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Actors Julianne Moore, Ken Watanabe, and Demián Bichir are all set to star in the forthcoming film from director Paul Weitz, BEL CANTO. Based on the best-seller of the same name by Ann Patchett, the script was adapted by Weitz and Anthony Weintraub. Distribution company Bloom is going to start international sales at the Toronto International Film Festival, which begins tomorrow. WME Global will take care of the U.S. rights.
The story follows a famous soprano (Moore), who travels to South America to give a private concert to a wealthy Japanese industrialist (Watanabe), under the watch of a military dictatorship. A general (Bichir) then leads a group of soldiers to take over the industrialist’s compound and demand the release of their imprisoned comrades — what follows is a month-long standoff.
Weintraub will produce with Caroline Baron under their company A-Line Pictures and Depth of Field’s Weitz and Andrew Miano will also produce. Alex Walton of Bloom said he was confident fans of the book “will be delighted to see our wonderful cast bring this story to life.”
Weitz is the director behind films such as Grandma, American Pie, and About a Boy. He is currently also directing the upcoming films Kicked Out of Kindergarten and The Making of A Chef. He also executive produces the Amazon series Mozart in the Jungle. He is repped by WME.
Most recently, Moore was seen in Maggie’s Plan and the final installment of The Hunger Games franchise. She will next be seen in the sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Wonderstruck for Amazon. She is repped by CAA, United Artists, and Management 360.
Watanabe can be seen in the recently released The Sea of Trees, as well as the upcoming feature Rage. He will be making his directorial debut with the film 442nd, currently being developed at Gerber Pictures. He is repped by WME and ROAR.
Bichir recently wrapped production on Ridley Scott’s Alien: Covenant, Good Kids, and Lowriders. He also appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s latest film, The Hateful Eight. He is repped by CAA.
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Anya Crittenton | Associate Editor
