It is that time of the year, as the Cannes Film Market is underway this month alongside the beloved French film festival. Another project heading out for sales there is “Sponsor,” a new nail-biting thriller that hails from director James Ponsoldt and stars Jason Segel, the two reuniting after working together on the hit Apple TV+ series “Shrinking.”
The pic at Michael Bay‘s Platinum Dunes revealed by Variety will focus on “a drunk driver whose court-ordered recovery program introduces him to an enigmatic 12-step guru, one who slowly drags him into a living hell.” A script for “Sponsor” was co-written by Ponsoldt and Segel.
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“We set out to explore what happens when support becomes control, when the person you turn to for salvation slowly becomes your worst nightmare,” Segel and Ponsoldt said in a joint statement posted by Variety. “After collaborating on ‘Shrinking,’ we were excited to channel that same emotional intimacy into a psychological thriller, where the stakes are darker, more dangerous, and deeply personal. We can’t wait to bring this unsettling story to life with such an incredible team.”
UTA Independent Film Group and mk2 will be handling sales for the film at Cannes.
Ponsoldt’s directing credits include “The Circle,” “Daisy Jones & The Six,” “Sorry For Your Loss,” “Master of None,” “The Spectacular Now,” “Smashed,” and episodes of the aforementioned “Shrinking.”
“Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” “The Muppets,” “The Five-Year Engagement,” “Sex Tape,” and “Windfall” are previous feature efforts that the multi-talented Segel has worked on as a writer in the past.
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