EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has overwhelmed out different suitors to take one of many hottest film packages off the desk, putting a home deal and extra for Craig Gillespie’s Dumb Money from Black Bear Pictures.
This was just about the one pre-sale bundle of scale patrons have been buzzing about going into Toronto. Talent have been too. The challenge has attracted A-list solid together with Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Pete Davidson and Shailene Woodley. More names will likely be revealed quickly.
Sony has dedicated past the U.S., additionally shopping for rights in Latin America, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, India and a handful of Asian markets. I hear their deal is price near $20M all in. Tom Rothman’s dedication to theatrical was a giant plus throughout the negotiations, we hear. Sony has steered a bunch of films to theatrical success since lockdown ended, together with Spider-Man No Way Home, Uncharted, Where The Crawdads Sing, Bullet Train and others. The film will nonetheless be accessible to a bunch of indie distributors in key worldwide markets.
Currently in manufacturing and based mostly on creator Ben Mezrich’s ebook The Antisocial Network, the film will inform the story of fortunes made and misplaced in a single day within the David vs Goliath GameCease brief squeeze which made headlines far past Wall Street final 12 months. Pic will provide an irreverent and scathing portrait of how a loosely affiliated group of novice traders and web denizens crushed one of many greatest hedge funds on Wall Street, thus upending the institution (for a time, a minimum of).
Ryder Picture Company’s Aaron Ryder (Arrival), Black Bear’s Teddy Schwarzman (The Imitation Game) and Gillespie are producing. Script was tailored by Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Schuker Blum. I, Tonya director Gillespie is coming off Disney’s Cruella and is booked in for that movie’s sequel.
Black Bear Pictures is totally financing. UTA Independent Film Group and Black Bear International negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers.
There are apparent Social Network parallels right here. Not solely in topic and tone. Mezrich additionally wrote the supply materials for that film, which was additionally launched by Sony. Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, memorably performed by Armie Hammer in Aaron Sorkin’s hit, are even exec producers on this film having been supporting characters in Mezrich’s Facebook story The Accidental Billionaires and principal gamers in his sequel titled Bitcoin Billionaires.
I instructed a veteran purchaser final week that Sony’s curiosity made me consider The Social Network. They replied: “But this is much more fun with more commercial and comedic dialogue.” That’s a potent bundle if that’s the case. The Social Network is a traditional in my opinion.
Josh Greenstein, President of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, instructed us: “Dumb Money is a classic David-vs.-Goliath tale about how Wall Street was beaten at its own game. It’s a story of our time and the story is timeless. We are excited to be working with Craig, who is a world-class filmmaker.”
“We have long been a fan of Craig Gillespie’s work and it’s fitting that the studio that brought you The Social Network gets the Anti-Social Network, plus we get to be in business once again with stellar producers Teddy Schwarzman and Aaron Ryder,” added Joe Matukewicz, Sony Pictures’, Head of Worldwide Acquisitions.
Executive producers embrace Michael Heimler, John Friedberg, Andrew Swett, Angelo, Schuker Blum, Mezrich, Johnny Holland, the aforementioned Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, and Kevin Ulrich.
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