Venice: Olivier Assayas’ ‘Wasp Network’ Inks Raft of European Sales (EXCLUSIVE)
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Orange Studio has pre-sold Olivier Assayas’ “Wasp Network” – the Cuban spy thriller headlined by Penelope Cruz, Gael Garcia Bernal and Edgar Ramirez – to a number of European territories.
Set to world premiere Saturday in competition at the Venice Film Festival, “Wasp Network” centers on the true story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s, when anti-Castro groups based in Florida carried out military attacks on Cuba and the Cuban government struck back with the Wasp Network to infiltrate those organizations. Assayas wrote the screenplay, which is based on Fernando Morais’ book, “The Last Soldiers on the Cold War: The Story of the Cuban Five.”
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The film, which wrapped shooting in May, has been picked up for Italy (BIM Distribuzione); Israel (Shoval); Greece (Spentzos); Portugal (Nos Lusomundo); Russia (Mauris Film); Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania (Prorom); former Yugoslavia (MCF); Baltics (ACME); and airlines (Cinesky).
CG Cinema’s Charles Gillibert and RT Features’ Rodrigo Teixeira produced the film. Adrian Guerra at the Spanish banner Nostromo (“Buried”) co-produced and sold the Spanish rights to Wanda.
Andrei Kamarowsky, who spearheads sales for Orange Studio, said that “Wasp Network” ranks as Assayas’ “most ambitious film to date, and it ticks all the boxes to attract large audiences, as well as play well in the festival circuit.”
He said several multi-territory distributors, including platforms, were “aggressively pursuing the film due to the appeal of the film’s topic and star-studded cast, as well as Assayas’ pedigree.”
Following Venice, “Wasp Network” will play at San Sebastian, Toronto and New York. Assayas was in Venice last year with “Non-Fiction.”
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