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Cannes: Protagonist, Thunder Road Set Matthias Schoenarts, Noomi Rapace For ‘Alive Alone’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday May 13, 2013 @ 10:25am PDTTags: Alive Alone, Cannes Wrap-Up, Matthias Schoenarts, Noomi Rapace, Protagonist Pictures, Thunder Road
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Here’s a movie package that should be a hot one at Cannes. Protagonist and Thunder Road have teamed on Alive Alone, a drama that marks the feature directing debut of Khurram Longi. Bullhead star Matthias Schoenarts and Noomi Rapace are attached to play the leads in a thriller that focuses on the relationship between an ex-detainee of Guantanamo Bay, and a woman who is on the run from a crime boss. Longi’s script made both the Black List and the UK-centric Brit List. Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk is producing and Peter Lawson is exec producing, with production to start January in New York City. Protagonist Pictures will sell territories in Cannes while CAA reps domestic rights.

The teaming is intriguing: the Belgian Schoenarts made his breakthrough playing the tragic protagonist in Bullhead and followed starring with Marion Cotillard in Rust And Bone, and next appears in Bullhead helmer Mikael Roskam’s Animal Rescue for Fox Searchlight, the film that also stars Rapace and Tom Hardy. Since playing Lisbeth Salander in the Millennium trilogy in Sweden, Rapace has been building up her global profile in Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, Dead Man Down with Colin Farrell and Child 44, the Daniel Espinosa-directed thriller with Hardy and Gary Oldman. This is one of at least three films that Thunder Road will have at Cannes, the others being the Keanu Reeves-starrer John Wick, and the Alex Proyas-directed Gods Of Egypt. CAA reps Schoenarts; UTA and Magnolia Entertainment rep Rapace.

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Tribeca Film Acquires North American On Irish Pic ‘What Richard Did’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday February 15, 2013 @ 8:01am PSTTags: Protagonist Pictures, Tribeca Film, What Richard Did
Mike Fleming

Tribeca Film today announced it has concluded a deal with Protagonist Pictures to acquire all North American rights to Irish director Lenny Abrahamson’s drama What Richard Did – which swept this past weekend’s Irish Film & Television Awards, taking home five IFTAs for Best Film, Best Director, Best Script, Best Actor and Best Editing.

Newcomer Jack Reynor (to be seen in the upcoming Transformers sequel) and Róisín Murphy star alongside Sam Keeley (The Other Side of Sleep, Misfits), and Lars Mikkelsen (The Killing) in this striking portrait adapted from Kevin Powers’ award-winning book Bad Day in Blackrock. The world is bright and everything seems possible for Richard Karlsen, the golden boy of his privileged set of Dublin teens, until he does something that destroys it all and shatters the lives of the people closest to him. Featuring extraordinary performances from its largely young cast, What Richard Did is a quietly devastating study of a boy confronting the gap between who he thought he was and who he proves to be.

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Mike Goodridge Segues Into CEO Role At Protagonist Pictures

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Tuesday May 29, 2012 @ 6:35am PDTTags: Ben Roberts, Protagonist Pictures

It’s always interesting when a journalist goes from covering the biz to working in it. That’s what just happened to Mike Goodridge: The editor of UK trade Screen, will see the other side when he segues to become CEO of … Read More »

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Protagonist Pictures’ CEO Ben Roberts Named Director Of BFI Film Fund

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Monday March 19, 2012 @ 5:13am PDTTags: Ben Roberts, BFI, Protagonist Pictures

BFI Film Fund Ben RobertsBen Roberts is to be the new Director of the BFI Film Fund, the BFI announced today. Thirty six year old Ben Roberts is currently CEO of Protagonist Pictures which represents many British films in the international market place. Since 2007 he has overseen a range of releases including recently, Submarine, Kill List, Nativity, Deep Blue Sea, Tyrannosaur, Streetdance 3D and In The Loop. Ben has 15 years film of industry experience across international sales, studio acquisitions, UK distribution and film finance, and has developed strong relationships with new and established filmmakers.

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Phase 4 Films Takes Rights To Family Comedy ‘Horrid Henry: The Movie’

By BRIAN BROOKS | Thursday February 9, 2012 @ 12:27pm PSTTags: Phase 4 Films, Protagonist Pictures

Based on Francesca Simon’s popular children’s book series, Horrid Henry: The Movie will head to North America via Phase 4 Films. The deal for the family comedy directed by Nick Moore includes U.S. and Canadian rights. Starring Theo … Read More »

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Protagonist To Proffer John Michael McDonagh’s ‘Calvary’: Berlin

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday February 9, 2012 @ 3:31am PSTTags: Brendan Gleeson, John Michael McDonagh, Protagonist Pictures

Protagonist Pictures has taken on international sales for Reprisal Films’ Calvary from The Guard director John Michael McDonagh. McDonagh also wrote the screenplay for the blackly comic drama about a good priest tormented by his community. The director reteams here … Read More »

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AFM: Robert Pattinson Pic ‘Bel Ami’ Lands Distribution

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday November 3, 2011 @ 11:23am PDTTags: Bel Ami, Protagonist Pictures, Robert Pattinson, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions
Mike Fleming

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions grabbed North American rights to Bel Ami, the Protagonist Pictures drama that stars Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Christina Ricci. Pattinson plays penniless ex-soldier Georges Duroy, who rises to power in Paris with … Read More »

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