corbijn’s A Most Wanted Man starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Rachel McAdams; and Paul Greengrass’ soccer documentaryBarça.

 

FilmNation’s production arm is helmed by vet Aaron Ryder with a slate that includes Jeff Nichols’ Mud, starring Tye Sheridan, Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Michael Shannon, which premiered in competition in Cannes 2012.  In addition, FilmNation produced Mark Tonderai’s House at the End of the Street starring Jennifer Lawrence and in post-production on Dan Beers’ Premature.

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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?

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So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.

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