Sundance may be over and the European Film Market may just be a short way off, but that doesn't mean the dealmaking takes a break. Two very high profile films have landed new homes this afternoon.
First up, the newly titled "Promised Land," co-written by and starring Matt Damon and John Krasinski, and directed by Gus Van Sant has now landed at Focus Features and Participant Media, who will pair up on the production according to Deadline. Originally set to be the directorial debut for Damon when the project was at Warner Bros, he had to step down due to a packed calendar of commitments that kept him from focusing on the project in the way he would've liked as a helmer. So what did he do? He rounded up his old pal Gus Van Sant ("Good Will Hunting," "Gerry") to take over and the rest, as they say, is history.
The film has a small $15 million budget and really, Warner Bros. doesn't play in that arena of small budget films, so it makes more sense at an indie and auteur minded arthouse shingle. It seems like a good fit for everyone involved. Details on the plot still remain under wraps, but the Capra-esque story will center on two rival executives, with Damon arriving in a small town and having his life turned upside down. We're definitely excited for this and cameras will start rolling in April.
And a project that is also highly anticipated by The Playlist is Jacques Audiard's "Rust And Bone." The next effort from the "A Prophet" director is adapted from the acclaimed book of short stories by Craig Davidson, and while plot details have been scarce, it's said the film will be "filled with romance and suspense." Marion Cotillard stars in the film and set photos like the one above suggest she'll be playing a marine park Orca trainer who loses her leg and then joins Unlimbited Potential, a support group made of addict-amputees.
No word on a release date, but with Audiard having already presented two films at Cannes (and winning a Grand Jury Prize for "A Prophet") combined with the backing of Sony Pictures Classics, a return to the Croisette seems likely.
