Following its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival Lizzie, the period piece centered on suspected axe murderer Lizzie Borden, has been acquired by Saban Films for North American distribution.
Starring Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, and Kim Dickens, Lizzie was directed by Craig William Macneill, who helmed the Candle Cove first season of Channel Zero and 2015's The Boy.
Saban Films plans to team up with Roadside Attractions to bring Lizzie to theaters this summer, and we'll be sure to keep Daily Dead readers updated on further details as they are announced.
In case you missed it, check here for our previous live coverage of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, including the acquisition news for other genre films such as Assassination Nation and Revenge.
Press Release: PARK CITY (January 25, 2018) – In a competitive situation, Saban Films has nabbed North American rights to Craig William Macneill’s Lizzie, starring Academy Award Nominee Chloë Sevigny (Boys Don't Cry) as the renowned accused murderess Lizzie Borden and Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga). The racy period drama, which just made its World Premiere In-Competition at the Sundance Film Festival, was produced by Sevigny, Naomi Despres and Liz Destro. The film was executive produced by Elizabeth Stillwell, Roxanne Fie Anderson, and Edward J. Anderson of Powder Hound Pictures. Saban Films is planning a theatrical release in partnership with Roadside Attractions this summer.
Written by Bryce Kass and based on the unsolved, much-speculated-about murders of the Borden parents, Lizzie explores the inner workings of the Borden household leading up to the murders and their immediate aftermath and reveals many layers of the strange, fragile woman who stood accused of the brutal crime. As an unmarried woman of 32, Lizzie(Sevigny) is a social outcast trapped under her father’s austere and domineering control. When Bridget Sullivan (Stewart), a young maid desperate for work, comes to live with the family, Lizzie finds a sympathetic, kindred spirit, and a chance intimacy that blossoms into a wicked plan, and a dark, unsettling end.
Sevigny said: “I couldn’t be happier than to partner with Saban Films and Roadside on Lizzie, a film that has been a labor of love for me for over 10 years. I am thrilled for theatre goers to see this incredible tale.”
The film is rounded out by a star-studded cast including Kim Dickens (Gone Girl, “Fear the Walking Dead”), Denis O’Hare (Dallas Buyers Club, “American Horror Story”), Jeff Perry (“Scandal”), Fiona Shaw (Harry Potter) and Jamey Sheridan (Spotlight, “Homeland”).
“Chloë and Kristen are two of the most esteemed actresses of our time,” said Saban Films’ Bill Bromiley. “Their performances in Lizzie are evocative and gripping, and we’re proud to be championing this film.”
“Chloe and Kristen make these roles their own and they slay in every sense of the word. Craig delivered a tense period thriller and we are excited to partner with our friends at Saban as we bring audiences Lizzie later this year,” said Roadside Attractions co-founders Howard Cohen and Eric d’Arbeloff.
Saban Films and Roadside Attractions previously collaborated on Tommy Lee Jones’ The Homesman starring Hilary Swank and Tom Tykwer’s A Hologram For the King starring Tom Hanks.
Ness Saban and Jonathan Saba negotiated the deal on behalf of Saban Films, with Endeavor Content and Gersh, who represented the US rights.
Most recently, Saban Films acquired Alexandre Moors’ The Yellow Birds, which made its World Premiere at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. The war drama stars Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich, Toni Collette, Jason Patric, with Jack Huston and Jennifer Aniston.
The company also recently partnered with Toronto-based Mongrel Media to release their 2018 North American titles in Canada, creating a distribution pipeline in North America with a slate of films which also includes: Roland Joffe’s The Forgiven starring Forest Whitaker and Eric Bana; Alexandros Avranas’ Dark Crimes starring Jim Carrey and Charlotte Gainsbourg; and Eshom Nelms and Ian Nelms’ Small Town Crime starring John Hawkes and Octavia Spencer.
Saban Films continues to grow its presence in the industry, with successes that have run the gamut from critically acclaimed theatrical films such as TheHomesman, to one of the biggest Fathom events in 2016 with Rob Zombie’s horror thriller 31. Recent titles include: Taran Killam’s Killing Gunther starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; Ric Roman Waugh’sShot Caller starring Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Lake Bell: War on Everyone starring Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Peña, and Theo James; The Girl with All the Gifts starring Gemma Arterton and Glenn Close; and Ethan Hawke action thriller 24 Hours to Live.
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About Saban Films
Saban Films, an affiliate of Saban Capital Group (“SCG”), is a film acquisition and distribution company which acquires high-quality, feature films to distribute in North America. Focusing on commercial, talent driven films, the company looks at projects in all stages of production for release across multiple platforms, including a day and date theatrical/VOD release strategy. Based in Los Angeles, Saban Films was established by Haim Saban, SCG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and is led by Bill Bromiley who serves as president, Shanan Becker, Chief Financial Officer and Ness Saban, Vice President of Business Development.
About Roadside Attractions
Since its founding in 2003, ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS films have grossed over $300M and garnered nineteen Academy Award® nominations. Roadside has released such critical and commercial hits as Manchester by the Sea, Beatriz at Dinner, Stronger, Love & Friendship, Hello My Name is Doris, Mr. Holmes, Love & Mercy, A Most Wanted Man, Dear White People, The Skeleton Twins, All Is Lost, Mud, Winter’s Bone, The Cove, Arbitrage, Margin Call and Super-Size Me. Its upcoming slate includes Jon and Andrew Erwin’s I Can Only Imagine, starring Dennis Quaid, Cloris Leachman, Trace Adkins, Priscilla Shirer, and Broadway’s J. Michael Finley; Sally Potter’s The Party, starring Cillian Murphy, Patricia Clarkson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Timothy Spall, Richard Loncraine’s Finding Your Feet, starring Imelda Staunton, Timothy Spall, Celia Imrie, David Hayman, John Sessions and Joanna Lumley, and Michael Pearce’s Beast, starring Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn and Geraldine James. The Film made its U.S. debut this week in the Spotlight section of the Sundance Film Festival with Roadside Attractions eyeing a Spring 2018 release in North American Theaters.
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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