Summit Entertainment has closed international deals for most of the world for its magician heist pic “Now You See Me” and Steve McQueen’s “Twelve Years a Slave.”
Summit co-chair Patrick Wachsberger told Variety that response was strong for both titles during the American Film Market. “There was a lot of competition with multiple offers,” he added.
“Now You See Me,” directed by Louis Leterrier, stars Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Morgan Freeman, Isla Fisher and Melanie Laurent in a tale of a squad of the world’s greatest illusionists who pull off a series of daring bank heists during their performances, then shower the profits on their audiences. Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are producing via their shingle Kurtzman Orci Paper Products.
“It’s a big studio-type high-concept movie available to independent distributors at a time when the economic crisis has limited those kind of titles,” Wachsberger noted.
“Now You See Me” sold to EOne for the U.K., SND for France, Telemunchen for Germany, Arum for Spain, and Nordisk. Summit is weighing multiple offers for Japan with that deal likely to close within a week.
“Twelve Years a Slave,” with River Road producing and financing, stars Michael Fassbender — who toplined McQueen’s “Shame” — along with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Brad Pitt. McQueen will direct from a script he co-wrote with John Ridley, based on the true story of Solomon Northup, a New York citizen kidnapped in Washington in 1841 and rescued from a cotton plantation in Louisiana in 1853.
Pitt is also producing through Plan B with partners Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner along with Pohlad. CAA is arranging financing and representing U.S. rights for the pic skedded to start production early next year.
“Slave” told to EOne in the U.K., Tobis in Germany, Planeta in Spain, Mars in France, Svensk in Scandinavia and Icon in Australia.
Wachsberger also said Summit will bring four films for sale to the Berlin market in February but he isn’t revealing the titles yet.
