Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones Join Cast For Luc Besson’s MALAVITA

EuropaCorp and Relativity Media have announced final casting for all of the principal roles in their comedic actioner MALAVITA directed by Luc Besson (Taken, Transporter). Oscar®-Winner Robert De Niro (Limitless, Meet The Parents) will be joined by Oscar®-Nominee Michelle Pfeiffer (Dark Shadows, People Like Us), Oscar®-Winner Tommy Lee Jones (No Country For Old Men, Men in Black), Dianna Agron (Glee, I Am Number Four) and John D’Leo (The Wrestler, Wanderlust) in the film set to go into production this summer.

Malavita is the story of the Manzonis, a notorious mafia family who gets relocated to Normandy, France under the witness protection program. While they do their best to fit in, old habits die hard and they soon find themselves handling things the “family” way.

The script is adapted by Besson from the book Badfellas by author Tonino Benacquista. Pre-production will begin in July with filming set for August at La Cité du Cinéma, where the brand new Studios de Paris are located. Additional shooting will take place in Normandy, France and New York. The film will bow in 2013 with Relativity handling US distribution as well as working with its foreign output partners on the film’s release in the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, Spain, Greece, Thailand and CIS. EuropaCorp will take on distribution in France and handle international sales.

Looking ahead, Relativity will release the edge-of-your seat thriller House at the End of the Street (in theatres September 21, 2012) and the hilarious comedy 21 and Over (in theatres March 15, 2013). Relativity is currently in post-production on Scott Cooper’s gritty dramatic thriller currently-titled Out of the Furnace and is production on the film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ best-selling Safe Haven (in theatres February 8, 2013).

EuropaCorp is currently in production on Taken 2 which it will distribute in France and with its partners in Germany, Scandinavia and Russia. Fox will handle the distribution of the film in the US and throughout its international distribution organization. The company is also in production on Mobius directed by Éric Rochant and starring Oscar®-Winner Jean DuJardin, Cécile De France and Tim Roth.