Pretty Boy Floyd Biopic Attracts Emile Hirsch, Harvey Keitel, Thomas Jane, Ashley Benson, Shawn Hatosy, More; Vertical Pre-Buys North America — AFM

EXCLUSIVE: Vertical Entertainment has pre-bought North American rights to under-the-radar Pretty Boy Floyd biopic Good Side Of A Bad Man, which begins principal photography today in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The film stars Emile Hirsch (Into the Wild) as legendary bank robber Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, Thomas Jane (Troppo) as FBI Detective Melvin Purvis, Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs) as Floyd’s dad Walter, Ashley Benson (Spring Breakers) as Floyd’s wife Ruby, and Shawn Hatosy (Animal Kingdom) as Floyd’s older brother Bradley. Lera Abova (Peacock’s upcoming Pitch Perfect series) and Oliver Cooper (Echo Boomers) round out the cast.

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Motus Studios is handling international sales at this week’s AFM.

Good Side of a Bad Man will chart the true story of Floyd (Hirsch), a poor midwestern farm boy who grew up to become one of the most notorious criminals of the Depression era. Labeled as a deadly crook and danger to society, the film will see the FBI assign storied agent Melvin Purvis (Jane) to lead the manhunt to take down Floyd, who in the eyes of his wife Ruby (Benson) and the farmers plagued by extreme poverty, is their very own Robin Hood, stealing from the rich and sharing with the long-suffering community he was raised in.

K. Asher Levin (Dig) is directing and producing, reteaming the filmmaker with actors Hirsch and Jane, from a screenplay by Charlie Glass, who also serves as executive producer.

Levin produces via Lakewood Production, alongside Urban Tales Productions’ Gabrielle Smith Almagor, and Umbrelic’s Brian Katz and Thomas Zambeck. Executive producers are Renegade Entertainment’s Thomas Jane and Courtney Lauren Penn along with Daniel S. Cummings, Harris Tulchin, Emanuele Moretti, Ryan Baetens and Lee Broda, and in association with Ali Jazayeri and Viviana Zarragoitia who are executive-producing from Three Point Capital.

Director K. Asher Levin said: “This will be a gangster film like no other because Charles Floyd was one of a kind. His story isn’t just timeless, it speaks to a lot of folks in an America still struggling today, desperate to find a way out. I can’t wait to collaborate with the cast and crew to create iconic characters, breathless action, stunning visuals, and addictively re-watchable scenes. As a massive fan of crime films, from Howard Hawks to Martin Scorsese to Michael Mann, this project is a dream come true.”

Renegade Entertainment’s Thomas Jane and Courtney Lauren Penn stated: “Melvin Purvis was the original G-Man, bringing down the gangsters John Dillinger, Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd. J. Edgar Hoover groomed Purvis to be the face of the newly formed FBI, and then crushed him for it. We look forward to exploring the complex relationship between crime, mass media and government control that have their roots in 1930’s America.”

Vertical Entertainment’s SVP of Productions & Development Kristin Harris stated: “We have a great track record in this genre (Capone, Lansky) and are thrilled to be involved from the very beginning, continuing to build on Vertical’s expansion strategy into production and production financing. We are excited to work with K. Asher Levin and the entire filmmaking team to bring this exciting story to life.”

Emile Hirsch is represented by UTA. Thomas Jane and Renegade Entertainment are represented by Paradigm. Harvey Keitel is represented by Untitled Entertainment. Ashley Benson is represented by CAA, Untitled Entertainment, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman et al. Shawn Hatosy is represented by Paradigm and MGMT Entertainment. Lera Abova is represented by Paradigm and AFA Prime Talent. Oliver Cooper is represented by Cavalry and TalentWorks.

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