Lionsgate has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Blood Ties from Worldview Entertainment. The film premiered at the 2013 Cannes Festival and the studio will release through its sister company Roadside Attractions. Directed by Guillaume Canet from a screenplay written by Canet and James Gray, the film is based on the screenplay “Les Liens du sang” by Jaques Maillot, Pierre Chosson, and Eric Veniard, and the novel “Deux Freres, un flic, un truand” by Michel and Bruno Papet. The film stars Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Maroin Cotillard, Domenick Lombardozzi, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts, Zoé Saldana and James Caan.
Lionsgate UK acquired UK rights to the film prior to its premiere in Cannes.
The deal for Blood Ties makes the movie the biggest sale to date this past week when compared to other films that made their premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
The film is produced by Alain Attal and Hugo Selignac of Les Productions du Tresor, Guillaume Canet, Worldview CEO, Christopher Woodrow and John Lesher of Le Grisbi Productions. Executive producers are Xavier Amblar, Christopher Goode, Kerry Orent, Molly Conners, Sarah Johnson Redlich, Maria Cestone and Hoyt David Morgan.
Blood Ties is described as follows:
New York, 1974. Fifty year-old Chris has just been released on good behavior after several years in prison following a gangland murder. Waiting for him reluctantly outside the prison gates is his younger brother, Frank, a cop with a bright future. Chris and Frank have always been different, and their father, Leon, whod raised them alone, seems strangely to prefer Chris – this, despite all his troubles. Yet blood ties are the ones that bind. Frank, hoping that his brother has changed, is willing to give him a chance; he shares his home, finds him a job, and helps him reconnect with his children and his ex-wife, Monica. But Chris past quickly catches up to him, and his descent back into a life of crime becomes inevitable. For Frank, this descent proves to be the last in a long line of betrayals, and after his brothers latest transgressions, he banishes him from his life. But its already too late; the brothers destiny will keep bounded, forever…
