Magnolia picks up Marsh's 'Wire'

Film documents Petit's illegal high-wire walk

By WINTER MILLER

Doc 'Man on Wire' centers on an illegal high-wire walk between the Twin Towers.

Discovery doc and 2008 Sundance hit "Man on Wire" inked a distrib deal with Magnolia Pictures in the $500,000 range, according to an insider. Helmed by James Marsh, the story about Frenchman Philippe Petit's illegal high-wire walk between the Twin Towers in 1974 won the docu World Cinema Jury and World Cinema Audience awards.

Marsh's prior films include doc "Wisconsin Death Trip" and dramatic feature "The King," which preemed at Cannes in 2005. "Wire" was produced by Simon Chinn with Jonathan Hewes as exec producer. Film is a Wall to Wall production with Red Box Films for Discovery Films, the BBC and UK Film Council New Cinema Fund. Submarine's Josh Braun oversaw North American distrib deal with Magnolia's Tom Quinn, Dori Begley and Jason Janego.