Mike Fleming

colin-farrell

eric_bana1EXCLUSIVE: Colin Farrell and Eric Bana are in early talks to team on By Virtue Fall, an independent drama that will mark the directorial debut of Sheldon Turner, who shared an Oscar scripting nomination with Jason Reitman for Up in the Air. Nicolas Chartier’s Voltage Pictures is setting up the financing and producing with Jennifer Klein and Turner.

While both Farrell and Bana sparked to Turner’s script and want to do the film, the fragile nature of mounting a two-handed character indie drama makes this one no slamdunk. I’ve monitored the progress of the talks for the past week, and basically, reps for the actors remain underwhelmed by the money offered so far by Chartier. The feisty Frenchman will have to up the ante if he wants these two. Bana is further along than Farrell.

The drama charts a professional and personal relationship between two characters that evolves from friendship to betrayal and retribution. The Irish and Australian actors make an interesting match for a blood feud.

Chartier hasn’t yet made a domestic distribution deal. The producer, famous for winning the Best Picture Oscar for The Hurt Locker and being locked out of the ceremony, has been raising funds to put the picture into production this fall. The CAA-repped Farrell is next booked to play the vampire in the DreamWorks’ 3D remake Fright Night, and the New Line comedy Horrible Bosses. WME-repped Bana just wrapped Hanna, starring with Cate Blanchett and Saoirse Ronan in the Joe Wright-directed drama for Focus Features.