Sundance Prize Winner ‘The Pod Generation’ Starring Emilia Clarke & Chiwetel Ejiofor Set For Release By Roadside Attractions & Vertical

EXCLUSIVE: Roadside Attractions and Vertical have nabbed North American rights to the futuristic fable The Pod Generation, starring 4x Emmy nominee Emilia Clarke (Game of Thrones) and Academy Award nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years A Slave), which opened this year’s Sundance Film Festival and claimed its Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize. It’s slated for release exclusively in theaters this summer.

The third feature written and directed by Barthes (Cold Souls) is set in the very near-future world where AI is all the rage and technology has trumped nature in nearly every aspect of life. Its protagonists are Rachel (Clarke) and Alvy (Ejiofor), a New York couple who are ready to start a family. As a rising tech company executive, Rachel lands a coveted spot at the Womb Center, which offers couples the opportunity to share pregnancy on a more equal footing by way of mobile, artificial wombs, or pods. Alvy, a botanist and devoted purist about the natural environment, has doubts, but his love for Rachel prompts him to take a leap of faith. And so, begins the wild ride on their tech-paved path to parenthood.

More from Deadline

• Sundance Sets 2023 Fellows For Trans Possibilities Intensive

• A24 Dates Three For Summer: 'You Hurt My Feelings', 'Past Lives' & 'Talk To Me'

• 'Susie Searches': Vertical Closes On North American Rights To TIFF Pic Starring Kiersey Clemons, Alex Wolff, Jim Gaffigan, Ken Marino And Rachel Sennott

The sixth title on which Roadside Attractions and Vertical have paired, on the heels of Emily the Criminal, Benediction, The Forgiven, The Desperate Hour and Alice, The Pod Generation also stars Rosalie Craig (Netflix’s 1899), Vinette Robinson (Boiling Point) and Jean-Marc Barr (Big Sur). Pic is produced by Geneviève Lemal, Yann Zenou, Nadia Kamlichi and Martin Metz.  Executive producers are Clarke, Barthes, David Bensadoun, Paul Nelson, Adrian Politowski, Nessa McGill, Sierra Garcia, Nathanaël Karmitz and Beniamin Mincu. MK2 Films is handling international sales.

“Sophie Barthes has an extraordinary ability to create films that use alternate realities to hold a mirror to the way we live now and where we may be in the not-to-distant future,” remarked Roadside Attractions’ Co-Presidents, Howard Cohen & Eric d’Arbeloff. “Emilia and Chiwetel deliver incredible performances balancing humor and heart portraying a couple at odds with the path the Big Tech Overlords have set for them.”

Commented Vertical Partner Peter Jarowey, “AI is still the great unknown but as it weaves into our daily lives more rapidly, Sophie’s story could become a reality sooner than we think. And that’s what makes the film so captivating. Audiences will love it and be talking about it long after they leave the theater.”

“Today, every filmmaker dreams to have a theatrical release. Roadside Attractions and Vertical have made this dream possible,” added Barthes. “The Pod Generation could not have found a better home, with such a dedicated, innovative and experienced team. I’m thrilled to start this adventure with a team truly in love with cinema and share with audiences on a large screen the playful and puzzling futuristic world we created.”

Jarowey and Senior Vice President of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal on behalf of Vertical, with Cohen, D’Arbeloff and Vice President of Acquisitions Angel An on behalf of Roadside Attractions, and CAA Media Finance together with MK2 Films on behalf of the filmmakers.

Best of Deadline

• Tom Sizemore: A Career In Photos

• Oscars: Every Best Supporting Actress Winner Back To 1937

• 50 Classic Valentine's Movies Gallery: From 'Amelie' And 'In The Mood For Love' To 'Paris,Texas' And 'Breathless'

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.