Mike Fleming

Sony Pictures Classics has made a preemptive acquisition of North American, Australian and Latin American, Australian and New Zealand rights to Take Shelter, a drama that stars Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. It’s directed by Jeff Nichols, who previously worked with Shannon on Shotgun Stories. The film debuts in the dramatic competition at the Sundance Film Festival.

The drama chronicles a man’s descent into madness. He fears an apocalyptic cloud he believes will engulf his town, and builds a storm shelter in his yard. It has the paranoia and delusional elements of Black Swan, where it’s unclear what is real and imagined. Shannon’s Boardwalk Empire castmate Shea Whigham also stars, along with Katy Mixon and Kathy Baker. The film’s produced by Tyler Davidson of Strange Matter Films and Sophia Lin, and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones is executive producer along with Sarah Green, Richard Rothfeld, Chris Perot, Christos Konstantakopoulos and Hydraulx partners Greg and Colin Strause. Latter duo provided the film’s visual effects. CAA sold the film.