(THR) International buyers are hot for Donnie Yen action vehicle The Father, which has sold out across most of Europe and to several key territories in Asia for Stuart Ford's AGC International.
Tommy Wirkola (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) is set to direct the feature, described as a tribute to the fast-paced action films of the 1980s, with production planned for 2021.
Yen, known to martial arts fans for his hit IP Man franchise, and to a broader audience for supporting roles in Disney's live-action Mulan, in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and in XXX: The Return of Xander Cage, stars alongside Frank Grillo and Alec Baldwin.
Arthur Sarkissian of the Rush Hour franchise will produce The Father, together with Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee of Thunder Road (John Wick), John Schramm, and Yen, from a script by P.G. Cuschieri.
AGC closed deals for The Father with Leonine in Germany and Switzerland; Metropolitan in France; DeAPlaneta in Spain; Nordisk in Scandinavia; and Signature Entertainment in the U.K. and Ireland, as well as with Rialto Distribution and Vertigo Releasing for Australia/New Zealand, and First Run in South Korea. The Father also pre-sold to Paradise/MGN for CIS and the Baltics; to Just Media Group in Benelux; United Kingdom in Israel and Relay Motion in Taiwan, among other deals.
AGC said it is currently in negotiations for the few remaining unsold territories internationally. CAA Media Finance is handling U.S. sales.
The international deals for The Father are a further indication of the appetite among independent distributors for high-profile action titles. AGC saw a similar spending spree for its upcoming Nick Jonas action vehicle The Blacksmith, which the company pitched to global buyers at the virtual Cannes film market earlier in June, as well as for the Sylvester Stallone high-concept actioner Little America, a pre-sale title unveiled in Berlin in February.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter by Scott Roxborough