Shout! Studios has acquired the North American distribution rights to the Daisy Ridley-starring “Magpie.”
Following what Shout! says was a “competitive bidding situation,” the Werewolf Films, 55 Films and Align-produced acquisition comes on the heels of the Cannes Market.
“‘Magpie’ is a stylish neo-noir thriller centered on married couple Anette (Ridley) and Ben (Shazad Latif), whose lives begin to fracture when their daughter is cast alongside a glamorous movie star, Alicia (Matilda Lutz). As Anette’s suspicions of Ben’s infatuation with Alicia intensify, their secrets and lies threaten to burst to the surface and destroy them all,” reads its logline.
Based on an original idea by Ridley (“Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker,” “Young Woman and the Sea”), written by Tom Bateman (“Murder on the Orient Express,” “Thirteen Lives”) and directed by Sam Yates (“VANYA, The Hope Rooms”), the film stars Ridley, Latif (“What’s Love Got to Do with It?,” “Star Trek: Discovery”), Lutz (“Helen’s Dead,” “Medici”), Pippa Bennett-Warner (“Gangs of London,” “See How They Run”), Hiba Ahmed, Cherrelle Skeete (“Hanna,” “Snowflakes”) and Alistair Petrie (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Sex Education.”)
“To bring this idea to life has been one of the most gratifying moments of my career,” Ridley said. “Working with Tom, Sam, Kate and the wonderful cast and crew on ‘Magpie’ has been an unbelievable collaboration, and now getting to partner with Shout! to bring the film to audiences is incredibly exciting.”
Shout!’s deal includes distribution for all theatrical, digital, video-on-demand, broadcast and home entertainment for cross-platform release. Shout! plans a “strategic launch of this movie” across all major entertainment platforms, beginning with a theatrical launch later this year.
“‘Magpie’ is a movie you enjoy at least twice — first, when you experience the pleasure of a stylish, expertly acted and twisty psychological thriller, and then when you dissect and discuss it with someone else,” Jordan Fields, Shout’s senior vice president of acquisitions and originals, said in a statement. “There are far too few of these gems out there, so we’re eager to share ‘Magpie’ with audiences hungry for deeply satisfying entertainment.”
Kate Solomon, of 55 Films, Ridley and Tom Bateman, of Werewolf Films, Nadia Khamlichi and Sierra Garcia of Align and Camilla Bray produce the film.
CAA negotiated the movie deal for Werewolf Films, 55 Films, Align filmmakers, Shout!’s Jordan Fields and Steve Katz, vice president of business affairs. Ridley, Bateman and Yates are all repped by CAA.
