Saban Films Acquires U.S. Rights to Michael Keaton Thriller "Knox Goes Away"
- Details
- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Wednesday, 29 November 2023 18:12
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
Saban Films announced today that they have acquired US rights to thriller Knox Goes Away directed by, and starring, Academy Award®-nominee Michael Keaton (Spotlight) alongside Academy Award®-winner Al Pacino, James Marsden ("Westworld,"), Academy Award®-winner Marcia Gay Harden (Mystic River).
The film is penned by Gregory Poirier (National Treasure: Book of Secrets, The Spy Next Door) also stars, Suzy Nakamura ("Dead to Me"), John Hoogenakker ("Dopesick"), Joanna Kulig (Cold War), Academy Award®-winner Ray McKinnon ("Rectify"), and Lela Loren ("Power").
Saban Films is targeting a 2024 first quarter theatrical release.
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The film premiered to acclaim at Toronto International Film Festival in September, with Owen Gleiberman from Variety calling it "a silky and entrancing thriller" with a "tautly clever and original" script, adding "Keaton gives a beautifully psychological performance...and directs with a cunning and skill that are quietly hypnotic." Deadline's Pete Hammond praised the thriller as "One of [Keaton's] most memorable performances," adding that Poirier's storytelling is "sensational."
Knox Goes Away follows John Knox (Keaton), a contract killer with a rapidly evolving form of dementia, who is offered the opportunity to redeem himself by saving the life of the adult son with whom he had been estranged.
The deal was negotiated by Bill Bromiley for Saban Films with CAA Media Finance and Verve Ventures on behalf of the filmmakers. FilmNation Entertainment represents the international rights.
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The film is produced by Keaton alongside Brookstreet's Trevor Matthews and Nick Gordon and Sugar23's Academy Award®-winning Michael Sugar (Spotlight) and Ashley Zalta. Executive producers include Jonathan Saba, Carter Stanton for Brookstreet, Jillian Kay for Sugar23, in addition to Nick Blasko, Wayne Carmona, David Gendron, Michael Hansen, Nate Holthouser, Andy Huang, Ali Jazayeri, Scott Lake, Eric London, Donald Povieng, Dina Randazzo, Ronald Richardson, and Viviana Zarragoitia.
Saban Films recently acquired Art Camacho's action thriller Ruthless starring Dermot Mulroney; Javier Reyna's Due Justice starring Kellan Lutz; Scandinavian thriller Good Boy; and Darkness of Man starring Jean-Claude Van Damme; Stephen Lang and Harvey Keitel's action-thriller Hellfire.
About Saban Films
Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group ("SCG"), is a film acquisition and distribution company that has continued to grow its presence in the industry, expanding into the production space. Founded in 2014, the company focuses on commercial, high-quality, talent driven films, boarding projects at all stages of production and through release across multiple platforms in North America, including a day and date theatrical/VOD release strategy.
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The venture also recently solidified its place as a major global distributor with partnership deals with numerous territories, including: Austria, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, the UK, Ireland, Benelux, and Switzerland. Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and is led by Bill Bromiley who serves as President, and Shanan Becker, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer.
About Sugar23
Founded in 2017 by Academy Award®-winning manager-producer Michael Sugar, Sugar23, Inc. is a multimedia production and talent management organization with a mission to impact culture through entertainment. With world-class entertainment executives in scripted & unscripted TV, film, and podcasts, Sugar23 creates original, premium content for global distribution platforms.
Recently Sugar23 has partnered with brand marketers, leveraging the company's producing expertise and resources for brands to participate in entertainment, earning higher audience engagement and financial return. The company works closely with leading brands around branded entertainment opportunities, including ABInbev, TIME, Procter & Gamble, and others.
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CEO Michael Sugar has shepherded award-winning projects such as "Spotlight," "The Knick," "The OA," "Maniac," "13 Reasons Why," and "I Am the Night." Sugar23 currently has "The Turning Point" airing on MSNBC, which was co-produced alongside TIME Studios, Trevor Noah's Day Zero Productions, Mainstay and P&G Studios.
In addition to dozens of active film and television projects in development, Sugar23 works cross-media including an independent podcast studio in house, a book imprint in partnership with Penguin Random House, an animation studio through Mindshow, and an experiential activation arm through Blue Revolver.
Sugar23 has offices in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, and Washington D.C.
About BROOKSTREET PICTURES:
BROOKSTREET PICTURES is an independent film production and finance company based in Los Angeles, whose mission is to support daring and distinctive filmmakers in the telling of hard-hitting stories. The company recently premiered Michael Keaton's Knox Goes Away, starring Keaton, James Marsden, Suzy Nakamura, Marcia Gay Harden, and Al Pacino, at the Toronto International Film Festival and will next release The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce, directed by Brady Corbet.
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Recent projects include: The Forgiven, John Michael McDonagh's film with Ralph Fiennes, Jessica Chastain, Matt Smith, Saïd Taghmaoui, and Christopher Abbott; Brothers By Blood, written and directed by Jeremie Guez, starring Matthias Schoenaerts, Joel Kinnaman, Maika Monroe and Ryan Phillippe, which was a 2020 Tribeca Film Festival selection; Academy Award-winning director Guy Nattiv's Skin, starring Jamie Bell, Vera Farmiga, Danielle Macdonald and Bill Camp, which won the FIPRESCI Prize at TIFF 2018; and O.G. a prison drama starring Jeffrey Wright and shot entirely in an active maximum-security correctional facility. Wright's performance earned him the award for Best Actor at Tribeca 2018, where the film was acquired by HBO Films.