Focus Features has acquired worldwide rights to Andrew Fleming's comedy Hamlet 2, a world premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Focus Features CEO James Schamus and president Andrew Karpen made the announcement today.
Directed by Andrew Fleming (Dick, Threesome) from an original screenplay he wrote with Pam Brady ("South Park," Team America: World Police), Hamlet 2 is produced by L+E Pictures’ Eric Eisner & Leonid Rozhetskin and Aaron Ryder (Memento, The Prestige). The movie was executive-produced by Bona Fide partners Albert Berger & Ron Yerxa (Election).
In the irreverent comedy, a failed actor-turned-worse-high-school-drama teacher (Steve Coogan of Night at the Museum) rallies his Tucson, AZ students as he conceives and stages a politically incorrect musical sequel to Shakespeare’s "Hamlet." The film also stars David Arquette (the "Scream" movies), Melonie Diaz (soon to be seen in Be Kind Rewind), two-time Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener, Amy Poehler ("Saturday Night Live"), and Elisabeth Shue as herself.
Schamus and Karpen commented, "Andrew Fleming and an extraordinary filmmaking team have brought everyone at Focus an amazing New Year's present. We can’t wait to share this riotously inventive movie with the whole world."
Eisner said, "We’re extremely excited to work with the talented Focus group on 'Hamlet 2,' and we look forward to a bright future for the movie after what was an exceptional response at Sundance."
Rozhetskin added, "'Hamlet 2' is the most auspicious imaginable launch for L+E Pictures."
L+E Pictures was formed in 2007 by Eisner and Rozhetskin with a mission to finance and develop feature-length films. L+E Pictures provides equity financing for films with budgets in the range of $5 to $30 million dollars.
