FilmDistrict has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Dead Man Down, a romantic thriller from director Niels Arden Oplev (2009's The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) and writer J.H. Wyman (Fringe) from IM Global.
The project, which is financed by IM Global and WWE Studios, stars Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Terrence Howard and Dominic Cooper. Neal H. Moritz is producing the $30 million film through his Original Films shingle and Wyman through his Frequency Films. Ori Marmur, Stuart Ford, Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Deepak Nayar and FilmDistrict CEO Peter Schlessel are executive producers. The movie began filming last month in Philadelphia and New York, and FilmDistrict is eyeing a fall 2013 release.
The movie reteams Oplev with Rapace, who starred in his original Swedish version of Dragon Tattoo. In Dead Man, she plays a crime victim seeking retribution who seduces and blackmails an underground crime lord's right-hand man (Farrell).
The acquisition is the second buy at Cannes for FilmDistrict, which jumped into the action early by picking up domestic rights to Mike Flanagan’s Oculus, based on the director’s short film. Intrepid Pictures' Trevor Macy and Marc D. Evans are producing and fully financing that project, which Focus Features International is debuting to foreign buyers at the Marche du Film in Cannes. Intrepid's Anil Kurian is executive producing.
“Dead Man Down is a great addition to our slate,” Schlessel said. “It’s the kind of material we respond to, and we are excited to be in business for the first time with Stuart Ford and IM Global.”
Said Ford, “We’re delighted that FilmDistrict is boarding the film, and we look forward to working with them to deliver a smart, exciting and stylish thriller to audiences."