Cannes: Gurinder Chadha, Paolo Sorrentino, Dany Boon Films Score Deals for Pathe (EXCLUSIVE)
IFC has picked up Gurinder Chadha’s “Viceroy House,” starring Hugh Bonneville and Gillian Anderson, from Pathe for U.S. release. The historic drama premiered at the Berlin Film Festival and the deal was announced in Cannes.
Pathe also clinched a raft of deals on Paolo Sorrentino’s anticipated “Loro” and “Dany Boon’s “La Ch’tite Famille,” which, along with Lenny Abrahamson’s “The Little Stranger,” are part of Pathe’s strong slate at Cannes film market.
Sorrentino’s anticipated “Loro”, in which Toni Servillo will star as Italian media tycoon-turned-prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, was pre-sold to Germany (DCM), Spain (Dea Planeta), Benelux (Belga), Poland (Gutek), Greece (Feelgood), CIS (AONE), Czech Republic and Slovakia (Aero films), Ex Yougoslavia(MCF), Hungary (Mozinet) and Israel (LEV). Pathé will distribute “Loro” in France and Switzerland. Production will kick off in July.
Meanwhile, “La Ch’tite Famille,” the latest film by French comedy expert Boon, also lured a bevy of distributors in Cannes. Pathe sold it to Spain (Tripictures), Greece (Feelgood), Poland (Kinoswiat), Netherland (Paradiso) and Canada (AZ films). The movie is set Boon’s home turf in Northern France, as was “Welcome to the Sticks” which was a smash hit in France.
“La Ch’tite Famille” will go into production next month and is scheduled for release on Feb. 28 in France (Pathé), Belgium (Alternative) and Switzerland (Pathé). The remake rights have also been sold to Italy. The movie was previously picked up to Germany (Concorde) and Italy (Rai Cinema).
Pathe also just sold “The Little Stranger” to Focus Features for worldwide rights (outside of U.K., France and Switzerland where Pathe has direct distribution operations). Produced by Pathe, the film will star Charlotte Rampling, Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson and Will Poulter. Now in pre-production, “The Little Stranger” is expected to be released during summer 2018.
Other buzzed about titles on Pathe’s slate include Yvan Attal’s “Le Brio” with Daniel Auteuil starring as a tyrannical yet well-intentioned mentor of a brilliant law student. The film was acquired in Germany (SquareOne), Scandinavia (Njuta), Canada (AZ films) and Brazil (Pandora).
Pathe also scored deals on Gilles de Maistre’s documentary “The Quest of Alain Ducasse” about the famed chef as he searched the globe for culinary perfection. The docu feature was sold to Japan (Kinoshita) and Greece (Feelgood). Several other deals are in negotiation including for the U.S., Australia, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
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