Tom Hanks, Jodie Comer, Olivia Colman, David Cronenberg and Richard Linklater head projects at a Cannes 2022 pre-sales market that looks like the most buoyant in recent years, while also ushering in what is being hailed as a new era in global rights licensing.“We’re very optimistic, expecting a pretty busy market with a lot of titles, the first real market after the pandemic,” said Constantin Film’s Martin Moszkowicz.“Several distributors have told me that this Cannes will be the biggest market for projects in several years — in volume and quality,” said Cecile Gaget at Anton, which is selling Jodie Comer-led apocalyptic thriller “The End We Start From.”Multiple larger packages hit the market late last week. “People are conscious there could still be quite a lot to come in,” said Anne Cherel at Studiocanal, which over the weekend unveiled one hot project, comedy “Wicked Little Letters,” re-teaming Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley.
Of really big packages, Lionsgate is asking prices from distributors on “Hunger Games” prequel, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” said to carry a $200 million budget; Lionsgate is also selling a “Dirty Dancing” sequel.Sony Pictures has just bought U.S.
rights to Miramax-sold “Here,” re-teaming “Forrest Gump’s” Robert Zemeckis, Eric Roth and Hanks.AGC Studios will introduce Richard Linklater action comedy “Hitman,” with Glenn Powell and Adria Arjona, from a “very commercial script,” said AGC’s Stuart Ford, plus true crime horror tale “The Dating Game,” with Anna Kendrick.Studiocanal bows Joe Keery and Liam Neeson starrer “Cold Storage,” a humor-laced action sci-fi horror movie, said Studiocanal’s Chloé Marquet.Guy Pearce toplines Mister Smith’s “The Convert,” described as an epic action.
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