In the first major sale out of the Berlin International Film Festival, Sony has acquired “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey.” The fantasy romance is set to star Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie in her first post-“Barbie” role, with filming scheduled for this spring in California, according to the studio. Kogonada (“Pachinko”) is on board to direct.
While plot details have yet to be revealed, Sony describes the movie as “an imaginative tale of two strangers and the extraordinary emotional journey that connects them.”
The movie’s script is written by Seth Reiss, who wrote the recent critically acclaimed thriller “The Menu.”
“Every once in a great while in this job you read a script so special and original, that you fly to the last page, inspired and uplifted,” Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group chairman/CEO Tom Rothman said in a statement. “‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,’ by Seth Reiss, is such a script, and together with the superb director Kogonada, the perfect cast of Colin and Margot, and top-flight producers Bradley Thomas, Dan Friedkin and Ryan Friedkin, it is a project from heaven. We believe the audience is desperate for originality and we feel honored and grateful to all involved to have won out for it.”
“We are thrilled to partner again with our good friend, Tom Rothman, and the great team at Sony,” Imperative Entertainment said in a statement. In what reads like a bit of a shot at streaming, their statement continues, “We are big believers in the theatrical experience, which is Sony’s specialty, and we’re excited Kogonada’s creation will be enjoyed on the big screen.”
The film is produced by Imperative Entertainment and 30WEST. Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas and Ryan Friedkin will produce for Imperative Entertainment, alongside Reiss and Youree Henley. Its executive producers include Kogonada, Ilene Feldman and Original Films’ Ori Eisen. The movie is financed by 30WEST.
Sony Pictures’ Joe Matukewicz, Virginia Longmuir, Katie Anderson and Elan Kovo brought the package to the studio and made the deal in Berlin. CAA Media Finance and 30WEST negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
Umberto Gonzalez contributed to this story.
