Haim Saban announced today that after launching Saban Films last week the company has acquired North American distribution rights to Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones’ The Homesman, starring Jones and Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, with a supporting cast featuring Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld, James Spader and Academy Award winner Meryl Streep.
The new venture, which is headed by President Bill Bromiley, came to Cannes with an aggressive acquisitions strategy and targeted the highly-regarded competition title, finalizing negotiations with majority owner of the North American rights, Brian Kennedy. EuropaCorp is the international distributor of the picture. This is the first acquisition for Saban Films and the second collaboration between Bromiley, Tommy Lee Jones and Michael Fitzgerald following 2008’s In the Electric Mist.
The Homesman, which premiered Sunday, May 18th in competition in Cannes, is a Tommy Lee Jones/Michael Fitzgerald production, directed by Tommy Lee Jones and produced by Peter Brant, Brian Kennedy and Luc Besson. The screenplay was written by Jones, Kieran Fitzgerald and Wesley A. Oliver, based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout.
Saban Films is planning a 2014 theatrical release.
Haim Saban said: “We are honored to have such a prestigious and beautifully crafted film as the first project to launch Saban Films.” Adam Chesnoff, President and COO of Saban Capital Group continued: “‘The Homesman’ is the perfect example of the quality, high-caliber slate of projects we aim to build.”
Tommy Lee Jones said: “I am delighted that Saban Films has chosen ‘The Homesman’ to begin their venture into film release. Our company has full confidence in Saban Films and I sincerely hope we will serve them well.”
Bromiley adds: “We are really looking forward to working with Michael and Tommy once again and developing a creative and dynamic release campaign to bring this extraordinary movie to US and Canadian audiences.”
