BERLIN TOLDJA!: Magnolia Closes U.S. Deal For Lars Von Trier-Helmed Shia La Beouf Boff-A-Rama ‘Nymphomaniac’
UPDATE, 6:22 AM:: Magnolia Pictures and TrustNordisk have confirmed Deadline’s scoop that they’ve made one of the big deals at Berlin for U.S. rights to provocateur helmer Lars von Trier‘s full monty film Nymphomaniac. We heard it was around a $2 million deal. The press release runs beneath Deadline’s original break on the story.
EARLIER EXCLUSIVE, MONDAY PM: After a little late night deal making hanky panky in Berlin, Magnolia Pictures is the frontrunner in talks to consummate a deal for domestic rights to Lars von Trier’s Nymphomaniac for around $2 million, Deadline hears. The film’s about a nymphomaniac who recounts her sordid life to a stranger after he saves her from a beating. It stars Charlotte Gainsbourg, Stellan Skarsgard, Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell and Christian Slater.
The deal is fast reaching a climax after advance footage was screened over the weekend for select buyers by Nordisk. Given the erotic subject matter of the film–LaBeouf, aside from being shown in la buff, has reportedly said the sex in the film will be real– and given the provocative nature of von Trier (I’m not sure if they’ll let even him back into Cannes with this film after banning him for his dopey pro-Nazi comments two years ago), this seems like a natural multi-platform release for Magnolia. That distributor did a fine job with the helmer’s last film, Melancholia, which starred Kirsten Dunst and Gainsbourg. Magnolia bought that film based on advance footage played at Berlin, too.
Magnolia Pictures has snatched the US rights for Lars von Trier’s NYMPHOMANIAC after a buyers-only event screening a promo based on material from the film’s first part. The deal was negotiated between Magnolia’s SVP of Acquisitions, Dori Begley and Director of Acquisitions, Peter van Steemburg and TrustNordisk’s CEO, Rikke Ennis and Head of Sales, Susan Wendt.
“After the tremendous and never predictable experience of distributing MELANCHOLIA, we couldn’t be more excited to be working with Mr. von Trier again on the NYMPH()MANIAC films,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “He’s such an exciting and talented filmmaker—it’s an honor and a thrill to be associated with his world”.
Magnolia Pictures is the theatrical and home entertainment distribution arm of the Wagner/Cuban Companies, a vertically-integrated group of media properties co-owned by Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban that also includes the Landmark Theatres chain and AXS TV. Recent releases include Lars von Trier’s MELANCHOLIA and the Academy Award nominated A ROYAL AFFAIR.
Magnolia’s upcoming releases include Thomas Vinterberg’s THE HUNT.
As recently announced NYMPHOMANIAC will be completed ultimo 2013.
TrustNordisk continues presales of NYMPHOMANIAC at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin. The film includes an international ensemble cast consisting of Charlotte Gainsbourg and Stellan Skarsgård along with Stacy Martin, Shia LaBeouf, Jamie Bell, Christian Slater, Uma Thurman, Willem Dafoe, Connie Nielsen, Mia Goth, Udo Kier, Jean-Marc Barr, Caroline Goodall, Kate Ashfield, Saskia Reeves, Sophie Kennedy Clark, Hugo Speer, Felicity Gilbert, Michaël Pas, Jesper Christensen, Jens Albinus, Nicolas Bro, Cyron Melville, Shanti Roney, Omar Shargawi, Tania Carlin, Severin von Hoensbroech, Peter Gilbert Cotton and many more.
NYMPHOMANIAC is produced by Louise Vesth for Zentropa Entertainments in co-production with Bettina Brokemper for Zentropa International Köln, Marianne Slot for Slot Machine and Bert Hamelinck for Caviar and with support from The Danish Film Institute, Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, Eurimages, Deutscher Filmförderfonds, Nordic Film & TV Fond, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, Belgian Tax Shelter and Flanders Audiovisual Fund and in cooperation with DR and Film i Väst and with participation from Arte, Canal+ and The West Danish Film Fund and with development support of the Media Programme.
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