Lionsgate In Talks To Acquire North America On Max Winkler-Directed Toronto Drama ‘Jungleland’

Mike Fleming Jr

EXCLUSIVE: The Max Winkler-directed drama Jungleland — which pairs Charlie Hunnam and Jack O’Connell in a drama about bare-knuckle boxing — is in the ring with Lionsgate on a deal for North American rights. Several distributors have been into this, but I’m told that Lionsgate is the frontrunner in talks to secure a movie that got strong reviews after it premiered at Toronto last fall.

Hunnam plays the manager and O’Connell plays his bare-knuckle boxer brother. They fall into heavy debt to a mobster and are given the chance to wipe the slate clean if they travel to San Francisco and compete in Jungleland — a bare knuckle boxing tournament. And, oh, yeah, they also have to drop off a teen girl at the doorstep of a feared mobster. Failing will mean death. Jessica Barden plays the teen and Jonathan Majors plays the mobster to whom they fall into debt.

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Winkler directed Ceremony and Flower. He co-wrote the script with Theodore Bressman and David Branson Smith.

Jungleland is produced by Romulus Entertainment, Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions and Big Red Films. Producers are Jules Daly, Kevin Walsh, Ryan Stowell and Brad Feinstein. Executive producers are Scott, Joseph F. Ingrassia, David Gendron, Ali Jazayeri, Theodore B. Bressman, David Branson Smith, Winkler and Ted Deiker.

The plan discussed involves a potential a multi-platform release in 2020, with a theatrical release component.

CAA is brokering the deal.

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