The Robert De Niro film “Wash Me in the River” has been picked up by The Avenue, the distribution arm of Highland Film Group, and will open in North American theaters in the spring of 2022.
“Wash Me In the River” sold out of the European Film Market and just wrapped principal photography in Puerto Rico. Paramount Home Entertainment is also partnering on the release and will handle Blu-ray, DVD, VOD and digital rights.
Producer Randall Emmett directed “Wash Me in the River,” which stars De Niro, John Malkovich and Jack Huston. The action thriller tells the story of a recovering opioid addict who seeks revenge on the dealers responsible for selling the drugs that resulted in his fiancé’s death — all while two cops are hot on his trail.
Adam Taylor Barker and Chris Sivertson wrote the screenplay. “Wash Me in the River” also stars Quavo and Willa Fitzgerald.
The film is Emmett’s follow-up to his directorial debut, “Midnight in the Switchgrass,” and he also produced it through his company Emmett/Furla alongside George Furla, Tim Sullivan and Chad Verdi.
In addition to the domestic deal, Highland Film Group secured multiple international rights deals for key territories, including Germany (Capelight), France (Studio Canal), the UK (Signature), Spain (Inopia), Middle East (Eagle Films), Eastern Europe and Russia (Daro), Australia and New Zealand (Madman), Japan (Happinet), Benelux (Premiere TV), Italy (Italian International Film), India (PictureWorks), Taiwan (MovieCloud), South Africa (FilmFinity), Greece (Spentzos Films) and Portugal (Lusomundo).
“The market response to the film has been remarkable! Randall has succeeded in directing a very commercial film with a strong artistic vision that our buyers have fully embraced,” Highland Film Group CEO Arianne Fraser said in a statement. “Our trusted international partners had their eyes on the film for some time now, so being able to wrap principal photography with such a stellar cast amid the pandemic is something we are very proud of.”
“Locking up domestic and significant international distribution for the film demonstrates the appetite for films with powerful storylines and strong performances from proven talent,” Highland Film Group COO Delphine Perrier added. “We are just delighted by the film’s reception in the marketplace.”
Last year, The Avenue released “Jiu Jitsu” starring Nicolas Cage, Tony Jaa and Frank Grillo.