LONDON — U.K.-based distrib-turned-producer Optimum Releasing has continued its buying spree by announcing a slate of nine acquisitions.
Two buys from Optimum parent StudioCanal’s deal with Spyglass Entertainment are Anand Tucker’s “Leap Year,” starring Amy Adams and Matthew Goode, and “The Tourist,” starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.
Two acquisitions from StudioCanal’s deal with Dark Castle are Jaume Collet-Serra’s “Unknown White Male,” starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger and January Jones, as well as Sylvain White’s “The Losers,” starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana.
Optimum has also acquired helmer Duncan Jones’ “Source Code,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal. Pic is the first to emerge from StudioCanal’s partnership with Vendome Pictures.
“This is our strongest and most varied lineup to date,” said Optimum chief exec Will Clarke. “It is very pleasing to see the positive effects of working so closely with the StudioCanal European network.” Other Optimum acquisitions include Daniel Monzon’s Spanish action drama “Cell 211,” Korean helmer Joon Ho Bong’s “Mother,” Australian helmer Sean Byrne’s horror pic “The Loved Ones,” as well as Darren Bousman’s “Mother’s Day,” starring Rebecca De Mornay, Jaime King, Shawn Ashmore and Deborah Ann Woll. Optimum has been in an expansive mood in recent months with the backing of StudioCanal. It’s in production on its first project, helmer Rowan Joffe’s $10 million-$12 million adaptation of Graham Greene’s classic novel “Brighton Rock,” starring Sam Riley and Helen Mirren.
Optimum is in pre-production on gritty youth drama “Here Comes the Summer,” as well as developing a remake of Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” with Stephen Woolley and Elizabeth Karlsen’s Number 9 Films.
