Saban Films Acquires Tommy Lee Jones’ THE HOMESMAN – Watch The Making-Of Featurette

Haim Saban announced today that after launching Saban Films last week the company has acquired North American distribution rights to Academy Award winner Tommy Lee Jones’ THE HOMESMAN, starring Jones and Academy Award winner Hilary Swank, with a supporting cast featuring Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto, Sonja Richter, Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld, James Spader and Academy Award winner Meryl Streep.

The story centers around a claim jumper and a pioneer woman who team up to escort three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa.

In his Cannes review, Todd McCarthy’s (THR) writes: “In what’s probably her best big screen role since Million Dollar Baby, Swank is obliged to keep Mary Bee’s emotions in tight check, but the pain her valiant character bottles up emerges in piercing flashes to lasting effect. Jones’ scalawag is a man on the run from everything he’s ever done in his life, and director guides himself to a performance that is mildly amusing and glancingly poignant by turns.”

Living in Cinema’s Craig Kennedy says: “Swank and Jones are both terrific. The show belongs entirely to Swank at first, but she slowly makes way for Jones who can steal a scene with a simple glance. Even after Jones takes the reigns however, Swank’s deeply felt personification lingers and continues to shape the story. They make an unexpectedly great team.”

The new venture, which is headed by President Bill Bromiley, came to Cannes with an aggressive acquisitions strategy and targeted the highly-regarded competition title, finalizing negotiations with majority owner of the North American rights, Brian Kennedy. EuropaCorp is the international distributor of the picture. This is the first acquisition for Saban Films and the second collaboration between Bromiley, Tommy Lee Jones and Michael Fitzgerald following 2008’s In the Electric Mist.

THE HOMESMAN, which premiered Sunday, May 18th in competition in Cannes, is a Tommy Lee Jones/Michael Fitzgerald production, directed by Tommy Lee Jones and produced by Peter Brant, Brian Kennedy and Luc Besson. The screenplay was written by Jones, Kieran Fitzgerald and Wesley A. Oliver, based on the novel by Glendon Swarthout.

Saban Films is planning a 2014 theatrical release.

Tommy Lee Jones said: “I am delighted that Saban Films has chosen ‘The Homesman’ to begin their venture into film release. Our company has full confidence in Saban Films and I sincerely hope we will serve them well.”

Representing the film in the sale to Saban Films was CAA and Scott Edel of Loeb & Loeb. Bill Bromiley, Ness Saban and Niveen Tadros, EVP & General Counsel, negotiated the acquisition on behalf of Saban Films.

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