Fox Searchlight has bought the North American and U.K. rights to writer-director David Lowery’s true-life cops-and-robbers drama “Old Man and the Gun,” the distributor announced Thursday.
The project sees Robert Redford reunite with Lowery after working on Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” last year.
Redford stars as Forrest Tucker, a thief famous for breaking out of prison 18 times and continuing to rob banks well into his golden years. He performed his last heist at the age of 79 before being caught for the last time in 2000 and dying in prison in 2004.
Newly-minted Oscar winner Casey Affleck plays John Hunt, the detective tasked with tracking down Tucker and who grows a secret respect for the thief’s commitment to his work. Sissy Spacek plays a woman who loves Tucker despite his life of crime. Danny Glover and Tika Sumpter also star.
Lowery adapted his script from a 2003 New Yorker article by David Grann (“The Lost City of Z”).
The film is produced by Endgame Entertainment’s James D. Stern, Condé Nast Entertainment’s Dawn Ostroff and Jeremy Steckler, Wildwood Enterprises, Identity Films’ Anthony Mastromauro, Sailor Bear’s Toby Halbrooks and James M. Johnston and Bill Holderman. Executive Producers on the film are Julie Goldstein, Lucas Smith, Patrick Newall and Tango Entertainment’s Tim Headington.
“We are thrilled to be part of a film with such an extraordinarily talented cast,” said Fox Searchlight Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley in a statement. “David Lowery directing the incomparable Robert Redford in such a compelling and incredible real life story is exactly the kind of project we seek out.”
The deal was brokered by Fox Searchlight’s Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Ray Strache and Executive Vice President of Business Affairs Megan O’Brien with WME and CAA with Stern on behalf of Endgame. The film is overseen by Fox Searchlight’s Co-Heads of Production Matthew Greenfield and David Greenbaum, SVP of Production Anikah McLaren and Director of Production Taylor Freidman.
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