Gerard Butler Action Pic ‘The Plane’ Goes Global For MadRiver In Quickfire Market Sellout – AFM

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EXCLUSIVE: AFM buyers flocked to Gerard Butler action package The Plane over the weekend with MadRiver International pitching a sellout on the project.

After Lionsgate took North America, Latin America, the UK and India in the first days of the market, MadRiver has closed multi-million dollar pre-sales in major markets with Leonine (German-speaking Europe), Metropolitan (France), Roadshow (Australia / New Zealand), Dea Planeta and Tri-PIctures (Spain) and E Stars (China).

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In double-quick time, the movie has sold to Notorious (Italy), Nordisk (Scandinavia), Unicorn Media (CIS + Baltics), Italia (Middle East), The Searchers (Benelux), Vertical (Central Europe), Italia (Turkey), Lusomundo (Portugal), Italia (Greece/Cyprus), United King (Israel), PT Amero (Indonesia), Square Box (Malaysia), Fox (Pan Asia Pay), Digi Optic (Philippines), Encore (Singapore), Noori (South Korea), MovieCloud (Taiwan), Sahamongkol (Vietnam and Thailand), Filmfinity (South Africa), Sam Film (Iceland) and Intercontinental (Hong Kong).

Butler will star as commercial pilot Ray Torrance, who after a heroic job of successfully landing his storm-damaged aircraft in a war zone, finds himself caught between the agendas of multiple militias that are planning to take the plane and its passengers hostage.

Producers are Di Bonaventura Pictures’ Lorenzo di Bonvaventura and Mark Vahradian, MadRiver Pictures’ Marc Butan and Ara Keshishian, and Butler and Alan Siegel under their G-BASE banner.

Script comes from Charles Cumming and JP Davis (Violence of Action), and is based on the book by Cumming. Pic is scheduled to shoot in Q2, 2020. A director is due aboard soon.

CAA Media Finance brokered domestic rights, and MadRiver International handles the rest of the world.

This was one of a handful of hot projects at the AFM this year. The impressive number of indie buyers aboard speaks to their hunger for material with the potential to battle studio fare and the enduring appeal of Butler, whose Angel Has Fallen was a solid box office performer over the summer.

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