Star power is always a draw at the American Film Market, led this year by Rachel Weisz playing Elizabeth Taylor in See-Saw’s “A Special Relationship.”
It’s a roll of the dice for independently financed projects. A pair of Diane Keaton projects — “Book Club” and “Poms” — were major draws at the last two AFMs. “Book Club” went up for sale in 2017 was a major success with more than $100 million in worldwide grosses last year. “Poms,” which was unveiled a year ago, failed to get much traction with $16 million.
A select list of anticipated titles at the American Film Market:
Losing Clementine
Director: Lucia Puenzo
Producers: Sentient Films (Renee Tab, Christopher Tuffin), Freckle Films (Jessica Chastain, Kelly Carmichael)
Key Cast: Jessica Chastain
Logline: The story follows world-renowned artist who, after flushing away her meds, gives herself 31 days to tie up loose ends before killing herself.
Sales: Sierra/Affinity
Geechee
Director: Dubois Ashong
Producers: AGC Studios (Stewart Ford, Glendon Palmer)
Key Cast: Andrea Riseborough
Logline: A successful New York scientist decides to leave the city with her son to start life over gets haunted in the remote Sea Islands off the Atlantic coast.
Sales: AGC Studios; CAA Media Finance co-reps domestic rights
Every Breath You Take
Director: Christine Jeffs
Producers: Southpaw Entertainment (Richard B. Lewis), Construction Film (Veronica Ferres, Frank Buchs)
Key Cast: Casey Affleck, Sam Claflin, Michelle Monaghan
Logline: A psychiatrist’s career is thrown into jeopardy when his patient takes her own life.
Sales: 13 Films
King of the Jungle
Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Producers: Condé Nast Entertainment, Zaftig Films, MadRiver Pictures and Epic Entertainment.
Key Cast: Zac Efron
Logline: A Wired Magazine investigator (Efron) tracks down John McAfee at his jungle compound in Belize.
Sales: MadRiver International
Summer Madness
Director: James Motern
Producers: Anna Faris, James Modern, Michael Barrett, Emilio Mauro.
Key Cast: Anna Faris
Logline: Faris is will portray twins — one broke and the other well-off. The unsuccessful twin needs to rally her dysfunctional family to win a large cash prize.
Sales: The Exchange
A Special Relationship
Director: Bert & Bertie
Producers: See-Saw Films (Iain Canning, Emile Sherman)
Key Cast: Rachel Weisz
Logline: Elizabeth Taylor’s friendship with her assistant Roger Wall leads to her involvement as an advocate for AIDS victims.
Sales: Cross City Films
The Plane
Director: TBD
Producers: DiBonaventura Pictures (Lorenzo di Bonvaventura, Mark Vahradian), MadRiver (Marc Butan, Ara Keshishian), G-Base (Gerard Butler, Alan Siegel)
Key Cast: Gerard Butler
Logline: A commercial pilot successfully lands his storm-damaged aircraft in a war zone and finds himself caught between militias.
Sales: MadRiver International; CAA Media Finance is on domestic rights
The Last Drop
Producers: 21 Laps (Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, Dan Cohen), 3311 (Jen Dana)
Director: TBD
Key Cast: Vince Vaughn, Sharon Horgan
Logline: A charming bon vivant whose endless meals and drinking have brought his career to a tipping point until he’s saved by an antiques dealer
Sales: Endeavor Content
Prisoner 760
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Producers: SunnyMarch (Benedict Cumberbatch, Adam Ackland, Leah Clarke), Black Sheep Pictures (Lloyd Levin, Beartriz Levin), Wonder Street (Mark Holder, Christine Holder), Branwen Prestwood-Smith.
Key Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Jodie Foster, Shailene Woodley, Tahar Rahim
Logline: Attorneys unveil a conspiracy that’s led to Mohamedou Ould Slahi languishing in prison for years without charge or trial.
Sales: STXinternational; UTA Independent and 30West are handling domestic
War Has Ended
Director: Hagar Ben Asher
Producers: Dale Armin Johnson, Jill Littman, Marek Rozenbaum
Key Cast: Edgar Ramirez
Logline: At the end World War II, a man travels through battle-scarred towns with his horse and enchanting puppet show while in search of his missing sons.
Sales: Mister Smith International