Alejandro González Iñárritu’s BIRDMAN Begins Prinicpal Photography

Fox Searchlight Pictures and New Regency announced today that principal photography on Alejandro González Iñárritu’s black comedy, BIRDMAN, began on April 15th in New York City. They will co-finance the picture with Worldview Entertainment. Iñárritu co-wrote the script with Nicolas Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, and Armando Bo.

The film stars Michael Keaton, Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts.

The film will be a New Regency production with Iñárritu and John Lesher serving as producers. Worldview Entertainment’s Christopher Woodrow, Molly Conners and Hoyt David Morgan will executive produce alongside Jim Skotchdopole. The film will be produced by New Regency and Fox Searchlight Pictures will handle marketing and distribution.

“It is thrilling to have such a talented cast to bring this script to life,” says Iñárritu.

“It’s great to be working on Alejandro’s deeply original project with Fox Searchlight and New Regency as they always strive to allow filmmakers to realize their creative vision,” says Lesher.

“We’ve been mesmerized by Alejandro’s work for years. We’re honored to work with this visionary auteur on his imaginative and original dark comedy,” said Claudia Lewis, Fox Searchlight Pictures President of Production.

BIRDMAN or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance is a black comedy that tells the story of an actor (Keaton) – famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself.

The deal was brokered by New Regency’s EVP of Business Affairs Eric Roth and Fox Searchlight Pictures Senior Vice President of Business Affairs Megan O’Brien, and by CAA on behalf of the filmmakers and Worldview Entertainment. The project will be overseen by New Regency’s President Brad Weston and VP of Production Andrew Calof and Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Lewis.

Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both produces and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and its films are distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of Fox Filmed Entertainment, a unit of Fox Entertainment Group.

Worldview Entertainment is a leading independent motion picture production and investment company. The company’s slate includes: James Gray’s “Lowlife” starring Marion Cotillard, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner; Guillaume Canet’s “Blood Ties” starring Clive Owen; Daniel Espinosa’s “Child 44” starring Tom Hardy with Summit Entertainment; and David Gordon Green’s “Joe” starring Nicolas Cage.