Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger In Final Negotiations to Star in THIS MAN, THIS WOMAN

Oscar winner Penelope Cruz (VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES) and Diane Kruger (INGLORIOUS BASTERDS, NATIONAL TREASURE) are in final negotiations to star in the romance feature film THIS MAN, THIS WOMAN, to be directed by Isabel Coixet whose new film NOBODY WANTS THE NIGHT opens the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, it was announced today by Fortitude International co-founders, Nadine de Barros and Robert Ogden Barnum, and producer Mike Lobell (THE FRESHMAN, STRIPTEASE).

Fortitude International is financing the film and will handle foreign sales on the project being introduced to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin next month.

De Barros and Barnum serve as executive producers. Lobell is producing the film.

The romance is written by Oscar winner Frederic Raphael (EYES WIDE SHUT, DARLING, TWO FOR THE ROAD).

CAA is representing domestic rights.

An estranged man, Matt Heller, and a woman, Martha Parks (Cruz) encounter each other by chance on a plane, and relive memories of their turbulent romantic relationship.

Kruger will play Kirsty Sachs, a talk show host who has an affair with Heller and changes the course of his whirlwind relationship with Parks.

“It feels like a minor miracle to finally bring this passion of mine to the screen and to put together this dream cast including the superbly talented Penelope Cruz and Diane Kruger who are the perfect actresses to bring these multi-layered characters to life. Combined with an extraordinary director to help realize Freddie’s amazing script, there must be a movie God after all, “said Lobell.

“Frederic Raphael has written a mesmerizing script which closely examines a couple’s rollercoaster relationship over the years which will be brilliantly brought to life by the talented filmmaker Isabel Coixet.  We can’t wait to introduce this hot title to buyers at EFM,” said de Barros and Barnum.

Penelope Cruz won the Oscar for her supporting role in Woody Allen’s VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA co-starring Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johansson and was nominated for Rob Marshall’s NINE. She will appear on screen this summer in Columbia Pictures’ comedy GRIMSBY with Sacha Baron Cohen, Mark Strong and Isla Fisher. Her credits Disney’s global phenomenon PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES co-starring Johnny Depp, Pedro Almodovar’s VOLVER, VANILLA SKY and Coixet’s ELEGY.

Diane Kruger received critical recognition for her performance in Quentin Tarantino’s INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, for which she shared a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. She will next be seen in Gabriele Muccino’s FATHERS AND DAUGTHERS, co-starring Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried and Aaron Paul. She has starred opposite Nicolas Cage in the successful NATIONAL TREASURE franchise and was on screen with Liam Neeson in the action thriller UNKNOWN. Her other credits include THE BETTER ANGELS, FAREWELL, MY QUEEN and THE HOST.

Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet’s next film, NOBODY WANTS THE NIGHT starring Juliette Binoche, will open the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival next month, marking the seventh time one of her films will premiere at the festival. Her other films include LEARNING TO DRIVE starring Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley which premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, ELEGY also starring Cruz and Kingsley and MY LIFE WITHOUT ME starring Sarah Polley, Amanda Plummer Scott Speedman and Mark Ruffalo.

Mike Lobell has produced a series of iconic films during his long and distinguished career including THE FRESHMAN with the legendary Marlon Brando, TWO FOR THE ROAD with Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney, the worldwide hit STRIPTEASE starring Demi Moore and Randal Kleiser’s WHITE FANG with Ethan Hawke and Seymour Cassel. His other credits include CHANCES ARE starring Cybill Shepherd and Robert Downey Jr., THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN starring Meredith Salenger and John Cusack, IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU with Oscar winner Nicolas Cage and Bridget Fonda and Andrew Bergman’s HONEYMOON IN VEGAS with Cage and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Cruz is repped by CAA and Untitled Entertainment and Kruger by UTA and Untitled Entertainment.