09 may 2024 Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell to star in Andrew Haigh’s BELLY OF THE BEAST

Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell to star in Andrew Haigh’s BELLY OF THE BEAST from Village Roadshow Pictures

Mk2 films to launch sales in Cannes with UTA Independent Film Group, CAA Media Finance, and Village Roadshow Pictures

May 5, 2024 – Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell star in BAFTA Award nominee Andrew Haigh’s true crime story of a prisoner given a chance at redemption by a literary sensation in 1980’s New York City. Haigh will direct the film, which he and Alexis Jolly adapted from Jerome Loving’s nonfiction book, “Jack and Norman: A State-Raised Convict and the Legacy of Norman Mailer’s ‘The Executioner’s Song.’” Colin & Claudine Farrell, and Alison Rosenzweig & Michael Gaeta will produce the film developed and produced by Village Roadshow Pictures (VRP). Jillian Apfelbaum, Tristen Tuckfield, and Nic Gordon will executive produce for VRP. Sales for the film will launch at Cannes with mk2 Films handling international rights and UTA Independent Film Group, CAA Media Finance and Village Roadshow Pictures handling North American rights.

BELLY OF THE BEAST tells the timely and true story of the unlikely friendship between notorious literary titan Norman Mailer (Stiller) and his protégé, Jack Henry Abbott (Farrell). Bolstered by Mailer’s mentorship, Abbott is paroled after nearly a decade in prison; he gains instant popularity among the literary elite but struggles with life on the outside. When Mailer, creatively frustrated and envious of Jack’s rising star, turns his back on his infamous protégé, Jack spirals – committing an unforgivable act of violence in a New York City diner…only six weeks after his release.

Ben Stiller recently wrapped production on David Gordon Green’s independent feature Nutcrackers. His prolific acting career has included the Noah Baumbach films The Meyerowitz Stories, Greenberg and While We’re Young; Mike White’s Brad’s Status; Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums; David O. Russell’s Flirting with Disaster, Neil LaBute’s Your Friends & Neighbors; and starring roles in his own directorial efforts Reality Bites, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Tropic Thunder, and Zoolander. One of the most commercially-successful actors in Hollywood history, his onscreen credits also include major franchises such as Night at the Museum, Meet the Parents, and Madagascar; comedy blockbusters There’s Something About Mary, Tower Heist, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and more.

Colin Farrell was last seen in The Banshees of Inisherin, for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor and earned Academy Award, BAFTA and SAG nominations. He is currently reuniting with director Kogonada in A Big Bold Beautiful Journey opposite Margot Robbie. This summer he will shoot Edward Berger’s Ballad of a Small Player opposite Tilda Swinton.

“We couldn’t be more excited to be working with Andrew Haigh, a filmmaker we’ve long admired, on BELLY OF THE BEAST. With its gripping real-life drama and the thrilling on-screen partnership of Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell, set against the vibrant backdrop of 1980s New York, it promises to be an electrifying experience. Andrew Haigh’s nuanced approach will delve into the story’s intricate contradictions and complexities,” said Fionnuala Jamison, mk2 films’ Managing Director.

Haigh is an award-winning British writer-director, whose critically acclaimed 2023 film “All of Us Strangers” from Searchlight Pictures received six BAFTA nominations including best director and best adapted screenplay for Haigh. “All of Us Strangers” also landed three Independent Spirit Awards nominations. His previous films include A24’s “Lean on Pete” and IFC’s “45 Years,” for which Charlotte Rampling earned a best actress Academy Award nomination. After his breakout debut in 2011 with “Weekend,” Haigh also worked in TV, serving as an executive producer as well as the lead writer-director on HBO’s “Looking.” He also directed all five episodes of the 2012 limited series “The North Water” for BBC and AMC.

Stiller is represented by WME, ID, and Lawyers Warren Dern and David Weber at Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Farrell is represented by CAA, managers Claudine Farrell and Ilene Feldman, and attorney Steve Warren. Haigh is represented by The Agency in the UK, CAA, and Anonymous Content. Jolly is represented by CAA.

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