Steve Beeks of Lionsgate and Howard Cohen of Roadside Attractions jointly announced today that the companies have partnered to acquire and release J.C. Chandor’s thriller, Margin Call. Following all night negotiations, the deal was negotiated by Cassian Elwes and Rena Ronson of UTA on behalf of Margin Call producers. Howard Cohen negotiated on behalf of Roadside and Steve Beeks on behalf of Lionsgate. The film’s world premiere is Tuesday night at the Eccles Theater, and a 2011 theatrical release is planned.
Margin Call stars an ensemble cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci. The film was written and directed by Chandor and produced by Michael Benaroya and Barnum of Benaroya Pictures, and Quinto, Dodson, and Corey Moosa of Before the Door Pictures and Joe Jenckes. Elwes, Laura Rister, Randy Manis, and Joshua Blum are executive producers. Myriad Pictures represents international rights on the project.
Set in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, Margin Call is a thriller entangling the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When entry-level analyst Peter Sullivan (Quinto) unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster.
Expanding the parameters of genre, Margin Call is an examination of the human components of a subject too often relegated to partisan issues of black and white. Chandor’s first feature is a stark and bravely authentic portrayal of the financial industry and its denizens as they confront the decisions that shape our global future.
