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FilmNation acquires global rights to David Michod’s new film The Rover

David Michod

An international film sales and distribution company has acquired the worldwide rights of a new film by an Australian writer-director.

FilmNation Entertainment’s rights cover the vast majority of worldwide territories including North America, but excludes Australia and New Zealand for the new project by Animal Kingdom writer-director David Michod, The Rover.

David Michod said: It’s a pretty clearly encouraging indicator for me with a new project when people of serious smarts and taste want to be involved and be involved early. I really feel like I’ve received that tick of approval in a big way today from the good folk at FilmNation.”

The film is produced by David Linde of Lava Bear Films and Liz Watts of Porchlight Films, who also produced Michod’s debut feature Animal Kingdom.

Watts said: “We are looking forward to working with David once again on The Rover – an international story of iconic proportions, imbued with the distinctiveness of David’s direction and storytelling with an Australian background not seen before. It’s fantastic to be partnering with FilmNation on the film, and together with Lava Bear we are all looking forward to getting into production.”

Film Nation Entertainment’s Glen Basner said: “I loved Animal Kingdom and am thrilled to collaborate with such an exciting talent as David Michod. The Rover is going to be one kick ass flick.”

Deadlline reports, the film will also be produced in association with Blue Tongue Films, the Australian-based film collective of which Michod is a member, along with Joel Edgerton, who created the story with Michod.

Earlier this month, Encore reported the production was in talks with Australian actor Guy Pearce and Twilight’s Robert Pattinson to lead the cast. The film is set in the Australian outback in the not to distant future. Pearce is due to play Eric, a man in search of his car, his last possession in the world, stolen by a gang of criminals. He enlists the help of Reynolds, due to be played by Pattinson, a simpleton member of the gang left behind after their most recent bloody escape.

The deal was negotiated by UTA Independent Film Group, who will represent sales with FilmNation.

Other territories excluded from FilmNation’s rights deal are the UK, Benelux, Scandinavia, Greece, Indonesia, the Middle East, Poland, Croatia and Slovenia, and Eastern European countries Romania, Bulgaria, Hungry, Serbia and Turkey.

FilmNation has two in-competition titles at Cannes, Australian director John Hillcoat’s Lawless, starring Pearce and Shia LaBeouf and Mud directed by Jeff Nichols.

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