Summit blossoms with 'Bloom' film

Company grabs rights to Brody, Weisz caper

By DAVE MCNARY

Ramping up its release schedule, Summit Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights from Endgame Entertainment to caper-romance "The Brothers Bloom," starring Adrien Brody, Rachel Weisz, Mark Ruffalo and Rinko Kikuchi.

Rian Johnson wrote and directed the pic.

Summit, which has been in the process of transforming itself into a full-service studio, bought the rights preemptively to preclude the filmmakers from taking the project out on the festival route.

"We took it off the market because it's a mass-appeal type of project," said production prexy Erik Feig.

Currently in post-production, "The Brothers Bloom" will be released next year. Pic's produced by Ram Bergman and financed and produced by Endgame Entertainment's James D. Stern; Endgame's Wendy Japhet and Doug Hansen exec produce.

Bergman previously teamed with Johnson on "Brick."

Film centers on two con men whose lives change upon meeting an heiress who becomes an unlikely partner in their latest scheme.

Summit's planning an annual slate of up to a dozen pics. Its first release will be horror-thriller "P2" on Nov. 9.

Summit VP of acquisitions and co-productions Michael Schaefer handled the deal; CAA negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers. The Weinstein Co. will handle foreign sales at AFM.