Par, Miramax make unique 'Lucky' pair
Film companies to collab on marketing Cattaneo pic
Pic is being produced by London-based Fragile Films for FilmFour, which is handling the rest of the world.
Written by Ronan Bennett, it's a comedy-drama about a group of prisoners who stage a musical as cover for a jailbreak attempt.
Paramount will handle the physical distribution of the pic, with the two companies collaborating on the marketing.
Cattaneo's involvement, in his first directorial outing since "The Full Monty," ensured that this script was a hot pre-buy target for several American distribs.
Producers are Fragile's Barnaby Thompson and Uri Fruchtmann. Fragile previously produced "Spice World," "An Ideal Husband" and co-produced "Kevin and Perry Go Large."
FilmFour chief exec Paul Webster, who had already greenlit the film, struck the U.S. deal with Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein and Paramount's Rob Friedman.
Sources said Weinstein and Friedman were keen to work together again after their fruitful collaboration with "The Talented Mr. Ripley," where Miramax took foreign rights and Par took domestic.
"This deal gives us the might of Paramount combined with the marketing nous ?? of Miramax," said Webster.
"We're thrilled to be in business with FilmFour and Barnaby Thompson, who did 'An Ideal Husband' for Miramax and has a longstanding relationship with Paramount," said Weinstein and Friedman in a joint statement. "And could resist the director of 'The Full Monty,' Peter Cattaneo.
Par and Miramax were so enthusiastic about the project that they were actually seeking to take all worldwide rights to the project outside the U.K., but FilmFour was determined to keep foreign. Pic will be released by FilmFour in the U.K., and will go through its output deal with Senator Films in Germany.
