Magnet Releasing recently announced the acquisition of Europa Report, a sci-fi exploration film starring Sharlto Copley:
"The Wagner/Cuban Company’s Magnet Releasing, genre arm of Magnolia Pictures, announced today that they’ve acquired US rights to EUROPA REPORT, a groundbreaking science fiction film starring Sharlto Copley (District 9), about the exploration of Jupiter’s moon, Europa.
EUROPA REPORT marks Copley’s first return to science fiction since the 2009 blockbuster District 9, as well as the English language debut of director Sebastián Cordero, who once again worked with two longtime collaborators, Academy Award winning Production Designer Eugenio Caballero (Pan’s Labyrinth, The Impossible) and Director of Photography Enrique Chediak (127 Hours). The film was written by Philip Gelatt and produced by Wayfare Entertainment’s Ben Browning. Executive Producers were Wayfare’s Michael Maher and Jeremy Kipp Walker. The film features music by Bear McCreary (Battlestar Galactica, The Walking Dead). The film was financed by Wayfare Entertainment and China’s Sil Metropole.
A unique blend of documentary, alternative history and science fiction thriller, EUROPA REPORT follows a contemporary mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa, to investigate the possible existence of alien life within our solar system. Developed in close collaboration with NASA, JPL, SpaceX and other leaders in the scientific community, the film imagines the next step in manned space exploration and is based on recent scientific discoveries and theories.
“EUROPA REPORT is an exceptionally smart, thrilling film that will be a revelation for space enthusiasts and science fiction fans alike,” said Magnolia President Eamonn Bowles. “Its nuanced attention to scientific detail lends it an exciting quality that elevates it above the usual genre fare.”
“Sebastián has made a unique and challenging film that looks and feels epic despite being contained, and we’re confident has the potential to get into the zeitgeist. We also think it is a great example of the genre-bending films that Magnolia has had such success with, and we look forward to working with them again” said Browning.
Magnolia secured the rights over several other distributors in out of market bidding, believing the film perfectly calibrated for its distribution model. They will release the film later this year.
The deal was negotiated by Magnolia’s SVP of Acquisitions Dori Begley and Director of Acquisitions Peter Van Steemburg with CAA on behalf of the filmmakers.
Sierra-Affinity’s Nick Meyer is handling international rights and will be screening the film at the European Film Market in Berlin."
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While no specific release details were mentioned, we expect them to use a similar strategy to their previous genre releases. That includes a VOD/digital release, followed by a limited theatrical release, and a Blu-ray/DVD release down the line. We'll report back as soon as more release information becomes available.
After spending more than 10 years as a consultant in the tech and entertainment industry, Jonathan James launched Daily Dead in 2010 to share his interest in horror and sci-fi. Since then, it has grown into an online magazine with a staff of writers that provide daily news, reviews, interviews, and special features.
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