Bleecker Street has nabbed the North American rights to “Across the River and Into the Trees,” an upcoming movie starring Liev Schreiber (“Ray Donovan”) and Josh Hutcherson (“The Hunger Games”). The film is directed by Paula Ortiz, who is best known for her work on “The Bride,” and is expected to debut in the fall of 2023 for a theatrical release.
An adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s last full-length novel that he published in his lifetime, the movie is set in post-World War II Italy. After American Army Colonel Richard Cantwell (Schreiber) survived the war and emerged as a war hero, he has to grapple with a new battle: his own illness. Determined to find some peace, he enlists a military driver to bring him to his old haunts in Venice. But as his plans unravel, a budding relationships with a young woman teaches him to hope again.
In addition to Schreiber and Hutcherson, “Across the River and Into the Trees” stars Matilda De Angelis (“The Undoing”) and Danny Huston (“The Aviator,” “Succession”). The screenplay adaptation comes from BAFTA Award Winner Peter Flannery (“The Devil’s Mistress”).
The upcoming film is executive produced by William J. Immerman, Laura Paletta, David Beckingham, Justin Raikes, Simon Fawcett, Jonathan Taylor, Hani Musleh, Harel Goldstein and Rick Roman. Additionally, Robert MacLean and Michael Paletta for Tribune Pictures, alongside John Smallcombe, Kirstin Roegner, Ken Gord as well as Spring Era Films’ Jianmin LV and Daxing Zhang will produce. Andrea Biscaro serves as the Italian line producer.
This film will continue Bleecker Street’s push to support female filmmakers. Its 2023 slate alone consists of 80% female-directed films, including Frances O’Connor’s “Emily,” Catherine Hardwicke’s “Mafia Mamma,” Laurel Parmet’s “The Starling Girl,” Alice Troughton’s “The Lesson” and Meg Ryan’s first feature film in eight years, “What Happens Later.”
