Michael Sucsy to Direct, Southpaw Entertainment to Produce Music-Driven Feature Based on Novel by Lisa Genova
DOUGLAS, Isle of Man & BURBANK, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Eros STX Global Corporation (NYSE:ESGC) (“ErosSTX”), a global entertainment company, announced today that STXfilms has acquired worldwide rights to the film adaptation of the novel Every Note Played. Oscar® winners Angelina Jolie and Christoph Waltz are in talks with the studio and attached to star in the film. The announcement was made today by Adam Fogelson, chairman, STXfilms Motion Picture Group.
Every Note Played is based on the critically acclaimed most recent book by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova, author of Still Alice, for which Julianne Moore won the Oscar®, Golden Globe, SAG, and BAFTA Best Actress awards. The novel was optioned by Monet Clayton and David Mandell, who developed the story and adapted it into a music-driven screenplay that became #1 on the Black List.
Golden Globe-winning director Michael Sucsy (“Grey Gardens,” The Vow, “13 Reasons Why”) is set to direct the film, and Monet Clayton, Richard Barton Lewis, and Gabrielle Jerou are set to produce via Richard Barton Lewis’s Oscar®-nominated and Emmy Award-winning Southpaw Entertainment production banner (August Rush, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Backdraft).
Every Note Played follows a world-renowned concert pianist and composer on the verge of creating his magnum opus. When he receives a life-changing diagnosis, his estranged ex-wife takes up the cross of caring for him, and he is forced to balance reconciling his failed relationships with redefining his pursuit of greatness.
Commenting on the announcement, Fogelson said, “We’re thrilled to be bringing this exceptional filmmaking team together for this emotional, powerful, and ultimately uplifting story.”
UTA and ICM represented the financing and deal.
ANGELINA JOLIE is an Academy Award and three-time Golden Globe Winner with numerous film credits including Walt Disney Pictures’ Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, James Mangold’s Girl, Interrupted and the upcoming The Eternals for Marvel. She also directed, produced and co-wrote the critically acclaimed First They Killed My Father. Jolie is Special Envoy of the High Commissioner for Refugees, a Visiting Professor in Practice at the Centre for Women, Peace and Security at the London School of Economics and Political Science, as well as being a TIME magazine contributing editor. She is represented by WME.
CHRISTOPH WALTZ was awarded Oscars® for his work in Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained. He will next appear in Wes Anderson’s The French Dispatch and reprise his role as Blofeld in the 007 film No Time to Die. Waltz will next star in Charlie McDowell’s Gilded Rage and he was recently nominated for an Emmy Award for his work in Quibi’s “The Most Dangerous Game.” He is represented by ICM.
MICHAEL SUCSY is a Golden Globe, PGA, and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker best known for writing and directing “Grey Gardens” (HBO) in which Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore won Best Actress Golden Globe, Emmy, and SAG Awards. Sucsy won Golden Globe and Emmy Awards for best picture. In total, Sucsy’s “Grey Gardens” won two Golden Globes and six Emmys having garnered a record 17 Emmy nominations. Sucsy followed up the success with The Vow, starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, which had a $42MM opening weekend and went onto gross $200MM worldwide.
SOUTHPAW ENTERTAINMENT is an award-winning film and television production company founded by Richard Lewis, who’s productions have garnered multiple Oscar®, Emmy, Golden Globe, Grammy, BAFTA, SAG nominations and wins and have generated more than $1.2 billion dollars in revenue from 19 films, 12 soundtracks, and over 300 hours of prime time television. Lewis is currently in post-production on his 19th motion picture with the sexually charged thriller Every Breath You Take. Directed by Vaughn Stein and starring Academy Award® Winner Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, and Sam Claflin. Lewis has more than two dozen motion-picture, television, and stage projects in active development, including the Broadway-bound production of his Oscar®-nominated Warner Bros. musical August Rush.
ErosSTX Global Corporation:
Eros STX Global Corporation, (“ErosSTX” or “The Company”) (NYSE: ESGC) is a global entertainment company that acquires, co-produces and distributes films, digital content & music across multiple formats such as theatrical, television and OTT digital media streaming to consumers around the world. Eros International Plc changed its name to Eros STX Global Corporation pursuant to the July 2020 merger with STX Entertainment, merging two international media and entertainment groups. The combination of one of the largest Indian OTT players and premier studio with one of Hollywood’s fastest-growing independent media companies has created an entertainment powerhouse with a presence in over 150 countries. ErosSTX delivers star-driven premium feature film and episodic content across a multitude of platforms at the intersection of the world’s most dynamic and fastest-growing global markets, including US, India, Middle East, Asia and China. The Company also owns the rapidly growing OTT platform Eros Now which has rights to over 12,000 films across Hindi and regional languages and had 205.8 million registered users and 33.8 million paying subscribers as of June 30th, 2020. For further information, please visit ErosSTX.com.
STXfilms, a division of Eros STX Global Corporation, is a next-generation film studio that produces, acquires, distributes, and markets motion pictures at scale. From blockbusters like Hustlers, Bad Moms, and The Upside to hits like The Gentlemen, Molly’s Game, and The Gift, STXfilms produces star-driven films for a global audience. In just 5 short years, its slate of films has already grossed over $1.8b in global theatrical box office. With a wide range of partners including Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Showtime (which handle the physical and premium television releases of STXfilms content, respectively), the studio is a fast-growing, industry powerhouse.
Contacts
Investor Contact:
Drew Borst
EVP, Investor Relations & Business Development
Eros STX Global Corporation
drew@erosstx.com
Press Contact:
Steve Elzer
Elzer & Associates
+1 (213) 392-4660
steve@elzerassociates.com