The North American rights deal with Wild Bunch on the romantic thriller marks another early buy for the recently launched company headed by Tom Quinn and Tim League.

racer and the jailbird

Schoenaerts reunites with his Bullhead director Michaël R. Roskam and will star in the French-language feature opposite Adèle Exarchopoulos from Blue Is The Warmest Color.

Racer And The Jailbird takes place in Belgium and is set agains the racing world as a gangster falls for a wealthy racing driver.

Stone Angels and Savage Film are producing and Pathé and Wild Bunch co-produce. Wild Bunch handles international sales and Pathé will distribute in France.

“Michaël and I are very excited to team up again with Tim League who had a big hand in the launch of our first film Bullhead in 2011,” said producer Bart Van Langendonck of Savage Film. “We expect great things from Tim’s new association with Tom Quinn at Neon.”

Producer Pierre-Ange Le Pogam of Stone Angels added: “It’s been a long-time relationship with Tom and we feel honoured to be invited in this new venture. We know that Tom, Tim, and their team will be great partners; passionate, as Michaël, Bart, and myself have been working to create this movie with passion. This is exciting.”

Roskam, Thomas Bidegain and Noé Debré wrote the screenplay and Le Pogam produces with Van Langendonck.

Neon will release Colossal on April 7 and was active in Sundance last month, acquiring Roxanne Roxanne, Ingrid Goes West and Beach Rats.