John Carney’s Can a Song Save Your Life? has been on everyone’s radar for a long time now, and it comes as no surprise that the early reviews out of TIFF have been incredibly positive.
Now word comes that The Weinstein Company have acquired the US rights for the movie, paying a sizable $7m. with a $20m. advertising commitment.
Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo and Catherine Keener star in this soul-stirring music industry drama about an undiscovered young singer and a washed-up producer. These lost souls meet, see something special in the other and ultimately make beautiful music together in this latest film from Once writer-director John Carney.
Mark Ruffalo and Keira Knightley lead the cast, with Catherine Keener, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, Cee Lo Green, James Corden, and Yasiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def) completing the cast very nicely, with Maroon 5’s Levine making his feature debut as an actor.
Carney, the writer-director behind the Oscar-winning musical Once, returns once more behind the helm with his own script, with Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) and Tobin Armbrust (End of Watch) producing alongside executive producers Tom Rice (The Way Way Back) and Judd Apatow (This Is 40).
No word yet on when TWC will be looking to put this on their calendar, but of course the hope is always that it will be sooner rather than later. And given the success of Once a few years back, it will be interesting to see if TWC look for an awards push if they do decide to release it before the end of the year.
THE WEINSTEIN COMPANY ACQUIRES US RIGHTS FOR EXCLUSIVE MEDIA’S
“CAN A SONG SAVE YOUR LIFE?”
Toronto, Canada – September 8, 2013
• The Weinstein Company has acquired the US rights to John Carney’s romantic film “Can A Song Save Your Life?”
• The studio paid $7 million MG with a $20 million P&A commitment.
• Film produced by Exclusive Media’s Tobin Armbrust and Likely Story’s Anthony Bregman.
• The deal was negotiated by CAA and UTA who are handling US rights to the film, WME who represent Canada and International territories with Exclusive Media, and Marc Schipper, Exclusive Media’s Chief Operating Officer with David Glasser, Dan Guando, Negeen Yazdi, Robert Walak and Michal Steinberg for TWC.
• “This movie has been an absolute joy to work on and we are thrilled to have the absolute perfect distributor in The Weinstein Company join us on the journey,” commented producer Tobin Armbrust.
• Commented TWC Co-Chairmen Harvey and Bob Weinstein: “John Carney’s sensitive and brilliant direction creates a movie for our times. Through beautiful performances from Keira Knightly, Mark Ruffalo, James Corden and Adam Levine he creates a tapestry of humor and heartbreak, echoed by the incredible use of music. It’s a romantic comedy, it’s a musical and a family film in its own way for this generation. We loved it!”
• John Carney (“Once”) is writer and director.
• The film stars Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Hailee Steinfeld, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green and Catherine Keener.
• Sycamore Pictures co-financed the film with Exclusive Media. Sycamore Pictures will be a co-presenter of the film, and Sycamore’s Ben Nearn and Tom Rice serve as Executive Producers.
• Executive producers are also Exclusive Media’s Nigel Sinclair and Guy East, Judd Apatow, and Molly Smith of Black Label Media.
• “Can A Song Save Your Life?” is a The Weinstein Company and Exclusive Media presentation in association with Black Label Media, and also in association with Sycamore Pictures.
• Logline: Seduced by dreams of making it in the big city, Gretta (Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend (Levine) move to New York to pursue their passion for music. She’s heartbroken when he dumps her for the fame and fortune of a big solo contract, leaving her all on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when a down-on-his-luck record producer (Ruffalo) stumbles upon her singing during an open mic night and is immediately captivated by her raw talent and inspiring authenticity – they may be each other’s last chance to turn their lives around.
• Tobin Armbrust is President of Worldwide Productions and Acquisitions of Exclusive Media. His recent credits include the box office hit “The Woman in Black” starring Daniel Radcliffe and executive producing Ron Howard’s epic “Rush,” set for its theatrical release on September 20th through Universal Pictures.
• Anthony Bregman’s production credits include “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotlight Mind,” “Our Idiot Brother” and “The Oranges.”
Source: Thanks to Collider for the heads up.
