IFC Films Acquires U.S. Rights to Rooney Mara’s Mary Magdalene

March 20, 2019

IFC Films acquires U.S. rights to Rooney Mara’s Mary Magdalene

IFC Films has announced that that they have gained the U.S. theatrical distribution rights to Australian director Garth Davis’ biblical drama film Mary Magdalene. Starring Academy Award-nominated actors Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara, the company is planning to release the film next month on April 12, just in time for the start of the Holy Week. The film was originally scheduled to be released on March 2018 but it was pulled out from the schedule due to The Weinstein Company declaring bankruptcy last year.

The new release date will see Mary Magdalene going up against three big movies including Universal Pictures’ comedy film Little starring Regina Hall and Issa Rae; LAIKA’s newest animated stop-motion film Missing Link; and lastly, Lionsgate’s highly-anticipated Hellboy reboot.

Mary Magdalene is an authentic and humanistic portrait of one of the most enigmatic and misunderstood spiritual figures in history. The biblical biopic tells the story of Mary (Rooney Mara), a young woman in search of a new way of living. Constricted by the hierarchies of the day, Mary defies her traditional family to join a new social movement led by the charismatic Jesus of Nazareth (Joaquin Phoenix). She soon finds a place for herself within the movement and at the heart of a journey that will lead to Jerusalem. Written by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett, Mary Magdalene also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tahar Rahim.

Directed by DGA Award winner Garth Davis (Lion) and produced by See-Saw Films’ Iain Canning (Lion, The King’s Speech) and Emile Sherman (Lion, The King’s Speech), Mary Magdalene is the latest collaboration from the team behind last year’s $140 million worldwide box office success and six-time Academy Award-nominated film Lion alongside Animal Kingdom producer Liz Watts.