RLJE Films Acquires Nicolas Cage and Sofia Boutella-Starrer ‘Prisoners of the Ghostland’ Ahead of Sundance Premiere
RLJE Films, a business unit of AMC Networks, has acquired the U.S. rights to the film “Prisoners of the Ghostland,” which stars Nicolas Cage and Sofia Boutella, ahead of its Sundance world premiere.
“Prisoners of the Ghostland” stars Cage as a ruthless bank robber, sprung from jail by a wealthy warlord, called The Governor (Bill Moseley), whose adopted granddaughter Bernice (Boutella) has gone missing. In order to earn his freedom, Cage’s bandit sets off to find the young woman — with the added pressure of being strapped into a leather suit that will self-destruct within five days — which results in the actor giving what is professed to be “one of his most unhinged performances to date.”
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The action/adventure film from director Sion Sono (in his English-language debut), is described as a “delirious mash-up of Western, samurai, and post-apocalyptic thriller” and is set to make its world premiere at the year’s festival on Jan. 31.
“We’re excited to once again work with Nicolas Cage on a highly-anticipated film directed by the celebrated Japanese filmmaker Sion Sono,” Mark Ward, Chief Acquisitions Officer of RLJE Films, said in a statement announcing the acquisition. “Following the success of ‘Mandy’ and ‘Color Out of Space’, ‘Prisoners of the Ghostland’ is already receiving great buzz and we cannot wait for audiences to see it at Sundance.”
The film was written by “Western Wonderland” screenwriters Aaron Hendry and Rexa Sixo Safai, who also produced the film. Joseph Trapanese (“Tron: Legacy,” “The Raid: Redemption,” “The Greatest Showman”) composed the original score.
“Prisoners of the Ghostland,” presented by Patriot Pictures, was fully financed by Michael Mendelsohn’s Union Patriot Capital Management. Joining Mendelsohn as producers on the project are Untitled Entertainment’s Laura Rister, Eleven Arts’ Ko Mori and XYZ Films’ Nate Bolotin. It was executive produced by Natalie Perrotta, Nick Spicer, Aram Tertzakian and Yuji Sadai.
In addition to producing the project, XYZ Films is handling world sales, and will be introducing the film to international buyers on the heels of Sundance. The company also worked on “Mandy” and “Color Out of Space,” both starring Nicolas Cage and released by RLJE.
Ward and Jess DeLeo from RLJE Films negotiated the deal with Bolotin on behalf of the filmmakers.
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