Rolling off its acquisition of Francis Ford Coppola‘s “Megalopolis,” Italy’s leading independent distributor Eagle Pictures has scooped Italian remake rights to French smash hit “A Little Something Extra,” along with a raft of high-profile projects shopped at the Cannes Film Market.
The company, which is owned by veteran producer-distributor Tarak Ben Ammar, will produce and distribute the Italian remake of “A Little Something Extra” (“Un Ptit truc en plus), Artus’ heartwarming family comedy which has taken the French box office by storm, selling a whooping 3.4 million tickets in theaters in three weeks.
“It’s a delightful film about a father and his son who rob a little jewelry shop in a small town and as they’re looking a place to hide, they get on a bus without realizing that it’s taking them to a summer camp for young adults with disabilities,” Ben Ammar said. “They all discover each others’ differences and become true friends. It’s funny, moving and feel-good.” On top of the remake rights, Eagle Pictures has also picked up the movie to release it in Italy.
Eagle Pictures will also be releasing in Italy the latest film by Robert Zemeckis, “Home,” which reunites the team behind “Forrest Gump,” writer Eric Roth and key cast, Tom Hanks and Robin Wright.
Ben Ammar said he bought it last year and watched the completed film while in Cannes. “I was blown away. It’s an incredible. The entire film takes place in a room and it tells the story of humanity in a brand new way,” said Ben Ammar, adding that the film will be released in Italy in the Fall. Sony Pictures will release it in the U.S.
After distributing “Green Book,” Eagle Pictures will also work again with Peter Farrelly on “I Play Rocky,” a film about the true story of how Sylvester Stallone took a chance on himself to play the title role in “Rocky.”
As part of its partnership with MadRiver, Eagle Pictures has also bought Jean-Francois Richet’s “Mutiny,” an action-packed thriller with Jason Statham. The Italian banner has a multi-year equity financing and distribution deal with MadRiver, alongside a group of other indie distributors, including DeAPlaneta (Spain), IDC Distribution (Latin America), Italia Film (Middle East), Leonine Studios (Germany and Austria), Shochiku (Japan), SND (France) and Unicorn Media (Eastern Europe).
Eagle Pictures’ new acquisitions also include Rupert Sanders’ remake of “The Crow,” starring Bill Skarsgård and FKA Twigs. The company is still in business with Sony with which it signed a milestone pact in 2022 to distribute the studio’s movies in Italy, as well as co-produce European and international films. The two banners joined forces on Antoine Fuqua’s “The Equalizer 3” and “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile,” and are working on more “big international projects with big stars,” alongside Italian productions, Ben Ammar said. Eagle Pictures also has a deal with Paramount.
“We’re very lucky to have bought all the films we wanted during this festival and market, even though it was very competitive,” said Ben Ammar, who pointed out filmmakers such as Coppola are still eager to have their movies discovered by audiences in theaters. “When you put all your heart into a movie, you want it to touch people and build a legacy that will last forever, and there is no place like a theater to do that,” he continued.
While in Cannes, Ben Ammar has been spending quality time with Coppola, with whom he shares a Tunisian heritage.
“I met him a long time, but it’s only a few years ago that we bonded after he told me his Italian grand mother was also Tunisian!” said Ben Ammar who then took Coppola on a trip to Tunisia to visit the home of his grand-mother but couldn’t find it. He also visited the filmmaker at Napa Valley where he “greeted (him) with such generosity and cooked some egg brick, along with other traditional Tunisian dishes. “He’s a man of great generosity and humanity, and also a visionary filmmaker.”
Aside from Eagles Pictures, Ben Ammar also owns the Studios of Paris, home of “Emily in Paris.” Ideally located on the outskirts of Paris, the studios have been rented for the entire duration of the Olympic Games in Paris.
Source Agencies
