Entertainment One (eOne), in association with Shivani Rawat and Nimitt Mankad, through ShivHans Pictures, and Lynette Howell and Jamie Patricof, through Electric City Entertainment, announced today that it has secured the international rights to Captain Fantastic, the comedy-drama starring Viggo Mortensen, written and directed by Matt Ross. eOne will handle sales of the film in all territories outside of the US, as well as directly distribute Captain Fantastic through its own distribution infrastructure in the UK, Canada and Australia/New Zealand.
It was also announced today that Steve Zahn, Kathryn Hahn, Missi Pyle, and Erin Moriarty have joined the film’s cast, which also features Frank Langella and a group of up-and-comers including George MacKay, Annalise Basso, Samantha Isler, Nicholas Hamilton, Shree Crooks and Charlie Shotwell.
Electric City’s Howell and Patricof are producing the film alongside Rawat and Mankad. Rawat is also financing the film via her ShivHans Pictures banner. ShivHans’ Monica Levinson is executive producing.
Captain Fantastic centers on a passionate father (Viggo Mortensen), who is so devoted to teaching his six children how to live, be free, and survive in the world that he has moved them deep into the forests of the Pacific Northwest. He spends his days teaching them combat skills, training them like professional athletes, homeschooling them in a rigorous classical education, and introducing them to the beauty of the natural world. However, when he is forced to leave their self-created paradise and confront the real world, he begins a journey that challenges his unorthodox parenting.
“We are thrilled to continue our relationship with ShivHans following the successful launch of ‘Trumbo’ in Cannes. This is a project we all fell in love with and was voted best script of 2014 by our distribution teams on the ground. It is a very original story, both funny and deeply emotional and a wonderful role for Viggo. I don’t think we have read anything like it since ‘Little Miss Sunshine,’ but this is altogether very different,” says Harold van Lier, President, eOne Films International. “It is also about partnering with Lynette Howell, Jamie Patricof, and the team at Electric City who brought us wonderful films such as ‘Blue Valentine’ and ‘The Place Beyond the Pines.’ We all think we have a winner here.”
The film began production in July in Washington and New Mexico.
(Photo Credit: WENN.com)
